Christmas puddings, tins of shortbread and speciality cheeses are piled high. Streams of brightly coloured tinsel and flashing fairy lights line the high streets. The festive smell of cinnamon and mulled fills the air. It can only mean one thing – Christmas is coming.
We may still be waiting for the John Lewis advert.
And the UK tour dates of the Coca Cola truck are yet to be announced.
But that Christmassy feel is in the air and Express.co.uk is counting down the days.
Want to know how long you have to finish your shopping or get that turkey booked?
10 fun facts about Christmas
In the Middle Ages, Christmas celebrations were rowdy and raucous—a lot like today’s Mardi Gras.
From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was outlawed in Boston.
Rudolph, “the most famous reindeer of all,” was the product of Robert L May’s imagination in a bid to lure customers into the Montgomery Ward department store.
“Jingle Bells” was written for Thanksgiving, not Christmas.
The first artificial Christmas Tree was created out of goose feathers dyed green.
The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336.
The word Christmas is a contraction of “Christ’s Mass,” which is derived from the Middle English Cristemasse.
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.
Boxing Day gets its name from all the money collected in church alms-boxes for the poor.
The first commercial Christmas cards were commissioned by civil servant Sir Henry Cole in London in 1843.
Christmas weather forecast
The Weather Outlook says: “Recent output from seasonal computer models has generally been pointing towards a milder than average winter.”
The Met Office says snow could be unlikely as Christmas is only at the beginning of the period when it’s likely to snow.
The weather agency adds the UK is more likely to see snow between January and March than in December.
But Jessica O’Reilly of Ladbrokes said: “With temperatures set to drop those dreaming of a White Christmas this year could well be in luck.”
Ladbrokes Latest Betting
Snow to fall anywhere in the UK on Christmas Day – 10/11
Winter 2019 to be coldest on record – 5/2