120 Christmas Trivia Questions and Answers, Easy to Hard (2026)

TL;DR: Below are 120 Christmas trivia questions with answers, split into nine rounds: an easy warm-up, Christmas movies, songs, traditions around the world, history, food, Santa and reindeer lore, a hard round for quiz regulars, and a true-or-false round. Answers sit right after each question, so the host can read straight from the page, and every history and tradition answer links to its source. For a party, pick four or five rounds of 10 questions, mix easy and hard, and give teams an answer sheet. Hosting tips and a printable answer-key layout are at the end. Updated 28 October 2026.

A good Christmas quiz has something for everyone: a few questions the whole room shouts out, a few that start friendly arguments, and a few that only the person who reads every film's trivia page will get. The rounds below are built that way. The easy round and the movie round work for a mixed family crowd; the history, hard and true-or-false rounds are the better pick for Christmas trivia for adults and quiz regulars.

Every answer below was checked. Film, song and general-knowledge answers are well known; anything about history, traditions abroad, food origins or dates links to the source we checked it against. Where sources disagree on a detail, we left that detail out instead of guessing.

How to use these Christmas trivia questions

Questions are numbered 1 to 120 the whole way through, so you can mix rounds and still find every answer fast.

Round 1: Easy Christmas trivia (warm-up)

1. What colour is Rudolph's nose? Answer: Red.
2. What do people hang up on Christmas Eve for Santa to fill? Answer: Stockings.
3. Under which plant are you supposed to share a Christmas kiss? Answer: Mistletoe.
4. Where does Santa Claus traditionally live? Answer: The North Pole.
5. What are Santa's workshop helpers called? Answer: Elves.
6. What is Frosty the Snowman made of? Answer: Snow.
7. In the US, what drink is traditionally left out for Santa with cookies? Answer: Milk.
8. What is a gift exchange called where nobody knows who bought for whom? Answer: Secret Santa.
9. How many reindeer pull Santa's sleigh, counting Rudolph? Answer: Nine.
10. What is 26 December called in the UK, Canada and Australia? Answer: Boxing Day.
11. What flavour is a classic red-and-white candy cane? Answer: Peppermint.
12. Which spice gives gingerbread its name? Answer: Ginger.

Round 2: Christmas movie trivia

13. In Home Alone (1990), which city is the McCallister family flying to when they leave Kevin behind? Answer: Paris.
14. In Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, which city does Kevin end up in by himself? Answer: New York City.
15. In Elf (2003), who plays Buddy? Answer: Will Ferrell.
16. According to Buddy in Elf, what are the four main food groups of elves? Answer: Candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.
17. In Elf, which New York department store does Buddy start working at? Answer: Gimbels.
18. In It's a Wonderful Life (1946), what happens every time a bell rings? Answer: An angel gets his wings.
19. What is the name of George Bailey's guardian angel in It's a Wonderful Life? Answer: Clarence (Clarence Odbody).
20. In which town is It's a Wonderful Life set? Answer: Bedford Falls.
21. In A Christmas Story (1983), what does Ralphie want for Christmas? Answer: A Red Ryder BB gun.
22. What is the name of the Grinch's dog? Answer: Max.
23. By how many sizes does the Grinch's heart grow at the end of the story? Answer: Three.
24. In The Nightmare Before Christmas, Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King of which town? Answer: Halloween Town.
25. In the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street, which department store hires Kris Kringle as its Santa? Answer: Macy's.
26. In The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), who plays Ebenezer Scrooge, and which Muppet plays Bob Cratchit? Answer: Michael Caine; Kermit the Frog.
27. Which Muppet narrates The Muppet Christmas Carol as Charles Dickens? Answer: Gonzo.
28. In Love Actually (2003), which actor plays the Prime Minister? Answer: Hugh Grant.
29. In Die Hard (1988), what is the name of the Los Angeles tower where the Christmas party is taken hostage? Answer: Nakatomi Plaza.
30. What is the family surname in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation? Answer: Griswold.
31. In The Polar Express, what does the boy choose as the first gift of Christmas? Answer: A silver bell from Santa's sleigh.
32. Who plays Scott Calvin, the man who becomes Santa, in The Santa Clause (1994)? Answer: Tim Allen.

