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.
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