25 Fun Facts about Christmas:
1. US scientists calculated that Santa would have to visit 822 homes a second to deliver all the world's presents on Christmas Eve, travelling at 650 miles a second.
2. Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
3. Despite the tale of three wise men paying homage to baby Jesus, the Bible never gives a number. Matthew's Gospel refers to merely "wise men".
4. Carols weren't sung in churches until they were introduced by St Francis of Assisi in the 13th century.
5. Hanging stockings out comes from the Dutch custom of leaving shoes packed with food for St Nicholas's donkeys. He would leave small gifts in return.
6. There is no reference to angels singing anywhere in the Bible.
7. Nearly 60 million Christmas trees are grown each year in Europe.
8. The word Noel derives from the French expression "les bonnes nouvelles" or "the good news".
9. The abbreviation Xmas isn't irreligious. The letter X is a Greek abbreviation for Christ.
10. The world's tallest Xmas tree at 221ft high was erected in a Washington shopping mall in 1950.
11.Many theologians estimate that Jesus wasn't born on December 25 but sometime in September between 6BC and 30AD.
12.James Pierpont's 1857 song Jingle Bells was first called One Horse Open Sleigh and was written for Thanksgiving.
13.Before turkey, the traditional Christmas meal in England was a pig's head and mustard.
14. The Greeks celebrate Christmas on January 7, according to the old Julian calendar, while Xmas presents are opened on New Year's Day.
15. Many parts of the Christmas tree can actually be eaten, with the needles being a good source of Vitamin C.
16. The holly in a wreath symbolises Christ's crown of thorns while the red berries are drops of his blood.
17. Hanging presents on trees may come from the Druids who believed the tree was the giver of all good things.
19. Jingle Bells was the first song broadcast from space when Gemini 6 astronauts Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra sang it on December 16, 1965.
20. Santa has different names around the world - Kriss Kringle in Germany, Le Befana in Italy, Pere Noel in France and Deushka Moroz (Grandfather Frost) in Russia.
21. Christmas pudding was originally a soup made with raisins and wine.
22. London sweetmaker Tom Smith created the first Christmas crackers in 1847, based on the sweet wrapper design.
23. Santa Claus comes from a Dutch folk tale based on Saint Nicholas, or Sinterklaas, who gave gifts on December 6.
24. Electric tree lights were invented by Edward Johnson in the US in 1882.
25. Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was invented for a US firm's Christmas promotion in 1938.