Christmas Quiz: 100 Questions and Answers

1. Which country sends London a giant Christmas tree for Trafalgar Square every year?

Norway Oslo has sent one every year since 1947, as thanks for Britain's help during the Second World War.

2. Which plant are you traditionally supposed to kiss under at Christmas?

Mistletoe Mistletoe is a parasite that grows on trees such as apple and lime, which is less romantic than the custom suggests.

3. What do children in Britain traditionally call Santa Claus?

Father Christmas Father Christmas began as a separate English figure of midwinter cheer and merged with the American Santa Claus in the late 1800s.

4. Where does the X in Xmas come from?

The Greek letter chi, first letter of Christos It is an old Christian abbreviation, not a modern way of taking Christ out of Christmas.

5. What is 26 December called in Britain, Canada and Australia?

Boxing Day It is usually traced to the Christmas boxes of money or gifts once given to servants and tradespeople the day after Christmas.

6. Which cartoonist put Santa's home at the North Pole?

Thomas Nast Nast drew Santa for Harper's Weekly from the 1860s and placed his workshop at the North Pole.

7. Why does NORAD track Santa every Christmas Eve?

A misprinted phone number in a 1955 newspaper advert Children called the air defence centre by mistake, and Colonel Harry Shoup told his staff to give them Santa's position.

8. Who is credited with staging the first nativity scene, at Greccio in Italy in 1223?

Saint Francis of Assisi According to his early biographers, he used a real ox and donkey in a cave to bring the Christmas story to life for ordinary people.

9. Which London sweet-maker invented the Christmas cracker?

Tom Smith Inspired by French sugared almonds wrapped in twisted paper, he began selling his own in the 1840s and later added the snap.

10. In English tradition, which day saw farm workers drag a decorated plough through the village after the Christmas season?

Plough Monday It fell on the first Monday after Epiphany, when farm work traditionally started again after the twelve days of Christmas.

11. In Home Alone, to which city are the McCallisters flying when they leave Kevin behind?

Paris In Home Alone 2 he boards the wrong plane and ends up in New York instead of Florida.

12. In It's a Wonderful Life, what happens every time a bell rings?

An angel gets his wings The angel in question is Clarence, who is still waiting for his.

13. What are the four main food groups of elves, according to Buddy in Elf?

Candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup He also puts syrup on his spaghetti.

14. What does Ralphie want for Christmas in A Christmas Story?

A Red Ryder BB gun Every adult he tells says the same thing: you'll shoot your eye out.

15. What is the third rule for looking after a mogwai in Gremlins?

Never feed it after midnight The other two: no bright light, and no water.

16. In which building does Die Hard take place?

Nakatomi Plaza It was filmed at Fox Plaza in Los Angeles, then the new headquarters of 20th Century Fox.

17. What is Clark Griswold's Christmas bonus in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation?

A membership in the Jelly of the Month Club He was counting on the bonus to pay for a swimming pool.

18. Who plays Ebenezer Scrooge in The Muppet Christmas Carol?

Michael Caine Gonzo plays Charles Dickens, the narrator, with Rizzo the rat.

19. In Miracle on 34th Street, which department store hires Kris Kringle?

Macy's Edmund Gwenn won an Oscar for playing him in the 1947 film. Gimbels is Macy's rival in the story.

20. Who directed The Nightmare Before Christmas?

Henry Selick Tim Burton created the story and produced it, which is why most people get this wrong.

21. What is the best-selling single of all time?

White Christmas Bing Crosby's recording, written by Irving Berlin. Guinness puts it at an estimated 50 million copies.

22. What was the first song ever played in space?

Jingle Bells On 16 December 1965 the Gemini 6 crew played it on a smuggled harmonica and small bells.

23. In We Wish You a Merry Christmas, which dessert do the singers refuse to leave without?

Figgy pudding "We won't go until we get some."

24. Which band sang Fairytale of New York with Kirsty MacColl?

The Pogues Released in 1987, it reached number two in the UK, kept off the top spot by the Pet Shop Boys' Always on My Mind.

