Christmas Trivia Questions With Answers (Free)

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Traditions and historyMedium
1.Which Englishman commissioned the first commercially produced Christmas card, in 1843?
Traditions and historyMedium
2.In what year was Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" first published?
Traditions and historyEasy
3.What was the name of Ebenezer Scrooge's late business partner?
Traditions and historyEasy
4.What is the name of Bob Cratchit's youngest son in "A Christmas Carol"?
Traditions and historyMedium
5.Which royal consort is credited with popularising the Christmas tree in Britain in the 1840s?
Traditions and historyEasy
6.On what date is Boxing Day?
Traditions and historyMedium
7.The original Saint Nicholas was a bishop of Myra. In which modern-day country is Myra?
Traditions and historyHard
8.In what year did Christmas Day become a federal holiday in the United States?
Traditions and historyMedium
9.In what year did the famous Christmas Truce take place along parts of the Western Front?
Traditions and historyMedium
10.Christmas crackers were first made in 19th-century London by a confectioner. What was his name?
Traditions and historyEasy
11.On what date is the feast of Epiphany traditionally celebrated?
Traditions and historyHard
12.The "X" in "Xmas" comes from the first letter of the Greek word for Christ. Which Greek letter is it?
Traditions and historyEasy
13.How many Sundays make up the season of Advent?
Songs and carolsMedium
14.In "The Twelve Days of Christmas", how many gifts are given in total if you add up every verse?
Songs and carolsEasy
15.What does the singer's true love give on the fifth day of Christmas?
Songs and carolsEasy
16.In the usual version of the song, what is given on the twelfth day of Christmas?
Songs and carolsMedium
17.In the usual version of the song, what is given on the ninth day of Christmas?
Songs and carolsEasy
18.In which language was "Silent Night" originally written?
Songs and carolsMedium
19.In which year was "Silent Night" first performed, in the Austrian village of Oberndorf?
Songs and carolsHard
20.Which US department store chain commissioned the 1939 booklet that introduced Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?
Songs and carolsMedium
21.Which singing cowboy had a hit with "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" in 1949?
Songs and carolsMedium
22.Who wrote the song "White Christmas"?
Songs and carolsEasy
23.Complete the lyric: "Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open ..."
Songs and carolsMedium
24.The tune of "Deck the Halls" comes from a traditional song from which country?
Songs and carolsHard
25.Which hymn writer wrote the words to "Joy to the World", first published in 1719?
Songs and carolsEasy
26.Which composer wrote the ballet "The Nutcracker"?
Songs and carolsHard
27.In which city did "The Nutcracker" premiere in 1892?
Songs and carolsHard
28.In which city did Handel's "Messiah", which includes the Hallelujah chorus, premiere in 1742?
Songs and carolsEasy
29.In "The Christmas Song", what is roasting on an open fire?
Songs and carolsMedium
30.In which year was Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" released?
Songs and carolsMedium
31.Which pop duo released "Last Christmas" in 1984?
Songs and carolsHard
32.Which two musicians wrote the 1984 charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?"
Movies and TVEasy
33.What is the name of the boy left behind in "Home Alone"?
Movies and TVMedium
34.In "Home Alone", the McCallister family flies to which European city?
Movies and TVMedium
35.In what year was "Home Alone" released?
Movies and TVEasy
36.Which author wrote "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"?
Movies and TVEasy
37.What is the name of the Grinch's dog?
Movies and TVEasy
38.In the film "Elf", to which city does Buddy travel to find his father?
Movies and TVMedium
39.In "It's a Wonderful Life", what is the name of the town where George Bailey lives?
Movies and TVMedium
40.In "It's a Wonderful Life", what is the name of George Bailey's guardian angel?
Movies and TVHard
41.Which jazz pianist composed the music for "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (1965)?
Movies and TVMedium
42.Which actor played Scrooge in "The Muppet Christmas Carol" (1992)?
Movies and TVMedium
43.Which department store's Thanksgiving parade opens the 1947 film "Miracle on 34th Street"?
Movies and TVHard
44.Who wrote the children's book "The Polar Express"?
Movies and TVMedium
45.In "Die Hard", what is the name of the skyscraper where the Christmas party takes place?
Food and drinkEasy
46.Which British Christmas dessert is traditionally doused in brandy and set alight?
Food and drinkEasy
47.Which spice is most traditionally grated over a cup of eggnog?
