20 Facts you never knew about your Christmas Tree & Christmas.
 

• An acre of Christmas trees provides the daily oxygen requirements of 18 people.
  
• Every year since 1947, the people of Oslo, Norway have given a Christmas tree to the city
  of Westminster, England. The gift is an expression of good will and gratitude for Britain's
  help to Norway during World War II.
  
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• Real Christmas trees came eighth in a survey of the nation’s favourite smells in 2004, just behind the sea but ahead of perfume.
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• The abbreviation Xmas isn't irreligious. The
  letter X is a Greek abbreviation for Christ.
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• The holly in a christmas wreath  symbolises Christ's
  crown of thorns while the red berries are drops of his blood.
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• 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.
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• BOXING Day gets its name from all the money
  collected in church alms-boxes for the poor.
• There are 13 Santas in Iceland, each leaving a gift for children. They come down from the mountain one by one, starting on December 12 and have names like Spoon Licker, Door Sniffer and Meat Hook.
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• The first Christmas celebrated in Britain is thought to have been in York in 521AD
• In Greece, Italy, Spain and Germany, workers get a Christmas
  bonus of one month's salary by law
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• RUDOLPH the red-nosed reindeer was invented
  for a US firm's Christmas promotion in 1938.
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• The world's tallest Xmas tree at 221ft high
  was erected in a Washington
  shopping mall in 1950.
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• 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".
  
• 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.
  
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• In 1647, the English parliament passed a law made Christmas illegal. The Puritan leader
  Oliver Cromwell, who considered feasting and revelry on what was supposed to be
  a holy day to be immoral, banned the Christmas festivities. The ban was lifted
  only when Cromwell lost power in 1660.
  
• Roast turkey did not appear consistently on royal Christmas Day menus until 1851 when
  it replaced roast swan. The medieval dish of Boar’s head remained popular with
  Royals for much longer.
  
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• The Canadian province of  Nova Scotia  leads the world in exporting lobster, wild blueberries, and Christmas trees.
  
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• Lodgepole Pine Trees were used by the North American Sioux to build Tee-Pees for their long straight trunk.
  
• The Christmas tree that stands outside 10 Downing Street is presented by the winner of the British Christmas Tree growers associations  “Best Christmas Tree” competition.
  
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• A Christmas tree will consume as much as two pints of water per day in the first week of being in your home.
  However Christmas Trees are known for removing dust and pollen from the air.