Christmas time is coming and we want to wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!
Buon Natale, Feliz Navidad, Boldog karácsonyt, feliz Natal!!!
Here are festive facts to get you even more in the mood for Christmas..
Christ's Mass : the word Christmas comes from the Old English "Cristes maesse" meaning "Christ's Mass".
Xmas : the abbreviation Xmas isn't irreligious. The letter X is a Greek abbreviation for Christ.
Speedy Santa : 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.
Noel : the word Noel derives from the French expression "les bonnes nouvelles" or "the good news".Christmas Trees : nearly 60 million Christmas trees are grown each year in Europe.
Early Christmas Trees : they may date back to pagan traditions, but the earliest known reference to a Christmas tree is in a German pamphlet from 1570.
Tallest Tree : the world's tallest Xmas tree at 221ft high was erected in a Washington shopping mall in 1950.
Eating a Christmas Tree : many parts of the Christmas tree can actually be eaten, with the needles being a good source of Vitamin C.
Rudolph the Reindeer : Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer was invented for a US firm's Christmas promotion in 1938.
Jingle Bells : James Pierpont's 1857 song Jingle Bells was first called One Horse Open Sleigh and was written for Thanksgiving.
Christmas Songs : JINGLE Bells was the first song broadcast from space when Gemini 6 astronauts Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra sang it on December 16, 1965.
Banning Christmas : In 1647, after the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell banned festivities. The law wasn't lifted until 1660.
The Birth of Jesus : Many theologians estimate that Jesus wasn't born on December 25 but sometime in September between 6BC and 30AD.
Tangerines : 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.