25. Which singer released All I Want for Christmas Is You in 1994?

Mariah Carey She wrote it with Walter Afanasieff for her 1994 album Merry Christmas.

26. In what language was Silent Night first written?

German Stille Nacht was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 in Oberndorf, near Salzburg.

27. Under what title was Jingle Bells first published in 1857?

One Horse Open Sleigh Its composer, James Lord Pierpont, was the uncle of the banker J. P. Morgan.

28. Which record kept Wham!'s Last Christmas off the UK number one spot in 1984?

Do They Know It's Christmas? Band Aid's charity single. Last Christmas finally reached number one on 1 January 2021.

29. How old was Brenda Lee when she recorded Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree?

13 She recorded it in 1958. It became a hit two years later.

30. Carol of the Bells is based on a folk chant from which country?

Ukraine Mykola Leontovych's Shchedryk is a New Year song about a swallow, not a Christmas song about bells.

31. How many plums are in a traditional plum pudding?

None In old English, plums meant raisins and other dried fruit.

32. Panettone comes from which Italian city?

Milan The tall domed sweet bread is Milan's, though all of Italy eats it now.

33. What is a bûche de Noël?

A cake shaped like a log It copies the Yule log that used to burn in the fireplace.

34. Which spirit is traditionally poured over a Christmas pudding and set alight?

Brandy Warm brandy burns with a soft blue flame, which is why the pudding is often carried in with the lights turned down.

35. In Britain, pigs in blankets are small sausages wrapped in what?

Bacon In the US the name usually means sausages baked in pastry, so Britons and Americans picture quite different things.

36. What did mince pies originally contain?

Meat Minced mutton or beef with dried fruit and spices. Most today keep only the suet, if that.

37. Which German city is famous for its Christmas Stollen?

Dresden Its Striezelmarkt, one of Germany's oldest Christmas markets, is named after the bread.

38. Which German city is most famous for Lebkuchen?

Nuremberg Nürnberger Lebkuchen is a protected name, like Champagne. Aachen has Printen, Lübeck has marzipan.

39. Which fairy tale made gingerbread houses popular in Germany?

Hansel and Gretel The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812, witch's house and all.

40. What does the old toast wassail mean?

Be well It comes from the Old English and Norse greeting waes hael.

41. In Japan, which fast food chain is famous for Christmas dinner?

KFC A 1974 campaign, Kentucky for Christmas, made fried chicken the Christmas meal.

42. Which horned figure punishes naughty children in Austria and Bavaria?

Krampus He roams on 5 December, the night before Saint Nicholas's day.

43. In Australia, Christmas falls in which season?

Summer Many Australians spend Christmas Day at the beach or around a barbecue, with prawns and other seafood on the table.

44. In which language is Merry Christmas "Joyeux Noël"?

French Noël comes from the Latin natalis, meaning birth.

45. In Italy, who brings children presents on 6 January?

La Befana A kind old witch on a broomstick, arriving on the feast of Epiphany.

46. In Catalonia, what do children beat with sticks until it "poops" presents?

A log called the Tió de Nadal It wears a smiling face and a blanket, and gets fed every night before Christmas.

47. How many Yule Lads visit Icelandic children before Christmas?

Thirteen One per night, with names like Spoon-Licker, Door-Slammer and Sausage-Swiper.

48. In much of southern Germany and Austria, who brings the presents?

The Christkind A golden-haired, angel-like child who comes on Christmas Eve. Further north, the Weihnachtsmann does the job.

49. On which date do the Russian and Serbian Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas?

7 January They still use the old Julian calendar for church feasts, so their 25 December falls on 7 January.

50. In the Philippines, when does the Christmas season begin?

September The "ber months" start the season, one of the longest anywhere, and it runs into January.

51. Which royal couple made Christmas trees fashionable in Britain after an 1848 picture?

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert Albert brought the custom from Germany, and the Illustrated London News printed the scene.

52. Did Coca-Cola invent the red Santa?

No, red Santas were drawn long before 1931 Coca-Cola's adverts fixed the image. Magazine covers had shown Santa in red decades earlier.

