1 Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas carols and parties between 1649 and 1660 because he wanted the day to be solemn.

2 The first Christmas card was printed in England for civil servant Sir Henry Cole in 1843.

3 The first postage stamp to commemorate Christmas was issued in 1937 in Austria.

4 Christmas crackers were "invented" by London sweet shop owner Tom Smith in the 1840s.

5 Christmas Day birthdays include Alice Cooper, Charlie Chaplin, Humphrey Bogart and Sir Isaac Newton.

6 The biggest selling Christmas single of all time is Bing Crosby's White Christmas. It has sold more than 50million copies.

7 Hanging gifts on trees stems from a Druid belief that the tree is the giver of all good things.

8 Christmas dinner was traditionally a goose until Henry Vlll decided to have a turkey.

9 Protestant reformer Martin Luther added lights to the tree because he wanted to bring the "light of the stars" to his home.

10 The holly and red berries on a Christmas wreath symbolise Christ's crown of thorns and his blood.