Christmas Trivia: 150 Questions and Answers, Ready to Host

This Christmas trivia quiz has 161 original questions and answers in eight categories, from carols and films to food, history and a hard round. Host it with teams and a scoreboard, play it solo on your phone, or print the questions with an answer key. It is free, runs in your browser, and nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.

How to host a Christmas trivia night with this tool

Pick Host a quiz, the categories you want and how many questions: 10, 20, 30 or all of them.
Name your teams (up to six) and press Start the quiz.
Read the question and its four options aloud, or share your screen on a video call.
Give the teams a moment to answer, then press Reveal the answer. The one-line explanation appears with it.
Press the button for the team that was right to give it a point, then go to the next question. The scoreboard shows the winner at the end.

No repeats: a game uses each question once, and every game mixes the chosen categories in a new order. For a mixed group, start with the easy ones and finish on the hard round. A round of 20 questions takes about 30 minutes with discussion. Press Print questions and answers for a paper quiz, or Copy round as text to paste the questions into a group chat and keep the answer key to yourself.

How do you run Christmas trivia over a video call or in a Telegram group?

On a video call, share your screen in Host mode and let each team answer in the chat or aloud. In Telegram, use the polls Telegram has built in: a poll in Quiz Mode has exactly one correct answer, and a correct pick triggers a shower of confetti, according to Telegram's own announcement. Polls are created in groups and channels.

Open your family or friends group in Telegram.
Open the attachment menu and choose Poll.
Type the question and add the four options. Copy them from the tool with Copy round as text.
Turn on Quiz Mode and mark the correct option. The switch is on the poll screen, and its wording varies a little between apps.
Send the poll, wait for the answers, then send the next one.

Add the explanation from the tool as a follow-up message if you like. For more games that work in a chat, see games to play over text.

Christmas trivia questions and answers

All 161 questions are below by category, with the answer and a one-line explanation. Read them aloud, copy them into your own quiz, or play the same questions in the tool above.

Traditions around the world (21 questions)

Customs, festivals and who does what on Christmas Eve.

