The other night I was out with friends and we got to finally sample some mulled wine. It was Christmas in a glass, and it was awesome.

Glühwein, or "glow wine," is a spiced drink from German-speaking countries. It is the traditional beverage offered during the Christmas holidays, and is usually prepared from red wine, heated and spiced with cinnamon sticks, vanilla pods, cloves, citrus and sugar.

In Bulgaria, it is called greyano vino ("heated wine"), and consists of red wine, honey and peppercorn. Sometimes apples and/or citrus fruits, such as lemon or oranges, can be added.

In Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Serbia, kuhano vino ("cooked wine"), is made from red wine and various combinations of nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, sugar and orange zest, often served with slices of orange or lemon.

Nordic Gløgg or Glögg is found in Nordic countries (sometimes misspelled as glog or glug). This is normally made from red wine, sugar, spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and bitter orange, and optionally also stronger spirits such as vodka, akvavit or brandy.

To prepare glögg, spices and/or spice extract are mixed into the wine, which is then heated to 140-158 °F. The temperature should not be allowed to rise above 173.12 °F in order to avoid evaporation of the alcohol. When preparing home-made glögg using spices, the hot mixture is allowed to infuse for at least an hour, often longer, and then reheated before serving. In Sweden, ready-made wine glögg is normally sold at Systembolaget ready to heat and serve, and not in concentrate or extract form. Glögg is generally served with raisins, blanched almonds and Ginger biscuits (Ginger Snaps), and is a popular hot drink during the Christmas season.

You can often find mulled wine kits in stores, which will include the spices and sugar you need to prepare your drink. But it is just as easy to gather it all yourself.

A wonderful recipe can be found at Jamie Oliver's site here.

Ruled a legal holiday in 1894, Christmas has had its fair share of strange traditions.

In this video, learn about the history of Santa Claus and his real-life inspiration, St. Nicholas.

The poem, which has been called "arguably the best-known verses ever written by an American", is largely responsible for the conception of Santa Claus from the mid-nineteenth century to today, including his physical appearance, the night of his visit, his mode of transportation, the number and names of his reindeer, as well as the tradition that he brings toys to children. Prior to the poem, American ideas about St. Nicholas and other Christmastide visitors varied considerably. The poem has influenced ideas about St. Nicholas and Santa Claus beyond the United States to the rest of the English-speaking world and beyond. According to legend, A Visit was composed by Moore on a snowy winter's day during a shopping trip on a sleigh. His inspiration for the character of Saint Nicholas was a local Dutch handyman as well as the historical Saint Nicholas. While Moore originated many of the features that are still associated with Santa Claus today, he borrowed other aspects such as the names of the reindeer. The poem was first published anonymously in the Troy, New York, Sentinel on December 23, 1823, having been sent there by a friend of Clement Clarke Moore, and was reprinted frequently thereafter with no name attached. Only later did Moore acknowledge his authorship, and the poem was included in an 1844 anthology of his works. Moore had written it for his children, and being a scholar and professor, did not wish at first to be connected with the poem, but his children insisted that it be included in the anthology.

Moore's conception of St. Nicholas was borrowed from his friend Washington Irving's, but Moore portrayed his "jolly old elf" as arriving on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day. At the time Moore wrote the poem, Christmas Day was overtaking New Year's Day as the preferred genteel family holiday of the season, but some Protestants - who saw Christmas as the result of "Catholic ignorance and deception" - still had reservations. By having St. Nicholas arrive the night before, Moore "deftly shifted the focus away from Christmas Day with its still-problematic religious associations". As a result, "New Yorkers embraced Moore's child-centered version of Christmas as if they had been doing it all their lives"

In An American Anthology, 1787–1900, editor Edmund Clarence Stedman reprinted the Moore version of the poem, including the German spelling of "Donder and Blitzen" he adopted, rather than the earlier Dutch version from 1823, "Dunder and Blixem". Both phrases translate as "Thunder and Lightning" in English, though the German word for thunder is "Donner", and the words in modern Dutch would be "Donder en Bliksem".

Modern printings frequently incorporate alterations that reflect changing linguistic and cultural sensibilities: For example, breast in "The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow" is frequently bowdlerized to crest, the archaic ere in "But I heard him exclaim ere he drove out of sight" is frequently replaced with as, and "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night" is frequently rendered with the modern North American locution "'Merry Christmas'" and with "goodnight" as a single word.

In some parts of Europe, people still celebrate Christmas customs based on long-standing folk legends.

Mistletoe has often been a powerful component of many traditional faiths, believed to bestow life and fertility, offer protection against poison, or to create lustful thoughts. But its use as a Christmas decoration didn't take hold until sometime in the 18th century.

According to ancient Christmas custom, a man and a woman who meet under a hanging of mistletoe were obliged to kiss (relating to the plants relationship with sexuality). It was described in 1820 by American author Washington Irving in his The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon:

"The mistletoe is still hung up in farm-houses and kitchens at Christmas, and the young men have the privilege of kissing the girls under it, plucking each time a berry from the bush. When the berries are all plucked the privilege ceases."

Interestingly, Mistletoe is actually quite toxic, especially the berries.  If ingested, symptoms may include gastrointestinal distress, stomach pain, a slowed heartbeat and other reactions.

Avoiding a kiss under the mistletoe brings bad luck (often in relation to one's love life). It is also bad luck to remove it from the house until it is replaced the next year.

Of course, not everyone you meet under the mistletoe is kissable! Click here for some tips on how to avoid the mandatory kiss!