Christmas Trivia Questions and Answers
Built by the people behind America's biggest trivia-night directory, these 60+ Christmas trivia questions run from kid-friendly warm-ups to genuinely hard holiday deep cuts. Every medium and hard question gives you a foothold — a clue in the setup and a guessable answer, never a flat you-know-it-or-you-don't. Tap any question to reveal the answer, then find a real holiday trivia night near you.
Round 1: Kids
1 Question: Which of Santa's reindeer has a glowing red nose?
Answer: Rudolph
2 Question: How does Santa traditionally get into a house?
Answer: Down the chimney
3 Question: What is the name of the snowman in Disney's 'Frozen'?
Answer: Olaf
4 Question: What snack do kids traditionally leave out for Santa?
Answer: Milk and cookies
5 Question: Where does Santa Claus live and run his workshop?
Answer: The North Pole
6 Question: What green, furry grump tried to steal Christmas from the Whos?
Answer: The Grinch
7 Question: What do naughty children supposedly find in their stockings?
Answer: Coal
8 Question: Who helps Santa make all the toys?
Answer: Elves
9 Question: What are the two colors of a classic candy cane?
Answer: Red and white
10 Question: Counting Rudolph, how many reindeer pull Santa's sleigh?
Answer: Nine
Round 2: Easy
1 Question: In 'Home Alone,' burglars target the house of what boy left behind by his family?
Answer: Kevin (McCallister)
2 Question: What plant do people kiss under at Christmas?
Answer: Mistletoe
3 Question: In the song 'Frosty the Snowman,' what kind of nose does Frosty have?
Answer: A button nose
4 Question: 'Deck the Halls' tells you to deck them with boughs of what?
Answer: Holly
5 Question: What creamy Christmas drink is made with eggs, milk, and sugar?
Answer: Eggnog
6 Question: Will Ferrell plays Buddy, a human raised by elves, in what 2003 comedy?
Answer: Elf
7 Question: What two toppers compete for the top spot on most Christmas trees?
Answer: A star or an angel
8 Question: What is Ebenezer Scrooge's famous two-word dismissal of Christmas?
Answer: 'Bah! Humbug!'
9 Question: What spiced cookie material do you build tiny decorated houses from?
Answer: Gingerbread
10 Question: The Grinch's long-suffering dog — forced to wear an antler — is named what?
Answer: Max
Round 3: Medium
1 Question: Rudolph was invented in 1939 by copywriter Robert L. May — not for a book publisher, but as a free promotional booklet for which Chicago department store chain?
Answer: Montgomery Ward
2 Question: 'Jingle Bells' was published in 1857 under a different name that describes the ride itself. What was the original title?
Answer: 'The One Horse Open Sleigh'
3 Question: In Dickens's 'A Christmas Carol,' which chain-rattling former business partner is the first ghost to visit Scrooge?
Answer: Jacob Marley
4 Question: The real St. Nicholas was a 4th-century bishop of Myra, a town in which modern-day country famous for its bazaars and kebabs?
Answer: Turkey
5 Question: The 'X' in 'Xmas' isn't crossing anything out — it's the first letter of 'Christ' in which ancient language?
Answer: Greek (the letter chi)
6 Question: The poinsettia, now the classic Christmas plant, is native to which country — and named for the first US ambassador there?
Answer: Mexico (Joel Poinsett)
7 Question: In 'It's a Wonderful Life,' what's the name of the guardian angel trying to earn his wings by saving George Bailey?
Answer: Clarence
8 Question: Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' returns to the charts every December. In what year of the mid-90s was it first released?
Answer: 1994
9 Question: Bing Crosby's recording of what Irving Berlin song is still the best-selling single of all time?
Answer: 'White Christmas'
10 Question: 'The Nutcracker,' now a Christmas institution, was composed by which Russian — also behind 'Swan Lake'?
Answer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
11 Question: The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas began in which European country, before Queen Victoria's husband Albert popularized it in Britain?
Answer: Germany
12 Question: December 26 is a public holiday in the UK, Canada, and Australia. What is it called?
Answer: Boxing Day
13 Question: In Italian folklore, children get gifts not from Santa but from a kindly old witch who flies in on January 5th. Name her.
Answer: La Befana
14 Question: In Alpine folklore from Austria and Germany, what horned companion of St. Nicholas punishes naughty children?
Answer: Krampus
15 Question: Thanks to a wildly successful 1974 ad campaign, millions of families in which country now eat KFC for Christmas dinner?
Answer: Japan
16 Question: José Feliciano's 1970 bilingual Christmas hit is one of the most-played holiday songs ever. Name it.
Answer: 'Feliz Navidad'
17 Question: If you gave every gift in 'The 12 Days of Christmas' — counting every repeat — how many total gifts would that be? (Hint: it's one less than the days in a year.)