Which fast-food chain's fried chicken has become a popular Christmas meal in Japan?Answer: KFC. A KFC campaign in the 1970s turned a Christmas bucket of chicken into a habit that many families still keep.
The giant straw Gävle Goat is put up each Advent as a Christmas symbol in which country?Answer: Sweden. The straw goat stands in the Swedish town of Gävle, and it has been burned down more than once.
Las Posadas, nine nights of processions that re-enact Mary and Joseph's search for shelter, is a famous tradition in which country?Answer: Mexico. Las Posadas runs from 16 to 24 December in Mexico, with songs, candles and a party at the end of each night.
In the folk tradition of which country does Sinterklaas arrive each year by steamboat from Spain?Answer: The Netherlands. Dutch children welcome Sinterklaas in November, and his gifts arrive around 5 and 6 December.
On which date is St Nicholas Day celebrated in much of Europe?Answer: 6 December. St Nicholas Day is 6 December, the feast day of Saint Nicholas, and it is a gift-giving day for children in many countries.
In which country do 13 Yule Lads visit children in the days before Christmas?Answer: Iceland. In Icelandic folklore the Yule Lads come down from the mountains one by one, leaving small gifts in shoes at the window.
In Catalonia, children hit a log with sticks so that it will "produce" presents. What is the log called?Answer: Caga Tió. Caga Tió, the "pooping log", is covered with a blanket and fed by children before Christmas.
In Italian tradition, which witch-like figure brings gifts to children on the eve of Epiphany?Answer: La Befana. La Befana flies on a broom on the night of 5 January and fills stockings with sweets.
What is the star-shaped Christmas lantern of the Philippines called?Answer: Parol. The parol, usually made of bamboo and paper, stands for the star of Bethlehem.
Wigilia, a Christmas Eve supper with twelve meatless dishes, is a central tradition in which country?Answer: Poland. The Polish Wigilia begins when the first star appears, and a place is often set at the table for an unexpected guest.
The poinsettia, a favourite Christmas plant, is native to which country?Answer: Mexico. The poinsettia grows wild in Mexico, and it is named after Joel Poinsett, who brought it to the United States.
When Christmas Day arrives in Australia, which season is it there?Answer: Summer. Australia is in the southern hemisphere, so December is high summer and many people celebrate at the beach.
Every year a huge Christmas tree is sent to Trafalgar Square in London. Which country sends it?Answer: Norway. Norway has sent the tree since 1947 as thanks for British help during the Second World War.
Many Orthodox churches that follow the Julian calendar celebrate Christmas on which date in the Gregorian calendar?Answer: 7 January. The Julian calendar is currently 13 days behind the Gregorian one, so 25 December there falls on 7 January.
On what date is Boxing Day in the United Kingdom?Answer: 26 December. Boxing Day is the day after Christmas Day, and it is also St Stephen's Day.
Krampus parades, where people dress as a horned companion of St Nicholas, are a well-known winter tradition in which country?Answer: Austria. Krampus walks beside St Nicholas in Alpine folklore, and the runs around 5 December are a big event in Austria.
Prince Albert helped make the Christmas tree popular in Britain. In which country was he born?Answer: Germany. Albert was born in the duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in what is now Germany.
A folk tale about a poor family and a tree covered by spiders' webs inspired Christmas ornaments in which country?Answer: Ukraine. Ukrainian trees often carry little glass spiders and webs, called pavuchky, which are said to bring good luck.
The Advent wreath with candles for the Sundays before Christmas comes from the Lutheran tradition of which country?Answer: Germany. The pastor Johann Hinrich Wichern is credited with the first one, in Hamburg in 1839.
Many countries celebrate Epiphany, the arrival of the Three Kings, on which date?Answer: 6 January. Epiphany on 6 January ends the Twelve Days of Christmas in many traditions.
Saint Lucia's Day on 13 December, with a girl in a crown of candles, is most strongly associated with which country?Answer: Sweden. Swedes mark Lucia with processions, white gowns and saffron buns.

Christmas films (23 questions)

Elves, Grinches, angels and one very busy burglar trap.