Round 3: Christmas song trivia

33. Who wrote the song "White Christmas"? Answer: Irving Berlin.
34. In which 1942 film did Bing Crosby introduce "White Christmas"? Answer: Holiday Inn (White Christmas, song history).
35. Who released "All I Want for Christmas Is You" in 1994? Answer: Mariah Carey.
36. Which duo released "Last Christmas" in 1984? Answer: Wham! (George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley).
37. Which charity supergroup recorded "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1984? Answer: Band Aid.
38. Who sang the original "Feliz Navidad" (1970)? Answer: José Feliciano.
39. Complete the opening line: "Chestnuts roasting on..." Answer: "...an open fire." It's from "The Christmas Song", co-written by Mel Tormé and Bob Wells and made famous by Nat King Cole.
40. Who recorded "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"? Answer: Brenda Lee.
41. Who had the original hit with "Jingle Bell Rock" (1957)? Answer: Bobby Helms.
42. Which band recorded "Fairytale of New York" with Kirsty MacColl? Answer: The Pogues.
43. In "The Twelve Days of Christmas", what is given on the fifth day? Answer: Five gold rings.
44. In the same song, what comes on the eleventh day? Answer: Eleven pipers piping.
45. Add up every gift in all twelve verses of "The Twelve Days of Christmas". How many are there? Answer: 364. (Each day repeats all the earlier gifts, so it's 1 + 3 + 6 + 10... up to 78 on day twelve.)
46. "Mele Kalikimaka" means "Merry Christmas" in which language? Answer: Hawaiian.
47. "Silent Night" was first written in which language? Answer: German ("Stille Nacht").

Round 4: Christmas traditions around the world

48. Which country sends London a Christmas tree for Trafalgar Square every year, as thanks for Britain's help during the Second World War? Answer: Norway (from the city of Oslo, every year since 1947) (Visit Norway).
49. In Japan, which fast-food chain's fried chicken became a Christmas tradition after a 1974 marketing campaign? Answer: KFC ("Kentucky for Christmas") (KFC).
50. How many Yule Lads visit homes in Icelandic folklore in the run-up to Christmas? Answer: 13 (Guide to Iceland).
51. Iceland's "Jólabókaflóð" is a Christmas tradition centred on what kind of gift? Answer: Books (the "Christmas book flood") (Smithsonian).
52. In Italy, which broom-riding gift-bringer arrives around Epiphany, 6 January? Answer: La Befana (Eataly).
53. Since 1966, the Swedish town of Gävle has built a giant straw figure every Christmas. What animal is it? Answer: A goat (the Gävle Goat) (Gävle goat).
54. Which Mexican tradition re-enacts Mary and Joseph's search for shelter over nine nights, from 16 to 24 December? Answer: Las Posadas (EWTN).
55. What is the star-shaped Christmas lantern of the Philippines called? Answer: A parol (SBS).
56. In the Netherlands, Sinterklaas arrives each November by what kind of transport, and from which country? Answer: A steamboat, from Spain (DutchReview).
57. On which evening do Dutch families traditionally exchange Sinterklaas gifts? Answer: 5 December (pakjesavond, "present evening") (DutchReview).
58. In Alpine folklore, which horned figure accompanies St Nicholas on the night of 5 December? Answer: Krampus (Britannica).
59. In Catalonia, families "feed" a smiling log with a red hat and then tap it with sticks until it "gives" sweets. What is it called? Answer: Tió de Nadal (Caga Tió) (Barcelona City Council).
60. Sweden celebrates which saint's day on 13 December with a candlelit procession and saffron buns? Answer: St Lucia (Lucia Day) (Atlas Obscura).
61. In Poland, what must appear in the sky before the Christmas Eve supper (Wigilia) can begin? Answer: The first star (Study in Poland, gov.pl).

