Facts about Christmas Day

22% of men leave their Christmas shopping until the last two days before Christmas. Only 9% of women do the same. And 12% of us don't even start our Christmas shopping until the January sales. Christmas Day Facts

The use of 'Xmas' isn't necessarily a secularisation of Christmas; it is said to date from the ancient practice of using a cross as a symbol for the word 'Christ'. Christmas Day Facts

Christmas Carol singing began as an old English custom called wassailing, toasting neighbours to a long life. Christmas Day Facts

Many parts of the Christmas tree can actually be eaten, with the needles being a good source of Vitamin C. Christmas Day Facts

The holly in a wreath symbolises Christ's crown of thorns while the red berries are drops of his blood. Christmas Day Facts

The bestselling Christmas single ever is Bing Crosby's White Christmas, selling over 50 million copies worldwide since 1942. Christmas Day Facts

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was invented in 1938 by a department store, Montgomery Ward, as a marketing gimmick to get kids to buy holiday coloring books. Christmas Day Facts

Kissing under the mistletoe is thought to derive from Frigga, the Norse goddess of love, who was associated with the plant. Christmas Day Facts

All the gifts in the song 'Twelve Days of Christmas' would equal 364 gifts. Christmas Day Facts

In A.D. 350, Pope Julius I, bishop of Rome, proclaimed December 25 the official celebration date for the birthday of Christ. Christmas Day Facts

According to the Guinness world records, the tallest Christmas tree ever cut was a 221-foot Douglas fir that was displayed in 1950 at the Northgate Shopping Center in Seattle, Washington. Christmas Day Facts

In 1962, the first Christmas postage stamp was issued in the United States. Christmas Day Facts

After each Christmas, Britons return £207 million worth of unwanted gifts Christmas Day Facts

The last US state to make Christmas a legal holiday was Oklahoma in 1907. Christmas Day Facts

In Icelandic folklore, the Yule Cat (Jólakötturinn) will eat anyone who does not receive new clothes by Christmas Eve Christmas Day Facts

In 1972, the Peruvian government banned Santa Claus from appearing on radio and Television. Christmas Day Facts

The first artificial trees were made in Germany in the 19th century from goose feathers dyed green. Christmas Day Facts

Good King Wenceslas was not a king - he was a Duke. Christmas Day Facts

The single largest candy cane ever produced was made in 2012 by Chef Alain Roby of the All-Chocolate Kitchen in Geneva, Illinois. It was 51 foot long and was made using 900 pounds of sugar. Christmas Day Facts

Reindeer antlers grow at a rate of more than an inch a day, making them the fastest growing tissue of any mammal. Christmas Day Facts

Tiny Tim in Dickens A Christmas Carol was originally called Little Fred. Christmas Day Facts

Christmas wasn't declared an official holiday in the United States until 26 June 1870. Christmas Day Facts

Taiwan used to get Christmas day off as a national holiday. They called it Constitution Day but the holiday was created to appease a politician's wife who was a Christian. Christmas Day Facts

The greeting MERRY CHRISTMAS first appeared in 1843 in the famous novella "A Christmas Carol," by Charles Dickens. Christmas Day Facts

The first song played in space was "Jingle Bells" in 1965. Christmas Day Facts

'Jingle bells' were attached to the harnesses of horse-drawn sleighs as a form of warning device to help avoid collisions at blind intersections. Christmas Day Facts

Streets are closed on Christmas Eve in Caracas, Venezuela so people can roller skate to church. Christmas Day Facts

The Christmas Eve meal is not served in Hungary until a twinkling star is seen in the sky. Christmas Day Facts

In mid-1400s England, Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England, banned Christmas - and while the holiday was banned, Mince Pies were outlawed! Christmas Day Facts

What do Issac Newton, Little Richard and Humphrey Bogart all have in common? they were all born on Christmas Day. Christmas Day Facts

The song, "Silent Night" has been translated to more languages than any other holiday tune. Christmas Day Facts

The first documented example of candy canes to celebrate Christmas in America occurred in 1847. August Imgard, a German-Swedish immigrant from Wooster, OH used them to decorate the Christmas tree. Christmas Day Facts

Jingle Bells' was first written for Thanksgiving before becoming one of the most popular Christmas songs. Christmas Day Facts

In 1695, Christmas was banned in Massachusetts for 22 years, because celebrants were too likely to be become drunk and rowdy. Anyone caught celebrating was required to pay a 5 shilling (about $50 in 2019) fine. Christmas Day Facts

Harper Lee’s friends gave her a year’s wages for Christmas in 1956. She took the next year off and wrote To Kill A Mocking Bird. Christmas Day Facts

The first commercially available Christmas cards were sold in 1843 and cost an average day’s wage per card. They didn’t sell well and were judged a flop. They now fetch over £20,000 at auction. Christmas Day Facts