Christmas trivia
100 questions, answers included.
Here are 100 Christmas trivia questions and answers, split into eight themed rounds of twelve plus four tie-breakers. There are movies, carols, food, traditions around the world, a kids' round and a hard round for adults. Tap a question to see its answer, or print the whole quiz with the answer key on its own page.
How to use this quiz
Every question has a single answer that has been checked, so nobody ends up arguing with the quizmaster over a technicality. Rounds 1 to 6 are medium, round 7 is easy enough for young kids, and round 8 is the hard one for adults. Where a round accepts more than one answer, the answer says so. Pick the rounds that suit your crowd: a family evening might use rounds 1, 2, 4 and 7, while a grown-up party might run 3, 5, 6 and 8.
The printout gives you the question sheets with no answers on them, then a team scoring sheet, then a numbered answer key on a separate page so the host can keep it face down.
Christmas trivia questions and answers
Round 1: Christmas movie trivia Medium
In "Home Alone" (1990), what is the name of the boy who is accidentally left behind?
Kevin McCallister
In "Home Alone," which city is the McCallister family flying to when they leave him behind?
Paris
Which actor plays Buddy in "Elf" (2003)?
Will Ferrell
According to Buddy in "Elf," what are the four main food groups that elves stick to?
Candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup
What is the name of George Bailey's guardian angel in "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946)?
Clarence (Clarence Odbody)
In "It's a Wonderful Life," what happens every time a bell rings?
An angel gets his wings
In "A Christmas Story" (1983), what does Ralphie want more than anything for Christmas?
A Red Ryder BB gun
In "The Polar Express," what does the boy choose as the first gift of Christmas?
A silver bell from Santa's sleigh
Who plays Ebenezer Scrooge in "The Muppet Christmas Carol" (1992)?
Michael Caine
In "Die Hard" (1988), the office Christmas party takes place in which fictional Los Angeles tower?
Nakatomi Plaza
What is the name of the Grinch's dog?
Max
In "The Nightmare Before Christmas," Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King of which town?
Halloween Town
Round 2: Christmas songs and carols Medium
Finish the lyric: "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer had a very ___ nose."
Shiny
In "The Twelve Days of Christmas," what does my true love give to me on the fifth day?
Five gold rings
Who released "All I Want for Christmas Is You" in 1994?
Mariah Carey
Which singer recorded the best-known version of Irving Berlin's "White Christmas"?
Bing Crosby
Who recorded "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" in 1958?
Brenda Lee
"Silent Night" was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 in which country?
Austria (in the village of Oberndorf, near Salzburg)
Which carol has the English lyric "Hark how the bells, sweet silver bells"?
"Carol of the Bells"
In "Frosty the Snowman," what brings Frosty to life?
An old silk hat
Which duo released "Last Christmas" in 1984?
Wham! (George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley)
Which singer wrote and recorded "Feliz Navidad"?
José Feliciano
In "Jingle Bells," how many horses pull the open sleigh?
One (a "one-horse open sleigh")
"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire" is the first line of which song, made famous by Nat King Cole?
"The Christmas Song" (accept "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire")
Round 3: Christmas traditions around the world Medium
Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, helped make the Christmas tree popular in Britain. Which country was he from?
Germany
In Iceland, how many Yule Lads visit children in the nights before Christmas?
13
What is the Mexican tradition of nine nights of processions, from December 16 to 24, that re-enacts Mary and Joseph's search for a place to stay?
Las Posadas
In Japan, fried chicken from which fast-food chain is a popular Christmas meal?
KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken)
In Italian folklore, what is the name of the kind old witch who brings gifts to children on the night before Epiphany?
La Befana
In the Netherlands, Sinterklaas traditionally arrives each November by steamboat from which country?
Spain
In the UK, Canada and Australia, what is December 26 called?
Boxing Day
What is the name of the horned figure from Alpine folklore who comes for naughty children while St. Nicholas rewards the good ones?