Round 5: Christmas history trivia

62. Who commissioned the first commercial Christmas card, in London in 1843? Answer: Sir Henry Cole (V&A).
63. In what year was Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol first published? Answer: 1843 (19 December 1843) (A Christmas Carol).
64. A royal couple helped make the Christmas tree fashionable in Britain after an 1848 Illustrated London News engraving showed them round a tree at Windsor Castle. Who were they? Answer: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (V&A).
65. Which US president lit the first National Christmas Tree, on 24 December 1923? Answer: Calvin Coolidge (National Park Service).
66. Which president signed the 1870 law that made Christmas a holiday for federal workers in Washington, DC? Answer: Ulysses S. Grant (Time).
67. Which American colony fined people for celebrating Christmas from 1659 until the law was repealed in 1681? Answer: The Massachusetts Bay Colony (History.com).
68. The famous Christmas truce of 1914, when soldiers met in no man's land, happened during which war? Answer: The First World War (World History Encyclopedia).
69. Who were the first people to put up a Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center site in New York, in 1931? Answer: The construction workers building it (NBC News).
70. Which London confectioner is traditionally credited with inventing the Christmas cracker in the 1840s? Answer: Tom Smith (Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine).
71. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer first appeared in 1939 in a free booklet given away by which US department store chain? Answer: Montgomery Ward (Smithsonian).
72. Who wrote that 1939 Rudolph story? Answer: Robert L. May, a Montgomery Ward copywriter (Smithsonian).

Round 6: Christmas food trivia

73. Which tall, domed sweet bread with candied fruit comes from Milan? Answer: Panettone.
74. Which German Christmas fruit bread, dusted in icing sugar, is most famously made in Dresden? Answer: Stollen (Dresdner Christstollen) (European Commission).
75. What is the French Christmas cake shaped like a log called? Answer: Bûche de Noël.
76. In "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", what kind of pudding do the singers demand? Answer: Figgy pudding.
77. Which spirit is traditionally poured over a British Christmas pudding and set alight? Answer: Brandy.
78. What is traditionally hidden inside a British Christmas pudding for luck? Answer: A silver coin (a sixpence).
79. What is "Stir-up Sunday", the day British families traditionally make the Christmas pudding? Answer: The last Sunday before Advent (University of Liverpool Library).
80. Which spice is traditionally grated over a glass of eggnog? Answer: Nutmeg.
81. What is German mulled wine, sold at Christmas markets, called? Answer: Glühwein.
82. In Japan, what kind of cake is the classic Christmas cake? Answer: A strawberry shortcake (sponge, whipped cream and strawberries) (Japan National Tourism Organization).
83. Which fish is the star of the Portuguese Christmas Eve supper, the Consoada? Answer: Salt cod (bacalhau) (Portugal.com).
84. What spice turns Swedish Lucia buns (lussekatter) yellow? Answer: Saffron (Atlas Obscura).
85. In A Christmas Carol, what does the reformed Scrooge send to the Cratchit family on Christmas morning? Answer: The prize turkey from the poulterer's shop.
86. Which Italian-American Christmas Eve dinner is named after a number of seafood dishes? Answer: The Feast of the Seven Fishes.

