1. The first letter of this word is the first letter of the Greek word for Christ.

2. This word comes from the Latin word 'carula' meaning 'circular dance'. They were first pagan songs adoppted later by church as they were very popular.

3. This word was a name for a baton carried by court jesters in Tudor England. "To give the ______" meant to make fun of somebody.

4. This word means a Christmas tree decoration and is part of the holiday thanks to a Ukrainian legend about a spider who decorated a poor house with its web of gold and silver.

5. According to a legend Saint Nicolas wanted to help a poor man and his daughters. But knowing they wouldn't accept charity, he threw several golden balls which ended up in the girls' _____ which were placed at the fire.

6. This word means 'nuts from Castana' - a town in Greece.

7. They technically come from New York and a poem called 'A Visit From St.Nicolas'.

8. This word comes from a combination of two notions: 'Bird dung' and 'twig'.

Script:

We've all heard of the 12 days of Christmas, but what about 12 words of Christmas? Here's the story behind a few of them.

1. X-mas. X-mas has been contentious over the years, with some arguing it's a term designed to remove the religious importance of Christmas. In fact, X is the symbol for Chi, the first letter in the Greek word for Christ, and that is why Christmas, or Christ's Mass, became X-mas.

2. Santa. Santa Claus comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas, which literally translates as Saint Nicholas. Before Saint Nicholas was even born though, the Norse god Odin was believed to lead a hunting party through the sky during Yule, and he even delivered presents to children.

3. Carol. Coming from the Latin carula, meaning circular dance, carols used to be pagan songs, sung all throughout the year. They were swiftly adopted by the Romans, and then by the church as they were so popular.

4. Bauble. This used to be the term for a baton carried by court jesters or bauble bearers in Tudor England, back in the 17th century to give the bauble to someone actually meant to make fun of them.

5. Tinsel. Coming from France, etincel, meaning sparkle or spark, it became part of our Christmas tree decorations thanks to a Ukrainian fairy tale all about a generous spider who took pity on a poor family choosing to spend the night decorating their tree with a web of gold and silver.

6. Stockings. Originating from an old English word, stock, meaning trunk of a tree, our Christmas stockings also have their own Christmas tale behind them. In it, Saint Nicholas wanted to help a poor man and his daughters. Knowing they wouldn't accept charity, he threw three golden balls through their window at night, each one landing in a different stocking. The balls were sometimes represented as oranges, which is why we get oranges in our stockings today.

7. Chestnuts. We can trace the word chestnut back to Castanea, which means nut from Castana, a town in Greece. From here, our chestnut trees were imported to the rest of Europe. Roman soldiers used to roast them over an open fire or eat porridge out of them before they went into battle.

8. Nativity. The word nativity comes from the Latin word nativus, meaning born. It's thought the first nativity scene was created by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1223. Mary and Joseph are usually placed on either side of the manger. Then you have the shepherds. And don't forget the three kings. They're traditionally added last.

9. Reindeer. Santa's reindeer technically come from New York and a poem called A Visit from Saint Nicholas. Rudolph is also American, first appearing in a series of colouring books promoting the Christmas goods of a department store. His red nose was nearly removed as the store manager was concerned there'd be links drawn between it and heavy drinking.

10. Mistletoe. The latter half of mistletoe evolved out of tan, meaning twig. The mistle part was another word for dung. Bird dung to be exact. Named as it is because mistletoe sprouted out of trees wherever birds congregated. Kissing under the bird poo twig doesn't really sound as romantic, does it?

11. Mince pies. Starting out as a large oblong, mince pies were originally a mixture of suet, fruit, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and meat. Served around Christmas, the mince pie evolved throughout the Victorian era, with the meat eventually being removed.

12. Mulled wine. Created by the Romans when they'd heat wine to defend their bodies against the cold winter, mulled wine spread across their empire and the regions they traded with. Its popularity continued throughout the Middle Ages as we mixed heated wine with spices, believing it would promote health and prevent sickness. And what better drink to sit back and toast to this world of culture and history we've surrounded ourselves with? Merry Christmas, one and all.