In Home Alone (1990), the McCallister family leaves for a Christmas trip to which city?Answer: Paris. Kevin is left behind when the family rushes to the airport for the flight to Paris.
Who plays Buddy the elf in the film Elf (2003)?Answer: Will Ferrell. Will Ferrell plays Buddy, a human raised at the North Pole.
What is the name of the Grinch's dog?Answer: Max. Max pulls the sleigh when the Grinch sets out to steal Christmas.
In Dr Seuss's story, what is the name of the town the Grinch looks down on?Answer: Whoville. The Whos down in Whoville keep singing even when their presents are gone.
In A Christmas Carol, which ghost is Scrooge's former business partner?Answer: Jacob Marley. Marley's ghost arrives in chains on Christmas Eve to warn Scrooge.
What is the surname of Tiny Tim's family in A Christmas Carol?Answer: Cratchit. Bob Cratchit is Scrooge's underpaid clerk, and Tiny Tim is his youngest son.
Who plays George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)?Answer: James Stewart. James Stewart plays George Bailey, a man who sees what his town would be like had he never been born.
In It's a Wonderful Life, what is the name of the angel who helps George Bailey?Answer: Clarence. Clarence Odbody is an angel second class who is trying to earn his wings.
In The Polar Express, what does the boy ask for as the first gift of Christmas?Answer: A bell from Santa's sleigh. He loses the bell on the way home, then finds it under the tree, and only believers can hear it ring.
In the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street, which department store employs Kris Kringle?Answer: Macy's. Macy's Thanksgiving parade and its store on 34th Street are the setting.
In Love Actually, which actor plays the Prime Minister who dances through 10 Downing Street?Answer: Hugh Grant. Hugh Grant's character dances down the stairs of Downing Street to a Pointer Sisters song.
In The Nightmare Before Christmas, Jack Skellington is the king of which town?Answer: Halloween Town. Jack finds Christmas Town through a door in a tree and tries to take over the holiday.
Who plays Scrooge in The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)?Answer: Michael Caine. Michael Caine plays Scrooge, and Kermit the Frog plays Bob Cratchit.
In the 1964 TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, what does the elf Hermey want to become?Answer: A dentist. Hermey would rather be a dentist than make toys, which is why he leaves the workshop with Rudolph.
In Elf, what does Buddy pour syrup on?Answer: Spaghetti. Buddy eats spaghetti with maple syrup, and the film plays it for a joke on elf food groups.
What do the burglars Harry and Marv call themselves in Home Alone?Answer: The Wet Bandits. They leave a tap running in every house they rob, and Kevin works it out.
In Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, which city does Kevin end up in?Answer: New York City. Kevin boards the wrong plane at the airport and arrives in New York.
Who plays Clark Griswold in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation?Answer: Chevy Chase. Clark is determined to give his family "the hap-hap-happiest Christmas" and his lights are a disaster.
Which actor plays Scott Calvin, who becomes Santa in The Santa Clause (1994)?Answer: Tim Allen. Scott puts on the suit after the original Santa falls off his roof.
The animated film The Snowman (1982) is based on a picture book by which author?Answer: Raymond Briggs. Raymond Briggs wrote and drew The Snowman, a story told without words.
Who plays the Grinch in the 2000 live-action film?Answer: Jim Carrey. Jim Carrey wore a heavy green costume with makeup that took hours to apply.
Die Hard takes place at a Christmas Eve office party in which fictional tower?Answer: Nakatomi Plaza. John McClane visits his estranged wife at the Nakatomi Plaza Christmas party in Los Angeles.
Who wrote the screenplay for Home Alone (1990)?Answer: John Hughes. John Hughes wrote Home Alone, and Chris Columbus directed it.

Songs and carols (23 questions)

Who wrote it, who sang it, what comes next.

