It might feel like Christmas is now over — but it's only just started.
Because Christmas really begins on the 25th December and ends on the 5th January.
That's why there are Twelve Days of Christmas...
The way Christmas is now celebrated makes the 25th December feel like its end and culmination.
But originally — and as remains the case religiously — the 25th December was the beginning of Christmas, not its end, as declared by the Council of Tours in 567 AD.
The period leading up to Christmas is known as "Advent", defined by the Council of Tours as a season of preparation.
Hence Advent Calendars, which first appeared in the 19th century.
They count down the days until the whole Christmas season begins, not simply to Christmas Day.
Who is Santa Claus? Why does he look like that? And where did he come from?
All these questions, answered...
The original Santa Claus, so to speak, was Saint Nicholas (270-343 AD).
He was an early Christian bishop born in Myra, modern Turkey, who became famous for working miracles and helping the needy.
In the 5th century AD Emperor Theodosius II built a church in his honour.
One story goes that Saint Nicholas saved three young women from being forced into prostitution by dropping bags of gold through the windows of their house so their father could afford a dowry and have them married:
Over 2,000 years ago there was a philosopher who believed in atoms, speculated about aliens, created a theory of evolution — and even said religion was just superstition.
Here's a brief introduction to Epicureanism, the strangest (and most controversial) ancient philosophy...
Epicurus was a philosopher who lived in Athens in the 3rd century BC.
He refined and expanded on existing beliefs until he had created a definitive philosophy of his own: Epicureanism.
Epicurus also set up a school in Athens, where he taught these ideas, known as "the Garden".
In the 1st century BC these beliefs were put into an epic poem by a Roman poet called Lucretius.
This poem, called "On the Nature of Things", is sort of like the Epicurean manifesto.
All quotes here are from On the Nature of Things, as translated by AE Stallings in 2007.