Krampus
On what date is St. Lucia's Day celebrated in Sweden, with candlelit processions?
December 13
Christmas in Australia falls in which season?
Summer
Which country sends a Christmas tree to London's Trafalgar Square every year as thanks for Britain's help during World War II?
Norway
In Catalonia, children feed a smiling wooden log for weeks, then tap it with sticks at Christmas so it "delivers" sweets. What is the log called?
Caga Tió (also called Tió de Nadal)
Round 4: Christmas food and drink Medium
Glühwein, sold at German Christmas markets, is what kind of drink?
Mulled wine (hot spiced wine)
Which tall, domed sweet bread from Milan is an Italian Christmas staple?
Panettone
Which German fruit bread, dusted with powdered sugar, is especially associated with the city of Dresden?
Stollen
The French Christmas cake bûche de Noël is shaped like what?
A log (a Yule log)
What was traditionally stirred into a British Christmas pudding to bring luck to whoever found it?
A silver coin (traditionally a sixpence)
What is the traditional flavor of a red-and-white candy cane?
Peppermint
The "mincemeat" in a modern British mince pie is mostly made of what?
Dried fruit and spices (it rarely contains meat today)
What is the German name for the soft spiced gingerbread sold at Christmas markets, most famously from Nuremberg?
Lebkuchen
The Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve is a tradition in which community?
Italian Americans
Which salted fish is the centerpiece of Christmas Eve dinner in Portugal?
Bacalhau (salt cod)
What is the name of the hot spiced ale or cider that carolers once carried door to door, as in "Here we come a-___"?
Wassail
In "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," what dessert do the singers demand?
Figgy pudding
Round 5: Christmas science and nature Medium
The poinsettia is native to which country?
Mexico
The bright red "petals" of a poinsettia are not petals at all. What are they?
Bracts (modified leaves)
The poinsettia's English name honors an American diplomat who brought it to the United States. What was his surname?
Poinsett (Joel Roberts Poinsett)
Mistletoe grows on the branches of trees and draws water and nutrients from them. What kind of plant does that make it?
A parasitic plant (strictly, a hemiparasite)
True or false: female reindeer grow antlers.
True (reindeer are the only deer species in which females regularly grow them)
What are wild reindeer usually called in North America?
Caribou
How many sides or arms does a typical snowflake have?
Six
The North Pole sits on top of what: land, or floating sea ice?
Floating sea ice over the Arctic Ocean
The winter solstice, the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere, falls on which date?
December 21 or 22, depending on the year
Which part of the tree does cinnamon come from?
The bark (the dried inner bark)
Cranberry growers often harvest by flooding the bog. Why does that work?
Cranberries float, because they have pockets of air inside
Frankincense and myrrh, two of the Wise Men's gifts, are both what kind of substance?
Tree resin (dried gum resin from trees)
Round 6: Christmas history and stories Medium
Who wrote "A Christmas Carol"?
Charles Dickens
What is Scrooge's first name?
Ebenezer
Which of Scrooge's former business partners visits him as a ghost wrapped in chains?
Jacob Marley
On Christmas morning, what does the reformed Scrooge send to the Cratchit family?
A prize turkey
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created in 1939 by Robert L. May for a booklet given away by which department store?
Montgomery Ward
The poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," first published in 1823, is better known by its opening line. What is it?
"'Twas the night before Christmas"
Saint Nicholas, who inspired Santa Claus, was a bishop in Myra. Which modern country is Myra in?
Turkey (Türkiye)
What famous line comes from the New York Sun's 1897 reply to a letter from eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon?
"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus."
What name is given to the unofficial ceasefire of December 1914, when soldiers on parts of the Western Front sang carols and met in no man's land?
The Christmas Truce
Who commissioned the first commercial Christmas card, sold in London in 1843?
