Christmas Trivia Questions and Answers

Christmas movies (15)

1. Who plays Buddy, the human raised by elves at the North Pole, in 'Elf' (2003)?
   Answer

   Will Ferrell

   Will Ferrell stars as Buddy, who travels to New York City to find his father, played by James Caan. Source
2. In 'Home Alone' (1990), which city is Kevin's family flying to when they leave him behind?
   Answer

   Paris

   The McCallisters fly to Paris for Christmas, leaving Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) at home to face burglars Harry and Marv. Source
3. What does Ralphie want for Christmas in 'A Christmas Story' (1983)?
   Answer

   A Red Ryder BB gun

   He wants a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle, a BB gun. Source
4. In 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' (2000), starring Jim Carrey, what is the Grinch's dog called?
   Answer

   Max

   Max is the Grinch's dog in Dr. Seuss's 1957 book and in Ron Howard's 2000 film. Source
5. In 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' (1993), Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King of which town?
   Answer

   Halloween Town

   Jack is the 'Pumpkin King' of Halloween Town; Henry Selick directed the film from Tim Burton's story. Source
6. Who plays Clark Griswold in 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation' (1989)?
   Answer

   Chevy Chase

   Chevy Chase stars as Clark, with Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie; John Hughes wrote the film. Source
7. In 'Home Alone 2: Lost in New York' (1992), which famous hotel does Kevin check into?
   Answer

   The Plaza Hotel

   Kevin boards the wrong plane, lands in New York instead of Miami, and checks into the Plaza with his father's credit card. Source
8. In 'It's a Wonderful Life' (1946), what is the name of George Bailey's hometown?
   Answer

   Bedford Falls

   James Stewart plays George Bailey of Bedford Falls, New York. Source
9. In 'It's a Wonderful Life' (1946), what is the name of the angel trying to earn his wings?
   Answer

   Clarence

   Clarence Odbody, an angel second class, is sent to save George Bailey in order to earn his wings. Source
10. What is the name of the Los Angeles skyscraper in 'Die Hard' (1988)?
    Answer

    Nakatomi Plaza

    Bruce Willis's John McClane fights Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber inside Nakatomi Plaza, filmed at Fox Plaza in Century City. Source
11. Which author wrote the 1985 picture book that became the film 'The Polar Express' (2004)?
    Answer

    Chris Van Allsburg

    Chris Van Allsburg's 1985 book became the 2004 film, in which Tom Hanks plays several roles. Source
12. Who plays Ebenezer Scrooge in 'The Muppet Christmas Carol' (1992)?
    Answer

    Michael Caine

    Michael Caine plays Scrooge, Kermit the Frog plays Bob Cratchit, and Gonzo narrates as Charles Dickens. Source
13. Edmund Gwenn won an Oscar for playing which character in 'Miracle on 34th Street' (1947)?
    Answer

    Kris Kringle

    Gwenn won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; the story opens at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Source
14. Who starred with Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen in 'White Christmas' (1954)?
    Answer

    Danny Kaye

    Irving Berlin wrote the songs, and it was the first film released in the VistaVision widescreen process. Source
15. Who wrote and directed 'Love Actually' (2003)?
    Answer

    Richard Curtis

    Richard Curtis wrote and directed the London-set film, in which Hugh Grant plays the Prime Minister. Source

Songs & carols (15)

1. Who released 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' in 1994?
   Answer

   Mariah Carey

   Carey co-wrote it with Walter Afanasieff for her album 'Merry Christmas'; it first hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 2019. Source
2. Which pop duo released 'Last Christmas' in 1984?
   Answer

   Wham!

   George Michael wrote 'Last Christmas', and Wham! released it on 3 December 1984. Source
3. Who wrote and recorded 'Feliz Navidad' (1970)?
   Answer

   José Feliciano

   Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano released it in 1970, with lyrics in Spanish and English. Source
4. In 'The Twelve Days of Christmas', what is given on the fifth day?
   Answer

   Five gold rings

   The fifth day brings five rings, usually sung as gold or golden; the song was first printed in England around 1780. Source
5. Which singer's 1957 recording of 'Blue Christmas' is the best-known version?
   Answer

   Elvis Presley

   Elvis recorded it on September 5, 1957, in Hollywood; Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson wrote the song. Source
6. Which songwriter wrote 'White Christmas'?
   Answer

   Irving Berlin

   Berlin wrote it for a 1942 film musical, where Bing Crosby sang it; it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Source
7. In December 1965, Gemini 6 astronauts played which song on a harmonica and sleigh bells from space?
   Answer

   Jingle Bells

   On December 16, 1965, Wally Schirra played a smuggled harmonica and Tom Stafford the bells. Source
8. 'Silent Night' was first performed in Austria in 1818 in which language?
   Answer