In which language was "Silent Night" first written?Answer: German. "Stille Nacht" had German words by Joseph Mohr and the carol has since been translated into very many languages.
"Silent Night" was first performed in 1818 in a village in which country?Answer: Austria. It was first sung at the church of St Nicholas in Oberndorf, near Salzburg.
Who wrote "White Christmas", made famous by Bing Crosby?Answer: Irving Berlin. Irving Berlin wrote it for the 1942 film Holiday Inn, and Crosby's recording became a huge hit.
Which singer released "All I Want for Christmas Is You" in 1994?Answer: Mariah Carey. It appeared on Carey's album Merry Christmas and has returned to the charts every December.
Which duo recorded "Last Christmas" in 1984?Answer: Wham!. George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley were Wham!, and Michael wrote and produced the song.
Which two musicians wrote "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for Band Aid in 1984?Answer: Bob Geldof and Midge Ure. The song raised money for famine relief in Ethiopia and was recorded in a single day in London.
Which band recorded "Fairytale of New York" with Kirsty MacColl?Answer: The Pogues. The Pogues' song is a regular in the UK and Irish Christmas charts.
In "The Twelve Days of Christmas", what does true love give on the fifth day?Answer: Five golden rings. The golden rings are the fifth gift, and every later verse repeats them.
In "The Twelve Days of Christmas", what does true love send on the seventh day?Answer: Seven swans a-swimming. Geese a-laying come on the sixth day and swans a-swimming on the seventh.
What is the original Latin title of "O Come, All Ye Faithful"?Answer: Adeste Fideles. Adeste Fideles is the Latin carol, and English versions followed in the 1800s.
Who wrote the words of "Joy to the World", first published in 1719?Answer: Isaac Watts. Watts based the hymn on Psalm 98, and it was not written as a Christmas carol.
"Carol of the Bells" is based on a folk chant from which country?Answer: Ukraine. The melody is the Ukrainian chant "Shchedryk", arranged by Mykola Leontovych.
Which dessert do the singers demand in "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"?Answer: Figgy pudding. The carol politely demands figgy pudding and says the singers will not leave until they get some.
In the carol "Good King Wenceslas", on which feast day does the king look out?Answer: The feast of Stephen. The feast of Stephen is St Stephen's Day, 26 December.
In the song, what brings Frosty the Snowman to life?Answer: An old silk hat. Frosty comes to life when children put an old silk hat on his head.
Which singer first recorded "Santa Baby" in 1953?Answer: Eartha Kitt. Eartha Kitt's recording was a hit in 1953 and made the song a standard.
Who composed the music for the ballet The Nutcracker?Answer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky wrote the score, and the ballet premiered in St Petersburg in 1892.
Who wrote "Jingle Bells", published in 1857 as "One Horse Open Sleigh"?Answer: James Lord Pierpont. It was published in Boston, and the title changed to "Jingle Bells" in 1859.
The tune of "Deck the Halls" comes from a traditional song of which country?Answer: Wales. The Welsh tune "Nos Galan" is a New Year's Eve song, and the English words were added in the 1800s.
Which singer had a 1949 hit with "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"?Answer: Gene Autry. The singing cowboy Gene Autry recorded the song written by Johnny Marks.
Who sang the 1957 hit "Jingle Bell Rock"?Answer: Bobby Helms. Bobby Helms had a hit with it in 1957, and it has returned to the charts in later years.
In "The Christmas Song", what is roasting on an open fire?Answer: Chestnuts. The first line mentions chestnuts roasting on an open fire, and Nat King Cole recorded the best-known version.
Who wrote the oratorio Messiah, whose "Hallelujah" chorus is sung at Christmas?Answer: George Frideric Handel. Handel wrote Messiah in 1741, and it was first performed in Dublin in 1742.

Food and drink (21 questions)

Puddings, cakes, pies and what goes in the mug.

Panettone, a tall sweet bread full of dried fruit, comes from which Italian city?Answer: Milan. Panettone is the Christmas bread of Milan, and it is now eaten across Italy and beyond.
Stollen, a loaf with dried fruit, nuts and a coating of sugar, is a Christmas bread from which country?Answer: Germany. German stollen is closely linked with the city of Dresden.
The bûche de Noël, a sponge cake shaped like a log, is a Christmas dessert in which country?Answer: France. The French bûche de Noël is rolled and covered in chocolate cream to look like a yule log.
Lebkuchen, a spiced Christmas biscuit, is most strongly associated with which German city?Answer: Nuremberg. Nuremberg Lebkuchen has European protected status as a regional speciality.
What did the first mince pies traditionally contain?Answer: Minced meat. Mince pies began as a savoury pie of meat, fruit and spices, and the meat gradually left the recipe.
Marzipan is made mainly from sugar and what?Answer: Ground almonds. Marzipan is a paste of ground almonds and sugar, and it is shaped into fruit and figures at Christmas.
What flavour is a traditional candy cane?Answer: Peppermint. Peppermint is the classic flavour, with red stripes on white.
In Japan, what is the usual Christmas cake?Answer: A sponge cake with cream and strawberries. The cream-and-strawberry sponge is the standard Japanese Christmas cake.
Which evergreen sprig is traditionally stuck in the top of a Christmas pudding?Answer: Holly. A sprig of holly is the classic decoration on a British Christmas pudding.
Traditionally, which small silver coin was hidden in a British Christmas pudding for luck?Answer: A sixpence. Whoever found the sixpence in their portion was said to be lucky in the year ahead.
Which tart red berry sauce is traditionally served with Christmas turkey?Answer: Cranberry. Cranberry sauce is the classic accompaniment to turkey in the UK and the USA.
In the UK, "pigs in blankets" are sausages wrapped in what?Answer: Bacon. Pigs in blankets are small sausages wrapped in bacon, served with a Christmas dinner.
In Spain, the ring-shaped Roscón de Reyes is eaten to celebrate which occasion?Answer: Epiphany, the Three Kings. The Roscón de Reyes is eaten on 6 January, and a small figure or bean is hidden inside.
Glögg, a spiced mulled wine, is a traditional Christmas drink in which part of the world?Answer: The Nordic countries. Glögg is served in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, often with raisins and almonds.
Which spice, often pushed into an orange, is classic in mulled wine?Answer: Cloves. Cloves, cinnamon and orange peel are the classic mulling spices.
Which ingredient gives eggnog its name?Answer: Eggs. Eggnog is made from eggs, milk or cream and sugar, and it is often flavoured with nutmeg.
Which spice gives gingerbread its name?Answer: Ginger. Ginger is the main flavour of gingerbread, with warm spices such as cinnamon and cloves.
Brussels sprouts, a common Christmas vegetable in the UK, are a kind of what?Answer: Cabbage. Brussels sprouts belong to the cabbage family, and each one is a tiny bud on a tall stalk.
In an old-fashioned English "plum pudding", the "plums" were really what?Answer: Dried fruit such as raisins. "Plum" once meant dried fruit, which is why Christmas pudding is full of raisins and currants.
Which fish is the traditional centrepiece of a Polish Christmas Eve supper?Answer: Carp. Carp is the traditional main dish of Wigilia in Poland.
The turkey served at many Christmas dinners comes from the wild turkey, which is native to which continent?Answer: North America. The wild turkey is native to North America, and the bird was brought to Europe in the 1500s.

