Last updated: October 4, 2024 by Michelle
Do you start decking your halls while the Thanksgiving turkey is still on the dinner table? No shame. We Christmas lovers need to get our yearly fix as quickly as possible. One great way to do that is with Christmas trivia.
You can test how deep your love of Christmas goes and start getting your friends and family excited for the holiday with fun Christmas trivia questions that range from easy enough for the kids to mind melters. Or save these trivia questions for your holiday celebration. They’re a great way to gather loved ones around and share fascinating facts and even some laughs.
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Best Christmas Trivia Questions
These are our absolute favorite Christmas trivia questions. They range from easy to hard and span pop trivia, culture, and more. Start here if you’re looking for the very best Christmas trivia questions around.
Q: Be careful if you kiss under this classic Christmas plant. It’s actually parasitic!
A: Mistletoe
Q: What classic Christmas treat did the fairytale Hansel and Gretel inspire?
A: Gingerbread houses
Q: How many people will return at least one of their Christmas gifts?
A: Two of every three people will return at least one of their gifts, if past trends are anything to go by
Q: Where is the real-life town of Christmas?
A: Florida
Q: How many times does Santa Claus check his list to figure out who’s been naughty and who’s been nice?
A: Twice
Q: According to legend, which U.S. president had his very own eggnog recipe?
A) George Washington (correct answer)
B) James Madison
C) Thomas Jefferson
D) James Monroe
Q: Where did baby Jesus rest after his birth?
A: In a manger
Q: How long does it take for a Christmas tree to grow?
A: Seven years, on average
Q: One country has an unusual Christmas tradition. They go to KFC. Which country celebrates this way?
A: Japan
Q: There are two real North Poles. The one that’s, well, at the North Pole, but another that’s a city in which state?
A: Alaska
Q: Who spread the news about the birth of baby Jesus?
A: The shepherds
Q: Name two of the six states that are responsible for most of our Christmas trees.
A: Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Washington
Q: How many gifts are described in the song “12 Days of Christmas?”
A: 364
Q: We associate “Jingle Bells” with Christmas today, but which holiday did it originally celebrate?
A: Thanksgiving
Q: How many candy canes do we produce in the U.S. every year?
A) 500,000
B) 1.2 billion
C) 1.76 billion (correct answer)
D) Over 2 billion
Q: How do most people eat a candy cane: Starting at the straight end, starting at the curved end, or by breaking it into pieces?
A: 55% of people start at the straight end first
Q: Which U.S. president made Christmas a national holiday?
A: Ulysses S. Grant
Q: How many countries around the world celebrate Christmas?
A) 158
B) 195 (correct answer)
C) 202
D) 216
Q: How many countries do NOT celebrate Christmas?
A) 0
B) 12
C) 18 (correct answer)
D) 25
Easy Christmas Trivia for Kids
Get the kids involved! These Christmas trivia questions are easy enough for your young ones. They might even teach them a thing or two about the holiday.
Q: What are some popular alternative names for Santa Claus?
A: Kris Kringle and Saint Nick
Q: What does Santa drive around in while delivering gifts on Christmas Eve?
A: A sleigh
Q: What’s another name for a Christmas tree?
A: A Yule-Tree
Q: What do children on the naughty list receive for Christmas?
A: A lump of coal
Q: What made Frosty come to life, according to the song?
A: An old silk hat
Q: What color is Santa’s suit?
A: Red
Q: Who attempts to stop Christmas by stealing the gifts and decorations?
A: The Grinch
Q: Where does Santa live?
A: The North Pole
Q: What is the name of the day after Christmas in Canada, Australia, and the UK?
A: Boxing Day
Q: One of Santa’s reindeer shares a name with a symbol of Valentine’s Day. Which one is it?
A: Cupid
Q: Which cartoon character is synonymous with small, sad Christmas trees?
A: Charlie Brown
Q: What food do we leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve?
A: Cookies
Q: What drink do we leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve?
A: Milk
Q: Okay, what about the reindeer? What do we leave out for them?
A: Carrots
Q: Which movie is about a train that takes children to the North Pole on Christmas Eve?
A: The Polar Express
Q: How many reindeer does Santa have?
A: Eight
Q: What are the names of those reindeer?
A: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen
Q: How do you say “Merry Christmas” in Spanish?
A: Feliz Navidad
Q: Who said that Christmas “doesn’t come from a store; maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?”
A: Dr. Seuss
Q: What color is the Grinch?
A: Green
Q: What is another name for “milk punch?”
A: Eggnog
Hard Christmas Trivia for Adults
Have cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents visiting for the holidays? They can enjoy these harder Christmas trivia questions that might just stump even the smartest member of your family.
Q: The “Christmas Truce” paused fighting in which war?
A: World War I
Q: Which country did eggnog originate from?
A) Germany
B) England (correct answer)
C) Ireland
D) France
Q: How do you say “Santa Claus” in Hawaiian?
A: Kanakaloka
Q: What do you call fruit cake in Germany?
A: Stolen
Q: Which U.S. state declared Christmas an official holiday first?
A) Alabama (correct answer)
B) Mississippi
C) New Jersey
D) Oregon
Q: What is the least popular Christmas cookie, according to a 2020 poll?
A) Sugar cookies
B) Anise cookies(correct answer)
C) Biscuits
D) Gingerbread cookies
Q: Before we stuffed stockings with toys and trinkets, what did we traditionally put in them?
