? - It is a British Christmas tradition that a wish made while mixing the Christmas pudding will come true only if the ingredients are stirred in a clockwise direction. ? - The tradition of Christmas lights dates back to when Christians were persecuted for saying Mass. A simple candle in the window meant that Mass would be celebrated there that night. ? - Yuletide-named towns in the United States include Santa Claus, located in Arizona and Indiana, Noel in Missouri, and Christmas in both Arizona and Florida. ? - The classic animal crackers box is designed with a string handle because the animal-shaped cookie treats, introduced in 1902 as a Christmas novelty, were packaged so they could be hung from Christmas trees. ? - Sending red Christmas cards to anyone in Japan constitutes bad etiquette, since funeral notices there are customarily printed in red. ? - When distributing gifts in Holland, St. Nicholas is accompanied by his servant, Black Peter; who is responsible for actually dropping the presents down the chimneys. However, legend claims that Peter also punishes bad children by putting them in a bag and carrying them away to Spain. ? - Theodore Roosevelt, a staunch conservationist, banned Christmas trees in his home, even when he lived in the White House. His children, however, smuggled them into their bedrooms. ? - Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria of England, was credited with introducing the German custom of the Christmas tree into the English home in 1841. ? - In the British armed forces it is traditional that officers wait on the men and serve them their Christmas dinner. This dates back to a custom from the Middle Ages.