   German

   It began as 'Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht', first sung on Christmas Eve 1818 in Oberndorf near Salzburg. Source
9. Who recorded the 1949 hit version of 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'?
   Answer

   Gene Autry

   Gene Autry recorded Johnny Marks's song in June 1949, and Columbia released it that September. Source
10. How old was Brenda Lee when she recorded 'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree' in 1958?
    Answer

    13

    She recorded Johnny Marks's song in Nashville in October 1958 at age 13; it first reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 2023. Source
11. Whose trio first recorded 'The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)' in 1946?
    Answer

    Nat King Cole

    Mel Tormé and Robert Wells wrote the song; the Nat King Cole Trio recorded it in June 1946. Source
12. 'White Christmas' was first heard on film in which 1942 musical?
    Answer

    Holiday Inn

    Irving Berlin wrote it for 'Holiday Inn' (1942); the film 'White Christmas' came 12 years later, in 1954. Source
13. James Lord Pierpont's sleigh song was first published in Boston in 1857 under what title?
    Answer

    The One Horse Open Sleigh

    James Lord Pierpont's song was published in Boston in 1857 and had no original connection to Christmas. Source
14. Counting every repeat, how many gifts are given in 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'?
    Answer

    364

    Adding up each day's cumulative gifts gives 364 items by the twelfth day. Source
15. 'Carol of the Bells' is based on 'Shchedryk', a New Year's song from which country?
    Answer

    Ukraine

    Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych wrote the music; Peter J. Wilhousky wrote the English lyrics in 1936. Source

History & traditions (15)

1. On what date is Boxing Day, celebrated in the UK, Canada and Australia?
   Answer

   December 26

   Boxing Day falls the day after Christmas, on the same date as the feast of St Stephen. Source
2. Who wrote 'A Christmas Carol', first published in December 1843?
   Answer

   Charles Dickens

   Dickens published it on 19 December 1843; Scrooge is visited by Jacob Marley's ghost and three spirits. Source
3. Which North American military command tracks Santa's flight every Christmas Eve?
   Answer

   NORAD

   It began in 1955 when a child's call reached the Continental Air Defense Command; NORAD took it over in 1958. Source
4. Which Christmas plant is named after Joel Poinsett, the first U.S. minister to Mexico?
   Answer

   Poinsettia

   Poinsett brought it to the U.S. in the 1820s; its red 'petals' are really bracts, a kind of leaf. Source
5. An 1848 picture of which royal couple beside a Christmas tree helped spread the custom in Britain?
   Answer

   Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

   The Illustrated London News showed the royal family around a tree at Windsor Castle in 1848, boosting the trend. Source
6. Saint Nicholas, who inspired Santa Claus, was bishop of Myra, a city in which modern country?
   Answer

   Turkey

   Nicholas was bishop of Myra in Lycia, in today's Turkey; his feast day is December 6. Source
7. In what year did soldiers on the Western Front hold the unofficial World War I Christmas truce?
   Answer

   1914

   Over 24-26 December 1914, troops met in no man's land, swapped food and souvenirs, and sang carols. Source
8. The Twelve Days of Christmas end with Twelfth Night, the eve of which feast on January 6?
   Answer

   Epiphany

   The twelve days run from December 25 to the evening of January 5, and Epiphany follows on January 6. Source
9. In the abbreviation 'Xmas', the X stands for which Greek letter?
   Answer

   Chi

   Chi (X) is the first letter of Christos, the Greek word that became 'Christ' in English. Source
10. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created in 1939 for a booklet from which department store?
    Answer

    Montgomery Ward

    Robert L. May created Rudolph for Montgomery Ward; his brother-in-law Johnny Marks later turned the story into a song. Source
11. In 1870, which U.S. president signed a law making Christmas a holiday for federal workers?
    Answer

    Ulysses S. Grant

    Grant signed it on June 28, 1870; at first it covered federal employees in Washington, D.C. Source
12. Coca-Cola didn't invent Santa's red suit. Which Harper's Weekly cartoonist drew Santa from 1863 on?
    Answer

    Thomas Nast

    Red-suited Santas, including Nast's 1881 'Merry Old Santa', appeared decades before Coca-Cola's 1930s Santa ads. Source
13. Construction workers put up the first Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in which year?
    Answer

    1931

    Workers raised a tree in 1931; the first official tree lighting followed in 1933. Source
14. Who commissioned the first commercial Christmas card, in 1843?
    Answer

    Sir Henry Cole

    Henry Cole commissioned it in 1843, and John Callcott Horsley designed it. Source
15. The poem now called ''Twas the Night Before Christmas' was first published anonymously in 1823 under what title?
    Answer

    Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas

    It ran in the Troy Sentinel in New York on December 23, 1823; Clement Clarke Moore's authorship is still debated. Source

Around the world (15)