Sir Henry Cole
Which cartoonist's drawings for Harper's Weekly in the 1800s helped shape the modern American image of Santa Claus?
Thomas Nast
Which U.S. and Canadian military command tracks Santa's sleigh every Christmas Eve?
NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command)
Round 7: Christmas trivia for kids Easy
What color is Santa's suit?
Red (with white fur trim)
What makes Rudolph different from the other reindeer?
His shiny red nose
Where does Santa live?
The North Pole
What do we call Santa's helpers who make the toys?
Elves
In the song, what kind of nose does Frosty the Snowman have?
A button nose
In "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," how many reindeer pull Santa's sleigh?
Eight
Which grumpy green character tried to steal Christmas from Whoville?
The Grinch
What is the name of the friendly snowman in "Frozen"?
Olaf
What do people hang by the fireplace for Santa to fill?
Stockings
In "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town," how many times does Santa check his list?
Twice
Which of Santa's reindeer shares a name with the little winged god of love on Valentine's Day?
Cupid
What three words does Santa famously laugh?
"Ho, ho, ho!"
Round 8: Hard Christmas trivia for adults Hard
What does the X in "Xmas" stand for?
The Greek letter chi (Χ), the first letter of the Greek word for Christ
"Carol of the Bells" is based on a Ukrainian folk chant arranged by Mykola Leontovych. What is its Ukrainian title?
"Shchedryk"
Which American colony banned the celebration of Christmas from 1659 to 1681?
The Massachusetts Bay Colony
In what year did Christmas become a U.S. federal holiday?
1870
In older versions of "The Twelve Days of Christmas," the four calling birds were a different kind of bird. What were they called?
Colly birds (an old word for blackbirds)
Joseph Mohr wrote the words to "Silent Night." Who composed the melody?
Franz Xaver Gruber
Which bell-like keyboard instrument plays the melody of the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" in Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker"?
The celesta
Dickens did not divide "A Christmas Carol" into chapters. What did he call its five sections?
Staves
Edmund Gwenn won an Academy Award for playing Kris Kringle in which 1947 film?
"Miracle on 34th Street"
Why do many Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7?
Their church follows the older Julian calendar, in which December 25 falls on January 7 of the modern calendar
Which spice comes from the red, lacy covering around the nutmeg seed?
Mace
Bob Geldof co-wrote Band Aid's 1984 single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" with which musician?
Midge Ure
Tie-breakers: closest answer wins Numbers
If you add up every gift in every verse of "The Twelve Days of Christmas," counting repeats, how many gifts are there in total?
364
In what year did the Apollo 8 astronauts read from the Book of Genesis while orbiting the Moon on Christmas Eve?
1968
In what year was "A Christmas Carol" first published?
1843
In what year did Gene Autry's recording of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" come out?
1949
How to run a Christmas trivia night
A trivia night needs very little: the questions, an answer sheet and pen per team, a host with a voice that carries, and somewhere to keep score where everyone can see it. The rest is pacing.
Teams
Teams of three to five work best. Two people run out of ideas, and six or more means someone stops talking. Mix generations and mix the people who know each other, so the movie buff and the person who actually listens to carols end up on the same side. Let every team pick a festive name; it costs nothing and makes reading the scores out more fun.
Rounds and timing
Read each question twice, allow 20 to 30 seconds per question, and collect the sheets at the end of the round. Eight rounds of twelve with short breaks take about 60 to 75 minutes, which is close to the limit for a party. For a shorter game, play four to six rounds and save the rest for another night. Put the hard round second to last, not last, so the evening ends on something everyone can answer.
Scoring
Give one point per correct answer. Allow half points for near misses only if you announce that rule before the first round, and decide spelling in advance: for a party, "sounds right" should count. Swap the sheets between teams for marking, or mark them yourself while the next round is read out. Post running totals on a whiteboard or a large sheet of paper after every round, because the scoreboard is what keeps people invested. A joker card that lets each team double one round of their choice adds a little strategy without slowing the game.