Answer: 364
18 Question: In 'Elf,' Buddy names the four main food groups of elf culture: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and what?
Answer: Syrup
19 Question: The jazz piano soundtrack of 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' (1965) was written by which composer, whose 'Linus and Lucy' is instantly recognizable?
Answer: Vince Guaraldi
20 Question: In 'A Christmas Story,' what one specific gift does Ralphie spend the whole movie campaigning for?
Answer: A Red Ryder BB gun
21 Question: In 'A Christmas Carol,' Scrooge is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and what?
Answer: Christmas Yet to Come (the future)
22 Question: 'Silent Night' was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 — with guitar, because the organ was broken — in a small church in which Alpine country?
Answer: Austria
Round 4: Hard
1 Question: In December 1965, the first song ever performed in space was played aboard Gemini 6 on a smuggled harmonica and sleigh bells. What was the song?
Answer: 'Jingle Bells'
2 Question: NORAD's Santa Tracker began by accident in 1955, when a misprinted ad from which department store sent children's calls to a top-secret military defense line in Colorado?
Answer: Sears
3 Question: Coca-Cola's plump, red-suited Santa — which cemented the modern image — was painted starting in 1931 by which Michigan-born illustrator?
Answer: Haddon Sundblom
4 Question: Christmas Island, named by a sea captain who sailed past on December 25, 1643, is a territory of which country today?
Answer: Australia
5 Question: In 1826, cadets at what US military academy staged an actual riot over confiscated holiday eggnog?
Answer: West Point
6 Question: In Icelandic folklore, 13 mischievous gift-bringers visit children in the nights before Christmas. What are they collectively called?
Answer: The Yule Lads
7 Question: In Catalonia, children feed and care for a smiling log all December — then beat it with sticks on Christmas so it 'excretes' presents. Name the tradition.
Answer: Tió de Nadal (Caga Tió, the 'pooping log')
8 Question: The word 'wassail,' as in the caroling toast, comes from an Old Norse phrase meaning roughly what?
Answer: 'Be in good health'
9 Question: Many Christmas customs — feasting, gift-giving, role reversals — echo which rowdy ancient Roman festival held in late December?
Answer: Saturnalia
10 Question: The 1966 animated 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas!' was narrated by which horror legend — better known for playing Frankenstein's monster?
Answer: Boris Karloff
11 Question: 'The Nutcracker' premiered in 1892 in which Russian imperial capital?
Answer: St. Petersburg
12 Question: The first Rockefeller Center Christmas tree wasn't a corporate event at all — it was put up in 1931 by whom, pooling their money during the Depression?
Answer: Construction workers building Rockefeller Center
13 Question: The first royal Christmas broadcast — now an annual UK tradition — was delivered by radio in 1932 by which king?
Answer: King George V
14 Question: Robert May considered two other names for Rudolph before settling. Name either one.
Answer: Rollo or Reginald
15 Question: Which country's capital gifts London the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree every year, as thanks for support in World War II?
Answer: Norway (Oslo)
16 Question: In Dickens's 'A Christmas Carol,' what is the Cratchits' disabled son — 'God bless us, every one!' — called?
Answer: Tiny Tim
17 Question: In 'The 12 Days of Christmas,' what are there seven of?
Answer: Swans a-swimming
18 Question: Before it was fixed to December 25, early Christians in the East celebrated Christ's birth on January 6 — a date still marked as what feast?
Answer: Epiphany (Three Kings' Day)
More Trivia Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some good Christmas trivia questions?
Good Christmas trivia mixes easy crowd-pleasers about Santa, reindeer, and carols with tougher questions on holiday history, movies, and traditions around the world. The rounds above run from kid-friendly warm-ups to hard questions, so there's something for every table.
What was Jingle Bells originally called?
"Jingle Bells" was published in 1857 under the title "The One Horse Open Sleigh," which describes the ride at the heart of the song. It picked up the shorter name we use today soon after.
Who invented Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?
Copywriter Robert L. May created Rudolph in 1939 as a free promotional booklet for the Montgomery Ward department store chain. The song came a decade later, when his brother-in-law Johnny Marks set the story to music.
What are Christmas trivia questions for kids?
The Kids round above collects the easiest, most age-appropriate Christmas questions — Rudolph's red nose, Santa's workshop at the North Pole, Frosty and Olaf, candy canes, and the Grinch. The answers are one or two words each, so younger players stay in the game.
How many trivia questions should a pub quiz have?
A standard pub quiz has between 40 and 60 questions, typically organized into 4-6 rounds of 8-10 questions each. Most trivia nights run 60-90 minutes, so 40-50 questions is the sweet spot. Each round should mix easy and harder questions so every team scores some points.
Where can I find trivia nights near me?
TriviaNearMe lists bar trivia and pub quiz nights across thousands of US cities. Search by city or use your location to find trivia nights happening near you this week.
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