England has only known seven white Christmases in the entire twentieth century. According to the records of the Meteorological Office in London, snow fell on Christmas Day only in 1938 and 1976. (The definition of a white Christmas in England is when one snowflake falls on the roof of the London Weather Centre.)

The Queen's Christmas speech was televised for the first time in 1957.

In 1647, the English parliament passed a law that made Christmas illegal. Christmas festivities were banned by Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell, who considered feasting and revelry on what was supposed to be a holy day to be immoral. Anybody caught celebrating Christmas was arrested. The ban was lifted only when the Puritans lost power in 1660.

It is not until Twelfth Night (the Feast of the Epiphany) that the figures of the Three Kings are supposed to be added to the Christmas crib.

Postmen in Victorian England were popularly called "robins". This was because their uniforms were red. Victorian Xmas cards often showed a robin delivering Xmas mail.

1642 Si r Isaac Newton - (1642-1727), mathematician and physicist, one of the foremost scientific intellects of all time. Born on Christmas Day at Woolsthorpe, near Grantham in Lincolnshire, where he attended school, he entered Cambridge University in 1661; he was elected a Fellow of Trinity College in 1667, and Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in 1669. He remained at the university, lecturing in most years, until 1696. Of these Cambridge years, in which Newton was at the height of his creative power, he singled out 1665-1666 (spent largely in Lincolnshire because of plague in Cambridge) as "the prime of my age for invention". During two to three years of intense mental effort he prepared Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy) commonly known as the Principia, although this was not published until 1687.

1899 Humphrey Bogart - An American film actor who often played tough crooks or detectives. Best known films include The Maltese Falcon (1941), Casablanca (1942) and The African Queen (1952).

1936 Princess Alexandra - Daughter of the Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece was born on Christmas Day 1936 at 3, Belgrave Square, her family's London home. She is the second child and only daughter of the late Duke and Duchess of Kent (her brothers are the present Duke of Kent and Prince Michael of Kent). Much of her childhood was spent at the Duke and Duchess of Kent's country home, Coppins, in Buckinghamshire. Her father was killed in a wartime flying accident in 1942 when she was just five years old.

1945 Alice Cooper - A pop music singer. (Real name Vincent Furnier.) His best selling record is School's Out, which headed the music charts in July, 1972.

An old wives' tale says that bread baked on Christmas Eve will never go mouldy.

Christmas pudding was first made as a kind of soup with raisins and wine in it.

The turkey was imported to France by the Jesuits and it is still known in some French dialects as a 'Jesuite'.

December 25th was not celebrated as the birthday of Christ until the year AD 440.

In 1649, Oliver Cromwell abolished Christmas and he declared it to be an ordinary working day. Anybody caught celebrating Christmas was arrested.

In the nineteenth century, the British Post Office used to deliver cards on Christmas morning.

Father Christmas has two addresses, Edinburgh and the North Pole. Letters addressed to 'TOYLAND' or 'SNOWLAND' go to Edinburgh, but letters addressed to 'THE NORTH POLE' have to be sent there because there really is such a place!

The first Christmas stamp was released in Canada in 1898.

Christmas crackers were invented by Thomas Smith. He had imported some French novelties to sell as Christmas gifts, but these were not popular until he wrapped them up and added a snapper.

It is not until Twelfth Night (the Feast of the Epiphany) that the figures of the Three Kings are supposed to be added to the Christmas crib.

In Germany, Twelfth Night is known as 'Three Kings Day'.

1946 W. C. Fields - An American film comedian. Best known for his cynical wit. He often played character of a heavy drinking, child hating, dog hating, confidence man. He was highly acclaimed as Mr. Micawber in the film David Copperfield (1935).

1977 Charlie Chaplin - An English, multi-talented film star. He is remembered for his 'little tramp' character in silent movies. He also wrote screenplays and directed and composed music for his films. Chaplin's best known films include The Gold Rush (1925), Modern Times (1936) and The Great Dictator (1940).