Food and drinkMedium
48.The "mince" in traditional mince pies originally referred to what kind of filling?
Food and drinkEasy
49.Stollen, a fruit bread dusted with sugar, comes from which country?
Food and drinkMedium
50.Panettone, a tall sweet bread, is a Christmas tradition in which country?
Food and drinkMedium
51.Which French Christmas cake is shaped like a log?
Food and drinkMedium
52.Which fast-food chain's fried chicken has become a Christmas tradition in Japan?
Food and drinkMedium
53.What is the German name for mulled wine?
Food and drinkEasy
54.In "A Christmas Carol", what is the main dish of the Cratchit family's own Christmas dinner?
Food and drinkMedium
55.In "A Christmas Carol", which bird does a reformed Scrooge send to the Cratchit family?
Food and drinkMedium
56.The wild turkey is native to which continent?
Food and drinkEasy
57.Which spice gives gingerbread its name?
Food and drinkEasy
58.What two colours are the stripes on a classic candy cane?
Around the worldEasy
59.What season is it in Australia on Christmas Day?
Around the worldMedium
60.Which Christmas plant is native to Mexico?
Around the worldHard
61.In Mexico, Las Posadas is celebrated over how many nights, from 16 to 24 December?
Around the worldMedium
62.Saint Lucia's Day, with candlelit processions, is celebrated on which date in December?
Around the worldMedium
63.What is the name of the star-shaped Christmas lantern popular in the Philippines?
Around the worldMedium
64.Advent calendars originated in which country?
Around the worldHard
65.In Icelandic tradition, how many Yule Lads visit children in the days before Christmas?
Around the worldMedium
66.On which date do many Russian Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas?
Around the worldMedium
67.Which Finnish town, on the Arctic Circle, is home to the Santa Claus Village tourist attraction?
Around the worldMedium
68.Which country sends a large Christmas tree to Trafalgar Square in London every year?
Around the worldHard
69.In Italian tradition, which gift-bringing witch visits children on the eve of Epiphany?
Around the worldHard
70.Spain's famous Christmas lottery, with a name meaning "the fat one", takes place on which date?
Around the worldMedium
71.How do you say "Merry Christmas" in Hawaiian?
Around the worldMedium
72.The Dutch figure Sinterklaas is the origin of which English name?
Around the worldMedium
73.Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, named for the day it was sighted in 1643, is an external territory of which country?
Symbols and decorationsEasy
74.Under which plant is it traditional to share a kiss at Christmas?
Symbols and decorationsEasy
75.Which spiky-leaved evergreen with red berries is a classic Christmas decoration?
Symbols and decorationsHard
76.Edward H. Johnson, an associate of Thomas Edison, displayed the first electric Christmas tree lights in which year?
Symbols and decorationsHard
77.In which year did construction workers put up the first Christmas tree at New York's Rockefeller Center?
Symbols and decorationsMedium
78.The red "petals" of a poinsettia are actually what part of the plant?
Symbols and decorationsEasy
79.In the nativity story, which star guided the Magi?
Symbols and decorationsEasy
80.Name the three gifts the Magi bring in the traditional nativity story.
Symbols and decorationsMedium
81.According to legend, Saint Nicholas dropped gold coins down a chimney for three sisters, and they landed in what, inspiring a tradition?
Symbols and decorationsMedium
82.A candy cane's hooked shape looks like which letter of the alphabet?
Symbols and decorationsHard
83.Which artist painted the famous Coca-Cola Santa Claus images beginning in 1931?
General and funEasy
84.What is the name of Santa's famous red-nosed reindeer?
General and funMedium
85.How many reindeer pull Santa's sleigh in the classic poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas", before Rudolph joins?
General and funMedium
86.Which of these is one of the original eight reindeer in the poem: Olive, Prancer, Frosty, Rudolph?
General and funEasy
87.What are Santa's workshop helpers called?
General and funHard
88.Which organisation runs a "Santa tracker" every Christmas Eve today, a tradition that began in 1955 when a misprinted phone number in a newspaper ad sent children's calls to its predecessor, CONAD?
General and funEasy
89.In the song, what did Frosty the Snowman come to life wearing on his head?
General and funEasy
90.In which language is "Joyeux Noël"?
General and funEasy
91.In which language is "Feliz Navidad"?
General and funEasy
92.In which language is "Frohe Weihnachten"?
General and funEasy
93.On what date is Christmas Eve?
General and funMedium
94.Which studio made the 1964 stop-motion TV special about a reindeer with a glowing nose?

