Christmas: Did you mean...?

Did you know that holiday festivities on and around December 25th date back over 2,000 years ago? This video is all about the history of Christmas, and how it has grown and developed as a holiday from its earliest history in the Roman Empire...

An 1880 coloured lithograph titled Christmas Eve by J. Hoover. (Library of Congress)

Volumes of Christmas Literature. (Private Collection)

A 1917 French New Year's card showing two Christmas party-goers kissing under the mistletoe. Design by Xavier Sager.

Scandinavia has a rich cultural heritage and Norse Mythology, which was once simply their religious belief system, has continually fascinated and influenced others for centuries. The Norse beliefs and traditions also influenced many of the...

Three traditional dishes eaten during a British Christmas holiday. Left: Roast turkey Top Right: Christmas pudding Bottom right: Christmas cake (the cake and pudding were made by Ruth Cartwright)

A Christmas card made by the Princess Royal 'Vicky' (Victoria) for her mother Queen Victoria (reign 1837-1901) for Christmas 1855. (Royal Collection Trust)

An 1848 illustration of the royal Christmas tree of Queen Victoria (r. 1837-1901) and Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the Prince Consort (l. 1819-61).

A 19th century Christmas card. c. 1880.

A copy by William Corden of an original watercolour by James Roberts which shows Queen Victoria's Christmas tree and gifts at Windsor Castle in 1850. (Royal Collection Trust)