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- It is traditional to exchange kisses under the mistletoe. In Scandinavia, mistletoe signifies peace and friendship.
- The 2009 White House Blue Room Christmas Tree is an 18 1/2-by-13-foot Douglas fir.
- The Nutcracker (Ballet) was adapted from The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, by German writer E.T.A. Hoffman.
- After "A Christmas Carol," Charles Dickens wrote one Christmas story each year, but none more successful.
- The inventor of the Christmas "cracker" or bon-bon was Tom Smith who owned a sweet shop in London.
- "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" by Gene Autry (1949) sold 2 million copies of the song in it's first year.
- In Roman times, holiday gift giving was popular during Saturnalia, a winter solstice celebration.
- More than 50,000 people are expected to attend 28 holiday parties at the White House in December 2009.
- The traditional flaming Christmas pudding dates back to 1670 in England.
- Christmas cookies for Santa began during the Great Depression to inspire children to share with others in hard times.
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