1. In Australia, Christmas falls in which season?
   Answer

   Summer

   December is summer in the Southern Hemisphere, so swimming is a popular way to spend Christmas Day. Source
2. Since a 1970s ad campaign, a Christmas meal from which fast-food chain has become a custom in Japan?
   Answer

   KFC

   KFC Japan launched its 'Kentucky for Christmas' campaign in 1974, and eating KFC at Christmas became a national custom. Source
3. What British Christmas table novelty snaps when pulled and holds a paper crown, a joke and a small gift?
   Answer

   A Christmas cracker

   Crackers date to the 1840s; tradition credits London confectioner Tom Smith with inventing them. Source
4. In Alpine folklore, which horned creature travels with St. Nicholas and punishes naughty children?
   Answer

   Krampus

   Krampus comes from the folklore of Austria, Bavaria and nearby Alpine areas; Krampusnacht is December 5. Source
5. In Dutch tradition, Sinterklaas arrives each year by steamboat from which country?
   Answer

   Spain

   The legendary arrival from Spain opens the season; gifts come on December 5, called pakjesavond ('gifts evening'). Source
6. In Italy, which old woman on a broomstick brings children gifts on the night of January 5?
   Answer

   La Befana

   Befana leaves sweets for good children, and coal or cinders for children who misbehaved. Source
7. On St. Lucy's Day, December 13, what does the girl playing Lucia wear on her head in Sweden?
   Answer

   A crown of candles

   Lucia wears a white dress with a red sash and a crown or wreath of candles. Source
8. Which city gives London its Trafalgar Square Christmas tree every year?
   Answer

   Oslo

   Oslo has sent the tree every year since 1947 to thank Britain for its support during World War II. Source
9. Las Posadas, a Mexican tradition re-enacting Mary and Joseph's search for shelter, lasts how many nights?
   Answer

   Nine

   Las Posadas runs December 16-24, a novena of nine nights, with children breaking star-shaped piñatas. Source
10. Which German name, meaning 'Christ child', belongs to a gift-bringer in Austria and southern Germany?
    Answer

    Christkind

    Martin Luther promoted the Christkind as a gift-bringer; it also opens Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt. Source
11. Iceland's 'Jólabókaflóð', or Christmas book flood, centers on giving what on Christmas Eve?
    Answer

    Books

    It names the yearly surge of new books before Christmas, which Icelanders buy to give on Christmas Eve. Source
12. In the Philippines, what is the traditional star-shaped Christmas lantern called?
    Answer

    Parol

    The parol represents the Star of Bethlehem; San Fernando, Pampanga, holds a Giant Lantern Festival. Source
13. In modern Icelandic tradition, how many Yule Lads visit children before Christmas?
    Answer

    13

    The 13 Yule Lads, sons of the ogress Grýla, leave gifts in shoes on windowsills, or a rotten potato for naughty kids. Source
14. Ethiopian Christmas, called Genna, falls on which date of the Gregorian calendar?
    Answer

    January 7

    Ethiopia's Orthodox church follows its own calendar, so Genna falls on January 7 in the Gregorian calendar. Source
15. In Catalonia, children hit what Christmas character with sticks so it will 'poop' out sweets?
    Answer

    Tió de Nadal, a log

    Families feed the log from December 8 and cover it with a blanket, then beat it while singing so it gives sweets and small toys. Source

For kids (15)

1. In the famous 1823 Christmas Eve poem, how many reindeer pull Santa's sleigh?
   Answer

   Eight

   The 1823 poem describes eight reindeer; Rudolph came later, in 1939. Source
2. What color is Rudolph's famous nose?
   Answer

   Red

   In the 1964 TV special, Rudolph's glowing red nose guides Santa's sleigh through a snowstorm. Source
3. In the song 'Frosty the Snowman', what brings Frosty to life?
   Answer

   A magic silk hat

   Children put a magical silk hat on his head; Gene Autry first recorded the song in 1950. Source
4. What is the name of the town below the Grinch's mountain, where the Whos live?
   Answer

   Whoville

   In Dr. Seuss's 1957 book, the Grinch lives on a mountain overlooking Whoville. Source
5. Who wrote and illustrated 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas!' (1957)?
   Answer

   Dr. Seuss

   Dr. Seuss was the pen name of Theodor Geisel. Source
6. At the end of the Grinch story, how many sizes does the Grinch's heart grow?
   Answer

   Three

   In Dr. Seuss's 1957 book, the Grinch's heart grows three sizes. Source
7. In 'A Christmas Carol', what grumpy reply does Scrooge give when his nephew wishes him a merry Christmas?
   Answer

   Bah! Humbug!