Round 7: Santa and reindeer trivia

87. Name the eight reindeer from the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas". Answer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen (Wikisource).
88. What were Donner and Blitzen called when the poem was first printed in 1823? Answer: Dunder and Blixem, Dutch for thunder and lightning (Snopes).
89. The poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" is better known by its first line. What is it? Answer: "'Twas the night before Christmas".
90. In that poem, what does St Nick's belly shake like when he laughs? Answer: A bowl full of jelly.
91. Which singing cowboy had the first big hit with "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" in 1949? Answer: Gene Autry (Robert L. May).
92. In the song, what kind of weather makes Santa ask Rudolph to guide the sleigh? Answer: Fog (a foggy Christmas Eve).
93. St Nicholas, the saint behind Santa Claus, was bishop of which ancient city? Answer: Myra (in today's Turkey) (Saint Nicholas).
94. On which date is St Nicholas's feast day? Answer: 6 December (Saint Nicholas).
95. What is Santa usually called in the UK? Answer: Father Christmas.
96. What is Santa's Canadian postal code? Answer: H0H 0H0 (Canada Post).
97. Which military command's yearly "Santa tracker" started in 1955 after a newspaper ad printed the wrong phone number? Answer: CONAD, the forerunner of NORAD (today's NORAD Tracks Santa) (CBC).
98. Which Civil War-era cartoonist drew Santa Claus for Harper's Weekly and helped shape the modern image of him? Answer: Thomas Nast (The Coca-Cola Company).
99. Which illustrator painted Santa for Coca-Cola's advertising starting in 1931? Answer: Haddon Sundblom (The Coca-Cola Company).
100. In "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town", how many times does Santa check his list? Answer: Twice.

Round 8: Hard Christmas trivia (for quiz regulars)

101. "Carol of the Bells" is based on "Shchedryk", a New Year song arranged by Mykola Leontovych. Which country does it come from? Answer: Ukraine (NPR via KUNC).
102. "O Holy Night" began as a French poem in 1847. What is its French title? Answer: "Minuit, chrétiens", set to music by Adolphe Adam (PBS).
103. "Silent Night" was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 in which Austrian town? Answer: Oberndorf (near Salzburg) (History Hit).
104. Who wrote the words of "Silent Night", and who composed the music? Answer: Joseph Mohr (words) and Franz Xaver Gruber (music) (History Hit).
105. Which artist illustrated Henry Cole's first Christmas card in 1843? Answer: John Callcott Horsley (V&A).
106. The Advent wreath is credited to a Hamburg pastor in 1839. What was his name? Answer: Johann Hinrich Wichern (Hamburg Tourism).
107. The poinsettia is named after Joel Roberts Poinsett. What job took him to Mexico, where he found the plant? Answer: He was the first US minister (ambassador) to Mexico (Farmers' Almanac).
108. The US marks National Poinsettia Day on 12 December. Why that date? Answer: It's the day Joel Poinsett died, in 1851 (Farmers' Almanac).
109. Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean was named on Christmas Day 1643. Which country governs it today? Answer: Australia (CIA World Factbook).
110. The Chronograph of 354, a Roman calendar, holds the earliest known record of Christmas on 25 December. Which city was it made in? Answer: Rome (Chronograph of 354).
111. Counting Jacob Marley, how many ghosts visit Scrooge in A Christmas Carol? Answer: Four (Marley, then the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come).
112. Which retailer ran the 1955 newspaper ad with the misprinted phone number that led to the Santa tracker? Answer: Sears (CBC).

Round 9: Christmas true or false

113. True or false: Rudolph was one of the reindeer in the original 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas". Answer: False. Rudolph was created in 1939 (Smithsonian).
114. True or false: "Jingle Bells" was the first song played in space. Answer: True. Gemini 6 astronauts Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford played it on a harmonica and bells on 16 December 1965 (Guinness World Records).
115. True or false: England's Parliament once banned Christmas. Answer: True. A 1647 ordinance abolished the feast, and it stayed officially banned until the monarchy returned in 1660 (Library of Congress).
116. True or false: Only male reindeer grow antlers. Answer: False. Both male and female reindeer grow antlers, unlike most deer; bulls usually drop theirs around December (NBC News).
117. True or false: The first electric Christmas tree lights were shown off in 1882 by a colleague of Thomas Edison. Answer: True. Edward H. Johnson lit his New York tree with 80 bulbs (Guinness World Records).
118. True or false: Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" is the best-selling single of all time, according to Guinness World Records. Answer: True. Guinness estimates about 50 million copies (Guinness World Records).
119. True or false: Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker premiered in London. Answer: False. It premiered in St Petersburg in 1892 (The Nutcracker).
120. True or false: The "X" in "Xmas" comes from a Greek letter. Answer: True. It's chi, the first letter of the Greek word for Christ (Merriam-Webster).