History and origins (20 questions)

Where the cards, the trees and the name came from.

Which Roman festival of the god Saturn, held in mid-December, is often compared with Christmas celebrations?Answer: Saturnalia. Saturnalia was a week of feasting and gift-giving that began on 17 December.
Who commissioned the first Christmas card, sent in London in 1843?Answer: Sir Henry Cole. Cole, the V&A's first director, asked the artist John Callcott Horsley to design the card.
In 1914, soldiers on the Western Front stopped fighting for a short truce on Christmas Day. In which war?Answer: The First World War. The Christmas Truce of 1914 happened in several places along the front line in the first year of the war.
In the 1640s the English Parliament banned the celebration of Christmas. Which religious group pushed for it?Answer: The Puritans. The Puritans disliked the feasting and the lack of a biblical basis for Christmas, and the ban lasted until the Restoration.
Which artist painted Coca-Cola's Santa Claus advertisements from 1931?Answer: Haddon Sundblom. Sundblom gave Santa a warm, human look in the ads, though Santa was red-suited long before them.
Saint Nicholas, the model for Santa Claus, was a bishop of Myra, in what is now which country?Answer: Turkey. Myra was a Greek city in the Roman province of Lycia, now Demre in Turkey.
The poinsettia is named after an American diplomat who brought it from Mexico. What was his surname?Answer: Poinsett. Joel Roberts Poinsett was the first United States minister to Mexico.
In "Xmas", the X comes from which Greek letter?Answer: Chi. Chi is the first letter of Christos, the Greek for Christ.
The word "Christmas" comes from the Old English for what?Answer: Christ's Mass. Old English Cristes mæsse means the Mass of Christ.
Which ruler was crowned emperor by the pope on Christmas Day in the year 800?Answer: Charlemagne. Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor in Rome on 25 December 800.
Which Norman duke was crowned King of England on Christmas Day 1066?Answer: William the Conqueror. William was crowned in Westminster Abbey on 25 December 1066.
Edward H. Johnson, an associate of Thomas Edison, made the first string of electric Christmas tree lights in which year?Answer: 1882. In December 1882 he wired 80 coloured bulbs onto a tree in his New York home.
A picture of Queen Victoria's family around a Christmas tree in 1848 helped make the tree popular. Which publication printed it?Answer: The Illustrated London News. The engraving of the royal tree at Windsor Castle was widely reprinted, and it made the German custom fashionable in Britain.
In which country did the printed Advent calendar, as we know it, first appear?Answer: Germany. Printed Advent calendars with doors to open were first made in Germany in the early 1900s.
Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean was named after the day in 1643 when a captain sailed past it. Who was he?Answer: William Mynors. Captain William Mynors of the Royal Mary recorded that he called it Christmas Island because it was Christmas Day.
In 1968, the crew of which Apollo mission read from the Book of Genesis while orbiting the Moon on Christmas Eve?Answer: Apollo 8. The Apollo 8 broadcast of 24 December 1968 was watched by a huge audience around the world.
In which year was the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" ("'Twas the night before Christmas") first published?Answer: 1823. It first appeared anonymously in a New York newspaper, the Troy Sentinel, in December 1823.
In which year did Charles Dickens publish A Christmas Carol?Answer: 1843. The book came out in December 1843 and sold out its first printing in days.
Which New York newspaper printed the 1897 editorial "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus"?Answer: The Sun. Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote to The Sun, and the editorial that answered her became one of the most reprinted in American journalism.
In which city did Handel's Messiah have its first performance, in 1742?Answer: Dublin. It was first performed in Dublin in April 1742, in a hall on Fishamble Street, and not at Christmas.

