The tradition of putting tangerines in stockings comes from 12th-century French nuns who left socks full of fruit, nuts and tangerines at the houses of the poor.
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The first postage stamp to commemorate Christmas was issued in Austria in 1937.
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The definition of a white Christmas in the UK is for a single snow flake (perhaps amongst a shower of mixed rain and snow) to be observed falling in the 24 hours of December 25th.
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The sun sets on 24 December at 3.55pm in the UK, and rises the following morning at 8.05am.
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Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was invented for a US firm's Christmas promotion in 1938.
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The poinsettia is a traditional Christmas flower. In Mexico (its original birthplace), the poinsettia is known as the "Flower of the Holy Night".
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English Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas between 1647 and 1660 because he believed such celebrations were immoral for the holiest day of the year.
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The Queen's Christmas speech was first televised in 1957.
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