Wrapping gifts, placing them under trees and opening them on Christmas Day are a relatively modern invention — in early medieval times, some Christian rulers thought that the story of the three ...

But, medieval Germans are credited with starting ... Once word spread, the popularity of Christmas trees took off. It became a tradition throughout England and North America.

However, in medieval times, people would leave their festive decorations up until Candlemas. It marks the official end of the festive period in England and falls exactly 40 days after Christmas and is ...