Bonus true or false (tie-breakers):

• Mince pies used to contain real meat. True. Mutton, beef and other meats were common until sugar and dried fruit took over (Smithsonian).
• Ethiopia's Orthodox Christmas, Genna, falls on 25 December. False. It's on 7 January (The Gleaner).
• Poinsettias are native to Mexico. True (Farmers' Almanac).
• Frosty the Snowman comes to life thanks to a magic scarf. False. It's an old silk hat.

How to host a Christmas trivia night

1. Pick four or five rounds of about 10 questions. That's 40 to 50 questions, which fills an hour to 90 minutes with breaks. Open with the easy round so everyone scores early, and save the hard round for the middle, not the end.
2. Play in teams of three to six. Teams keep quieter guests involved and stop one know-it-all from running away with it. Mix generations in each team so film, music and history knowledge spread out.
3. Read each question twice, then give a set time. Thirty seconds to a minute per question is plenty. Collect or swap answer sheets at the end of each round, not each question.
4. Score simply. One point per answer; for the reindeer-names question (87), give one point for every correct name. Allow half points for close answers if you announce that rule at the start.
5. Keep a tie-breaker ready. The bonus true-or-false questions work, or ask a "nearest number wins" question like "How many gifts are given in total in 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'?" (364).
6. Run a picture or music round between written rounds. Play the first five seconds of a Christmas song for "name that tune", or show a still from a Christmas film. It changes the pace and gets people up and moving.
7. For an online quiz, paste each round into a shared slide or chat message, ask teams to send answers privately to the host, and reveal scores at the end of each round.
8. Give a small prize. A box of chocolates, the TV remote for Boxing Day or the last mince pie is enough. A printed certificate or a festive card for the winning team is a nice touch.

For guests who'd rather sit out a round, put out a few of our free Christmas coloring pages and some pens; they make a calm side table during a noisy quiz.

Printable answer key

You can print this page straight from your browser for a ready-made host copy: the answers are already in bold next to each question. If you want separate sheets:

• Host sheet: copy the rounds you're using into a document, keep the question numbers, and leave the bold answers in.
• Team answer sheet: one page per round with the team name at the top, numbered lines 1 to 10 (or the numbers of the questions you picked), and a box for the round score.
• Scoreboard: a simple table with teams down the side and rounds across the top. A whiteboard or a big sheet of card stuck to the wall makes the leader obvious and adds a bit of tension.

Want a festive header for your answer sheets, invitations or winner's certificate? The AI Christmas card generator designs a card or poster with short words lettered in. A prompt like this works:

Festive quiz night poster, the words "Christmas Quiz Night" in bold red and gold lettering at the top, a decorated tree, wrapped presents and string lights on a dark green background, cheerful flat illustration, lots of empty space at the bottom

With GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst, one design costs 7.2 credits at 1K, as of 28 October 2026. New Kenerate accounts get 25 free credits when you sign in with Google, GitHub or Discord, with no card needed, and Qwen Image 3.0 runs on the free plan at 9 credits an image. Keep the lettered words to two to four and check the spelling before you print. If you're also sending cards this year, our guide on what to write in a Christmas card covers the messages.

The short version

Choose four or five rounds, about 10 questions each, starting easy and putting the hardest round in the middle. Play in teams, read every question twice, collect answers at the end of each round and keep a tie-breaker ready. All 120 questions above have their answers right beside them, and the history and tradition answers link to the sources we checked them against.