53. During which war did British and German soldiers hold an unofficial Christmas truce, with carols and even football in places?

The First World War It happened along parts of the Western Front in 1914, often starting when German soldiers sang Stille Nacht and the British answered with carols.

54. Where does the word Christmas come from?

Christ's Mass It first appears in late Old English as Cristes mæsse, in 1038.

55. According to Matthew's Gospel, the wise men brought gold, frankincense and what?

Myrrh Matthew lists three gifts but never says there were three wise men, or that they were kings.

56. What is the earliest known record of Christmas on 25 December?

Rome, in the year 336 It appears in a Roman calendar known as the Chronograph of 354.

57. Who banned Christmas in England in 1647?

The Puritan-controlled Parliament Oliver Cromwell usually gets the blame, but the ban came from Parliament and lasted until 1660.

58. Who sent the first commercial Christmas card, in 1843?

Sir Henry Cole The card was illustrated by John Callcott Horsley and printed in London.

59. In which modern country did the real Saint Nicholas live?

Turkey He was a fourth-century bishop of Myra, a town now called Demre. His relics were later taken to Bari, in Italy.

60. In which year did Christmas become a federal holiday in the United States?

1870 Ulysses S. Grant signed the bill. Alabama had made it a state holiday in 1836.

61. In A Christmas Carol, what is the name of Scrooge's dead business partner?

Jacob Marley He appears on Christmas Eve, seven years to the night after his death, dragging the chain he forged in life.

62. Scrooge famously dismisses Christmas with "Bah!" and which other word?

Humbug A humbug was a hoax or a fraud, so Scrooge is calling the whole of Christmas a con.

63. In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the White Witch makes Narnia always winter but never what?

Christmas When Father Christmas finally arrives, the Witch's power is breaking, and he hands Peter, Susan and Lucy their gifts.

64. Who wrote and illustrated The Snowman, the wordless picture book behind the animated film?

Raymond Briggs The book came out in 1978, and the film was first shown on Channel 4 on 26 December 1982.

65. In the UK, what is traditionally broadcast at 3 p.m. on Christmas Day?

The monarch's Christmas message George V gave the first one on the radio in 1932, and Elizabeth II first delivered it on television in 1957.

66. In the 1964 TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which elf wants to be a dentist?

Hermey Hermey would rather fix teeth than make toys. His boss is not impressed.

67. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created in 1939 for a free colouring booklet from which US department store?

Montgomery Ward Copywriter Robert L. May wrote the story, and the store gave the booklet away to shoppers.

68. What bird does Scrooge send to the Cratchits on Christmas morning?

A prize turkey The Cratchits had been planning a goose. The turkey was as big as the boy who fetched it.

69. Which novel opens with Jo grumbling that Christmas will not be Christmas without any presents?

Little Women Louisa May Alcott published it in 1868 and based the four March sisters on herself and her own sisters.

70. Who sings Walking in the Air in the original 1982 film of The Snowman?

Peter Auty Auty was a choirboy at St Paul's Cathedral. Aled Jones had the hit single in 1985, which is why he usually gets the credit.

71. How many points does a natural snowflake have?

Six Water freezes into a hexagonal pattern, so every snowflake has sixfold symmetry.

72. Which red-breasted bird is a favourite on British Christmas cards?

The robin Victorian postmen wore red uniforms and were nicknamed robins, so early cards often showed a robin delivering the post.

73. What is the shortest day of the year, a few days before Christmas, called in the Northern Hemisphere?

The winter solstice It falls around 21 December, and people have marked midwinter with feasts, fires and lights for thousands of years.

74. The poinsettia originally comes from which country?

Mexico It is named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first US minister to Mexico, who sent plants home in the 1820s.

75. In North America, what are wild reindeer usually called?

Caribou Reindeer and caribou are the same species, Rangifer tarandus. Caribou is the North American name, reindeer the Eurasian one.