Santa and his reindeer (15 questions)

Eight, nine, or a Dutch word for thunder.

In the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas", how many reindeer pull the sleigh?Answer: Eight. The poem names eight reindeer. Rudolph joined them later, in 1939, as the ninth.
Which of these reindeer is NOT named in the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas"?Answer: Rudolph. Rudolph was created in 1939 for a booklet by Robert L. May, and the poem is more than a century older.
Complete the line from the poem: "Not a creature was stirring, not even a ..."Answer: Mouse. The poem's second line says nothing stirred in the house, "not even a mouse".
In "A Visit from St. Nicholas", St Nicholas's nose is compared to what?Answer: A cherry. The poem says his cheeks are like roses and his nose like a cherry.
In "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", how many times does Santa check his list?Answer: Twice. The song says he is "making a list, checking it twice".
Reindeer are the same species as which North American animal?Answer: The caribou. Reindeer and caribou are the same species, Rangifer tarandus.
Santa Claus Village, on the Arctic Circle, is in which Finnish town?Answer: Rovaniemi. Rovaniemi is the capital of Finnish Lapland, and the Arctic Circle runs through the village.
Which organisation has tracked Santa's sleigh every Christmas Eve since 1955?Answer: NORAD. It began after a misprinted Sears advert sent children's calls to a military operations centre in Colorado Springs, and the tradition stuck.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer first appeared in a 1939 booklet for which American retailer?Answer: Montgomery Ward. Robert L. May wrote the story as a copywriter at Montgomery Ward.
Sinterklaas is the Dutch form of the name of which saint?Answer: Saint Nicholas. Sinterklaas comes from Sint Nikolaas.
What do French children call Santa Claus?Answer: Père Noël. Père Noël means Father Christmas.
In "A Visit from St. Nicholas", how does St Nicholas leave the house?Answer: Up the chimney. He gives a nod and rises up the chimney, and then his sleigh takes off.
How many reindeer pull Santa's sleigh once Rudolph is added to the team?Answer: Nine. The poem's eight reindeer plus Rudolph make nine.
Donder, one of the reindeer, takes its name from the Dutch word for what?Answer: Thunder. The Dutch for thunder is donder. His partner, Blitzen, is named for lightning.
Which two reindeer does the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" name first?Answer: Dasher and Dancer. The poem calls them in the order Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder and Blitzen.

Numbers and dates (19 questions)

Counting gifts, staves, spirits and years.