Tie-breakers
If two teams finish level, read one of the four tie-breaker questions. Each team writes down a number, and the closest answer wins. If they are still tied, move to the next one. Numeric questions settle ties in one go, where a normal question can leave both teams right again.
Picture and music rounds
Picture and music rounds break up the reading, and you do not need to download anyone's images or songs. For a picture round, photograph ten ornaments, cookie cutters or decorations from your own house up close, so only part of each is visible, and show them on a TV or print them out. You can also draw simple outlines of famous Christmas objects, or ask a kid to draw movie scenes for the room to guess. For a music round, play the first few seconds of songs from your own music library or streaming account, or hum the tune or play it on a piano or kazoo. Old carols such as "Silent Night," "Jingle Bells" and "Deck the Halls" are long out of copyright as songs, so you can sing, play and print the words freely; recordings and modern arrangements are what carry copyright.
Christmas trivia scoring sheet
Write each team's name down the left side and fill in its points after every round. The tie-breaker column is for the number each team writes down, not for points. This table prints on its own page.
| Team | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | Tie | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Each team also needs its own answer sheet: a page numbered 1 to 12 per round, with the team name at the top. Plain lined paper works fine. Hand out a fresh sheet each round so you can mark one round while the next is played.
Christmas trivia for kids and families
Children under about eight do better with round 7 read aloud and answered out loud, with every hand that goes up getting a point, than with a written quiz. From around eight, kids can join adult teams and often carry the movie and song rounds. Give families a head start by letting the kids' table answer round 7 while the adults answer round 8, then play rounds 1, 2 and 4 together. A small prize for every child and a slightly bigger one for the winning team keeps it friendly. More ideas for that age group are in kids party ideas.
Christmas trivia for adults and office parties
Adults like a quiz with real competition, so keep score visibly and let teams appeal a marking decision once per game. For work, trivia is one of the safest activities there is: nobody has to share anything personal, and teams can be mixed across departments. A Christmas trivia round fits well between food and the gift exchange; see office Christmas party ideas for the rest of the evening and the white elephant rules for the exchange itself.
More Christmas games and ideas
Trivia is one game of many. The Christmas party games guide has 29 more, from minute to win it to name that tune, and Christmas party ideas covers food, decorations and timing. If you are hosting through the season, the Thanksgiving games work as a warm-up and the New Year's Eve games carry the party into January.
Answer key
Pin it to your party board so the plan is there when the date gets close.
Save to PinterestChristmas trivia questions
How do you host a Christmas trivia night?
Split guests into teams of three to five, give each team an answer sheet and a pen, and read one round at a time. Collect the sheets after each round, mark them while the next round is read, and post running scores between rounds. Eight rounds plus a tie-breaker take about 60 to 75 minutes.
How many questions should a Christmas trivia quiz have?
For a party, 40 to 60 questions is plenty: four or five rounds of twelve, which fills 35 to 45 minutes. Use all 100 questions only for a dedicated trivia night of 60 to 75 minutes with a break, or split them across two evenings. Keep a few numeric questions in reserve as tie-breakers.
What are easy Christmas trivia questions for kids?
Questions about characters and songs children already know work best: what color is Santa's suit, where does Santa live, what is the name of the snowman in Frozen, which green character tried to steal Christmas, and how many times Santa checks his list. The kids' round on this page has twelve of them.
Can I print this Christmas trivia quiz?
Yes. Use the Print the quiz button, or your browser's print command, to get the question sheets without the answers, followed by a team scoring sheet and an answer key on separate pages. Choose Save as PDF in the print dialog if you want a file instead of paper.
What are good Christmas trivia questions for adults?
Adults enjoy questions with a surprising answer they can half-work out: what the X in Xmas stands for, which instrument plays the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, why many Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7, and which American colony banned Christmas. Round 8 on this page collects twelve of these.