76. Reindeer are the only deer in which the females normally grow what?

Antlers Males shed theirs in late autumn while females keep theirs through winter, so antlered reindeer on Christmas Eve are probably female.

77. Who put the first electric lights on a Christmas tree, in 1882?

Edward H. Johnson Edison's business partner hand-wired eighty red, white and blue bulbs in New York.

78. On a holly bush, which plants bear the red berries?

Only the female ones Common holly has separate male and female plants, and berries form only on pollinated females, so a holly with no berries may simply be male.

79. Australia's Christmas Island is famous for the mass migration of which animal?

Red crabs Named on Christmas Day 1643, the island sees tens of millions of red crabs march from the forest to the sea to breed.

80. Reindeer eyes change colour with the seasons. What colour does the back of the eye turn in winter?

Deep blue The reflective layer behind the retina shifts from gold in summer to blue in winter, which helps reindeer see through months of Arctic twilight.

81. How many reindeer pull Santa's sleigh, if you count Rudolph?

Nine The 1823 poem that named the team listed eight. Rudolph joined in 1939.

82. What brings Frosty the Snowman to life?

An old silk hat When the children put the hat on his head, he begins to dance around.

83. What is the name of the Grinch's dog?

Max Max is forced to wear a single antler and pull the sleigh. Cindy Lou Who is the little girl.

84. In How the Grinch Stole Christmas, how many sizes does the Grinch's heart grow?

Three Three sizes, on the day he hears the Whos singing without any presents.

85. Which of Santa's reindeer has a shiny red nose?

Rudolph He joined the team in 1939, and in the song his glowing nose guides the sleigh one foggy Christmas Eve.

86. What is the name of the talking snowman in Frozen who loves warm hugs?

Olaf Elsa builds him with her magic. Sven is the reindeer and Kristoff is his friend who sells ice.

87. In the song, what does my true love give me on the first day of Christmas?

A partridge in a pear tree The two turtle doves arrive on the second day, and the five gold rings on the fifth.

88. What does Santa famously say when he laughs?

Ho ho ho! The poem that made him famous says his round little belly shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.

89. Who makes the toys in Santa's workshop?

Elves Toy-making elves joined the Santa story in nineteenth-century America, and his North Pole workshop came with them.

90. What do people hang up by the fireplace for Santa to fill?

Stockings One old legend says Saint Nicholas dropped gold coins down a chimney, and they landed in stockings hung up to dry.

91. How does Sinterklaas arrive in the Netherlands every November?

By steamboat from Spain He does ride a white horse once he lands. The big present night is 5 December.

92. Which king was crowned in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066?

William the Conqueror When the crowd cheered inside, Norman guards outside feared an attack and set fire to nearby houses.

93. In which year did All I Want for Christmas Is You first reach number one on the US Billboard Hot 100?

2019 It came out in 1994 and took twenty-five years to get to the top.

94. What does much of Sweden watch at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve?

A Donald Duck Disney special From All of Us to All of You has aired at that time on Swedish TV since 1960.

95. The tune of Deck the Halls comes from which country?

Wales It is the old Welsh melody Nos Galan, originally sung on New Year's Eve.

96. In a German Feuerzangenbowle, what is set on fire?

A cone of sugar soaked in rum It drips into a bowl of mulled wine as it burns.

97. Die Hard is based on a novel. What is it called?

Nothing Lasts Forever Roderick Thorp published it in 1979 as a sequel to The Detective, which had been filmed with Frank Sinatra.

98. Which writer wrote the words of the first royal Christmas broadcast, given by George V in 1932?

Rudyard Kipling The King read it live on the radio from Sandringham, and it reached listeners right across the Empire.

99. Which German-born queen put up a decorated tree at Windsor in 1800, decades before Victoria and Albert?

Queen Charlotte The wife of George III hung a yew tree with sweets and fruit for a children's party, but Victoria and Albert made the custom fashionable.

100. Add up every gift in every verse of The Twelve Days of Christmas. How many are there?

364 One partridge in twelve verses, two doves in eleven, and so on. 78 is only the twelfth day on its own.