How many gifts are given in total in "The Twelve Days of Christmas", counting every repeat across all twelve days?Answer: 364. Day n repeats all the earlier gifts, so the total is 1 + 3 + 6 + ... + 78, which is 364.
Across all twelve days of the song, how many swans a-swimming are given in total?Answer: 42. Swans arrive on the seventh day, so they are given on days 7 to 12. That is 7 swans six times, which is 42.
Across all twelve days of the song, how many partridges in a pear tree are given in total?Answer: 12. A partridge in a pear tree is given on every one of the twelve days.
Across all twelve days of the song, how many turtle doves are given in total?Answer: 22. Two turtle doves are given on each of the days 2 to 12, which is 11 days, so 22.
Across all twelve days of the song, how many lords a-leaping are given in total?Answer: 30. Ten lords arrive on the tenth day and repeat on days 10, 11 and 12, which is 3 times 10, or 30.
In A Christmas Carol, how many spirits visit Scrooge after Marley's ghost?Answer: Three. The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come visit him one after another.
A Christmas Carol is divided into how many sections that Dickens called "staves"?Answer: Five. Dickens called his five chapters staves, a musical term, to match the carol of the title.
How many Sundays are there in Advent?Answer: Four. Advent is the four weeks before Christmas, and an Advent wreath usually has four candles.
A single snow crystal typically grows with how many main arms or sides?Answer: Six. The shape of ice at the molecular level gives snow crystals six-fold symmetry.
According to the Gospel of Matthew, how many gifts did the Magi bring?Answer: Three. Matthew names three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. It does not say how many wise men there were.
In which year did the ballet The Nutcracker premiere in St Petersburg?Answer: 1892. The ballet premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre on 18 December 1892.
On what date in 1843 was A Christmas Carol first published?Answer: 19 December. Chapman and Hall published it on 19 December 1843, and the first printing sold out by Christmas Eve.
In which year did Norway send its first Christmas tree to London's Trafalgar Square?Answer: 1947. The annual gift began in 1947 as thanks for Britain's support in the Second World War.
In which year was "Jingle Bells" first published, under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh"?Answer: 1857. James Lord Pierpont's song was published in Boston in 1857.
In which year did Dr Seuss publish How the Grinch Stole Christmas!?Answer: 1957. Dr Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Geisel, published the Grinch in 1957.
In which year did Chris Van Allsburg publish The Polar Express?Answer: 1985. The Polar Express was published in 1985 and won the Caldecott Medal.
In which year did Band Aid release "Do They Know It's Christmas?"Answer: 1984. The first Band Aid single was recorded and released in late 1984.
In which year was the Rankin/Bass TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer first broadcast?Answer: 1964. It was first shown on NBC on 6 December 1964.
In which year was Home Alone released?Answer: 1990. Home Alone was released in November 1990.

Hard round (19 questions)

For the person who always wins the pub quiz.