How to run a Christmas trivia round

A good trivia round is short, paced and a little silly. Five to seven rounds of five or six questions each fills about 45 minutes with time to chat between rounds. Choose one category per round, and put the easiest round first so that everyone scores early and stays engaged.

Decide the rules before you start. Say whether teams may use their phones (usually no), whether a question is read once or twice, and what happens on a tie. A simple tie-breaker is one extra question where the closest number wins, such as how many gifts are given in total in the twelve days of Christmas.

Read each question clearly, give people about 20 to 30 seconds, then reveal the answer before moving on. The show answer toggles on this page are designed for that rhythm. If you are the only one who can see the screen, use the random question mode and read aloud.

Scoring and team formats

One point per correct answer is the simplest scoring. If you mix difficulty levels, try one point for easy, two for medium and three for hard, and announce the value before reading the question. That lets groups with a trivia expert and a few beginners compete fairly.

Teams of three to five work well. Smaller teams make everyone contribute, while bigger teams drift into side conversations. For families, put adults and children on the same team so the easy questions go to the youngest players.

Pick questions in advance and sort them by difficulty so the round builds.
Keep one spare question per round in case a question turns out to be disputed.
Award a half point for answers that are close, such as the right country but wrong city, if you want a generous game.
Rotate who reads questions so the host can also play.

Choosing questions for your group

The right mix depends on who is playing. For a family with children, lean on the easy questions about reindeer, films and well-known characters, and add a few medium ones for the adults. For colleagues who barely know each other, food and film questions are the safest because almost everyone has an opinion on them. Hard questions about dates and composers are best saved for a group that has already said it enjoys trivia.

Keep an eye on cultural fit. Questions about customs around the world are a nice way to include people who celebrate differently, and they often start conversations about how a team member's family marks the season. If your group includes people who do not celebrate Christmas, say up front that this is a fun general-knowledge game and make sure the prizes and tone stay light.

Finally, prepare a short list of bonus questions. If one team runs away with the lead, a bonus round worth double points keeps the finish exciting. If the room is quiet, an easy bonus about a famous film or carol gets everyone talking again.

Remote and hybrid play

On a video call, share your screen with the random question view and keep answer reveals hidden until you are ready. Ask teams to put their answers in the chat at the same moment so nobody copies. Alternatively, build a live quiz in ShuffleTurn: you enter the questions and answer options in the quiz builder, share the join link, and players answer from their phones while you track the score.

For a hybrid group, use the same format for both sides of the room so remote players are not at a disadvantage. Printing the question sheet is a good option for people in the room who prefer paper, while remote players answer through chat or the live quiz.

Whatever the format, remember that traditions differ by country, faith and family. Mix in some silly and film questions so that everyone has a chance to know something, and avoid making the game feel like an exam.

Frequently asked questions

Are these Christmas trivia questions free?

Yes. You can browse, filter, draw random questions, copy and print them without signing up. Everything runs in your browser.

Can I use these for a work or team event?

Yes. Pick the easy and medium questions for mixed groups, filter out categories your colleagues may not share (for example, a country-specific tradition), and read them out on a call or in the room.

How do I play these as a live quiz?

The Play it live button opens the ShuffleTurn quiz builder with a new quiz. You type or paste each question and its answer options yourself, mark the correct one, and share the join link. The questions on this page are not transferred automatically.

How many questions are there and how hard are they?

There are 94 questions in seven categories, split into easy, medium and hard. Easy ones suit children and mixed groups. Hard ones suit people who enjoy trivia.

Can I print the questions and the answers separately?

Yes. The print question sheet button gives a numbered sheet with a line for each answer. The print answer key button gives a second sheet with the answers. Both follow whatever filters you have set.

Are the answers accurate?

The questions are a curated list that focuses on well-documented facts such as dates, names and places. Traditions vary between regions and families, so a few answers describe the usual or traditional version. If your group disagrees, the host's ruling is final.

Do you track what I do on this page?

Only simple counts such as how many questions were copied or printed. Nothing you type and no question text is sent.