   Scrooge says 'Bah! Humbug!' to his nephew in Charles Dickens's 1843 story. Source
8. In 'The Twelve Days of Christmas', what bird sits in a pear tree on the first day?
   Answer

   A partridge

   The first day's gift is a partridge in a pear tree. Source
9. Snowflakes usually grow with how many arms or sides?
   Answer

   Six

   Ice has a hexagonal crystal structure, so snowflakes tend toward six-fold symmetry, though real ones are never perfect. Source
10. In 'The Polar Express', what is the first gift of Christmas the boy receives from Santa?
    Answer

    A silver bell

    Santa gives him a bell from the sleigh; he loses it, then finds it on Christmas morning with a note from Santa. Source
11. In 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' (1965), what does Charlie Brown choose instead of a shiny aluminum tree?
    Answer

    A small, scraggly real tree

    Charlie Brown picks a small real sapling instead of the aluminum tree Lucy suggests; Vince Guaraldi wrote the jazz score. Source
12. Who composed the music for the ballet 'The Nutcracker' (1892)?
    Answer

    Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    Tchaikovsky's ballet premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg in December 1892. Source
13. In 'The Nutcracker', who rules the Land of Sweets?
    Answer

    The Sugar Plum Fairy

    The Sugar Plum Fairy rules the Land of Sweets and dances the grand pas de deux with her Cavalier. Source
14. In the 1964 TV special 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer', what does Hermey the elf want to be?
    Answer

    A dentist

    Hermey dreams of becoming a dentist; Burl Ives narrates the stop-motion special as Sam the Snowman. Source
15. In the 1964 TV special 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer', where do unwanted toys live?
    Answer

    The Island of Misfit Toys

    Rudolph and his friends find the Island of Misfit Toys, home to toys nobody wanted. Source

Food & fun facts (15)

1. Eggnog is traditionally made from milk or cream, sugar and what?
   Answer

   Eggs

   As the name hints, eggnog is made with whipped eggs; it may have developed from posset, a medieval drink. Source
2. A bûche de Noël is a Christmas cake shaped like what?
   Answer

   A Yule log

   It's a sponge cake rolled up and iced to look like a log, a dessert that probably began in 19th-century France. Source
3. Panettone, the tall sweet bread with candied fruit and raisins, comes from which country?
   Answer

   Italy

   Panettone comes from Milan, in Italy's Lombardy region. Source
4. Reindeer are unusual among deer. What is special about their antlers?
   Answer

   Females can grow them too

   Reindeer are unique among deer in that females may have antlers; in North America the species is called caribou. Source
5. Stollen, a fruit bread dusted with powdered sugar, is most famously from which German city?
   Answer

   Dresden

   Dresden's stollen was originally called Striezel, and many versions include marzipan. Source
6. On Christmas Eve, many Italian-American families hold the 'Feast of the Seven' what?
   Answer

   Fishes

   Catholics traditionally avoided meat on the eve of a feast day, so fish became the centerpiece. Source
7. What do Germans call the hot spiced wine sold at Christmas markets?
   Answer

   Glühwein

   Glühwein roughly translates as 'glow wine', after the heat it's served at. Source
8. In Japan, a classic Christmas cake is a sponge cake topped with what?
   Answer

   Whipped cream and strawberries

   The Japanese Christmas cake is covered in whipped cream, often decorated with strawberries, and eaten on Christmas Eve. Source
9. Christmas pudding is also called plum pudding. What did 'plum' originally mean in its name?
   Answer

   Raisins

   The pudding has no plums in the modern sense; 'plum' was an old word for raisins. It's often set alight with brandy. Source
10. Mince pies are usually meat-free today. What did they contain in earlier centuries?
    Answer

    Meat

    Earlier English mince pies held meats such as mutton, beef or ox tongue; modern mincemeat is dried fruit, spices and suet. Source
11. Tinsel was invented in Nuremberg around 1610. What was it originally made of?
    Answer

    Silver

    The first tinsel was extruded strands of real silver, which was dropped because it tarnishes quickly. Source
12. Glass Christmas baubles were first made in 1847 in which German town?
    Answer

    Lauscha

    Lauscha's glassmakers first made baubles in 1847, along with glass bead garlands. Source
13. Edward H. Johnson, an Edison company executive, lit the first known electric Christmas tree in which year?
    Answer

    1882

    Johnson lit the tree at his New York City home and is called the father of electric Christmas tree lights. Source
14. The word 'wassail', a hot spiced holiday drink, comes from an old greeting meaning what?
    Answer

    Be in good health

    It comes from Old English 'wes hál' and Old Norse 'ves heill'; in England's West Country people also wassail apple trees. Source
15. Per the USDA's 2022 farm census, over half of U.S. cut Christmas trees came from Oregon and which other state?
    Answer

    North Carolina

    The U.S. cut more than 14.5 million Christmas trees in 2022, over half of them grown in Oregon and North Carolina. Source

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