In A Christmas Carol, what is the name of the kind employer who gave a Christmas ball when Scrooge was young?Answer: Mr Fezziwig. Scrooge was an apprentice to Fezziwig, whose ball is one of the happiest scenes in the book.
What is the name of Scrooge's cheerful nephew in A Christmas Carol?Answer: Fred. Fred keeps inviting his uncle to Christmas dinner in spite of the refusals.
What do the Cratchits eat for their Christmas dinner in A Christmas Carol?Answer: A goose. The small Cratchit goose is shared by the whole family, and it is Scrooge who later sends a much bigger bird.
What does Scrooge send to the Cratchits on Christmas morning?Answer: A prize turkey. He buys the biggest turkey in the shop and has it delivered to their home.
Which writer's 1816 story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King inspired the ballet The Nutcracker?Answer: E. T. A. Hoffmann. The ballet used Alexandre Dumas's retelling of Hoffmann's tale.
Who composed the melody of "Silent Night"?Answer: Franz Xaver Gruber. Gruber wrote the tune in 1818, and Joseph Mohr wrote the words.
The Striezelmarkt, first held in 1434, is a Christmas market in which German city?Answer: Dresden. The Striezelmarkt in Dresden is named after a type of cake, the Striezel, now known as stollen.
Every Christmas Eve a Declaration of Christmas Peace is read at noon in which Finnish city?Answer: Turku. The reading takes place in Turku's Old Great Square and is broadcast on Finnish television.
On St Stephen's Day in Irish tradition, groups of "wren boys" go from house to house carrying a decorated pole. Which bird is the day named after?Answer: The wren. Wren Day, Lá an Dreoilín, is on 26 December.
In Greek folklore, which mischievous goblins appear during the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany?Answer: The Kallikantzaroi. Greek families used fire and blessings to keep the goblins away.
Hans Christian Andersen's story "The Little Match Girl" is set on which night?Answer: New Year's Eve. The girl freezes in the street on the last evening of the year, with each match showing her a vision.
In O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi", what does Della sell to buy her husband a present?Answer: Her hair. Della sells her long hair to buy a chain for Jim's watch, and Jim has sold the watch to buy her combs.
What is the subtitle of Dickens's A Christmas Carol, given on the 1843 title page?Answer: In Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas. The title page reads "A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas".
Which ghost takes Scrooge to Fezziwig's ball?Answer: The Ghost of Christmas Past. The first spirit shows Scrooge the Christmases of his youth.
Who directed the film Elf (2003)?Answer: Jon Favreau. Jon Favreau directed Elf, and Will Ferrell played Buddy.
Who directed the film Love Actually (2003)?Answer: Richard Curtis. Richard Curtis wrote and directed Love Actually.
Who wrote and illustrated the picture book The Polar Express?Answer: Chris Van Allsburg. Chris Van Allsburg also wrote Jumanji.
Which actor played Scrooge in the 1951 British film Scrooge, also released as A Christmas Carol?Answer: Alastair Sim. Alastair Sim's Scrooge in the 1951 film is widely admired as a classic. Albert Finney, Patrick Stewart and George C. Scott played the part in later versions.
Which woman ends her engagement to the young Scrooge because he has come to love money more than her?Answer: Belle. Belle releases Scrooge from the engagement. Fan is his sister, and Martha is one of the Cratchit children.

What other Christmas games can I play with a group?

Pair the quiz with a round of Christmas bingo or charades, browse Christmas party games for the room, or pick from Christmas games for a screen when everyone is in a different place.

Sources

Telegram blog: Polls 2.0, quiz mode (23 January 2020)

Frequently asked questions

Is this Christmas trivia quiz free?

Yes. There is no sign-up and no payment, and it runs in your browser on a phone or a computer.

How many Christmas trivia questions are there?

161 questions in eight categories: traditions around the world, Christmas films, songs and carols, food and drink, history and origins, Santa and his reindeer, numbers and dates, and a hard round. Each has four options, one correct answer and a one-line explanation.

Can I host a team quiz with a scoreboard?

Yes. In Host mode you name up to six teams, read each question, reveal the answer and give the point to the team that got it. The scoreboard and the winner appear at the end.

Can I print the questions and answers?

Yes. Print questions and answers opens a page with the questions and their options, then the answer key on a separate page. You can also copy the round as text for a group chat.

Will the same question come up twice in a game?

No. A game uses each question once, in a random order, and a new game reshuffles the questions from the categories you choose.

Are the answers checked?

Yes. The questions use well-established facts with one defensible answer, and the less familiar ones were checked against reference sources such as the V&A, Britannica and Wikipedia. We left out disputed origin stories and records that change from year to year.

Do you save my team names or scores?

No. Team names, scores and the round exist only on the open page and are gone when you reload or close it.

How do I run the quiz in a Telegram group?

Create a poll from the attachment menu, add the four options, turn on Quiz Mode and mark the correct one. A Telegram quiz poll has exactly one correct answer.