A: Gold coins
Q: When did lighting up a Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center become a tradition?
A) 1923
B) 1927
C) 1930
D) 1933 (correct answer)
Q: How many toys did the first Toys for Tots drive collect in 1947?
A) About 1,000
B) Around 1,500
C) Nearly 3,000
D) More than 5,000 (correct answer)
Q: Who was the first mall Santa?
A: James Edgar, an entrepreneur who dressed up in his department store
Q: When did the first known use of the word Kriss Kringle occur, according to the dictionary?
A) 1830 (correct answer)
B) 1833
C) 1845
D) 1852
Q: Where was Saint Nicholas born?
A: Turkey
Q: What was the must-have Christmas toy gift in 1996?
A) Nintendo 64
B) Tickle Me Elmo (correct answer)
C) Workin’ Out Barbie
D) Buzz Lightyear figurine
Q: How many Christmas cards do we send each year?
A) Less than a billion
B) Around 1 billion
C) About 1.3 billion (correct answer)
D) More than 1.5 billion
Q: What is wassail?
A: A hot spiced cider traditionally enjoyed during yuletide
Q: What Christmas-themed location has no time zone?
A: The North Pole because that’s where every line of longitude converges
Q: How many Christmas tree seedlings do we plant every year?
A) About 50 million
B) About 65 million
C) About 73 million (correct answer)
D) About 84 million
Q: Which store first used Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as a marketing gimmick?
A) Montgomery Ward (correct answer)
B) JCPenney
C) Sears
D) Saks Fifth Avenue
Q: What did the French give us as a Christmas gift in 1886?
A: The Statue of Liberty
Q: Which fictional holiday includes “The Airing of Grievances?”
A: Festivus
Pop Culture Christmas Trivia
Christmas plays a massive role in popular culture. From movies to music to plays, Christmas pops up everywhere. These Christmas trivia questions focus on all the ways Christmas has impacted our favorite media.
Q: What does Buddy the Elf describe as the four main food groups?
A: Candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup
Q: Who goes on vacation in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation?”
A: The Griswolds
Q: Which famous Christmas-themed ballet premiered in Russia in 1892?
A: The Nutcracker
Q: When did “A Charlie Brown Christmas” first air?
A) 1961
B) 1965 (correct answer)
C) 1969
D) 1972
Q: Rudolph creator Robert May nearly named the famous reindeer something else. Name one of the two names he considered.
A: Reginald or Rollo
Q: How many lights did the Griswolds have on their house in “Christmas Vacation?”
A: 25,000
Q: How does Buddy reach the North Pole in the movie “Elf?”
A: He sneaks into Santa’s sack
Q: In the song “The Christmas Song,” whose eyes are described as “all aglow?”
A: Tiny tots
Q: Who sang “Hard Candy Christmas” in 1982?
A: Dolly Parton
Q: The German song “O Tannenbaum” is called what in English?
A: O Christmas Tree
Q: Where do the McCallisters go on vacation when they leave Kevin behind in “Home Alone?”
A: Paris
Q: Which unconventional material does the Grinch use for his costume in the 2000 movie “How the Grinch Stole Christmas?”
A:
A) Goat hair
B) Camel hair
C) Dog hair
D) Yak hair (correct answer)
Q: What made up gangster movie does Kevin McCallister watch in “Home Alone?”
A: “Angels With Filthy Souls,” which is based on the real movie “Angels With Dirty Faces”
Q: What is the best-selling Christmas song of all time?
A: “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby
Q: What happens every time a bell rings in the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life?”
A: An angel gets his wings
Q: What Christmas-themed sci-fi film is considered one of the worst movies of all time?
A: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
Q: What are there eleven of in “The Twelve Days of Christmas?”
A: Pipers piping
Q: What do we call the snowman in “Winter Wonderland?”
A: Parson Brown
Q: Who wrote and recorded “Wonderful Christmastime?”
A: Paul McCartney
Q: Who earned an Oscar for his portrayal of Santa Claus?
A) Tom Hanks, for The Polar Express
B) Ed Asner, for Elf
C) Edmund Gwenn, for Miracle on 34th Street (correct answer)
D) Paul Frees, for Frosty the Snowman
Christian Christmas Trivia
Of course, Christmas is a Christian holiday, though many people from all religious backgrounds celebrate it these days. So we picked out a few Christmas trivia questions that are specifically about the Christian roots of the tradition.
Q: Which animals were present when Jesus was born, according to the Bible?
A: None
Q: What is the meaning behind holiday wreaths?
A: The red berries are for the blood of Christ, and the shape itself is for the crown of thorns.
Q: Why do Christians celebrate Christmas all around the world?
A: To celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ
Q: When did the first “Feast of the Nativity” take place?
A: Somewhere around the year 330, when the Church in Rome assigned Dec. 25 as the official day to celebrate the birth of Christ
Q: Why do some Christians celebrate Midnight Mass on Christmas?
A: This is thought to be the hour when Christ was born
Q: Where was baby Jesus born?
A: Bethlehem
Q: Which Christian reformer is believed to be the first person to put lights on a Christmas tree?
A: Martin Luther
Q: Which Gospels mention the birth of Jesus?
A: Luke and Matthew
Q: Why did the Puritans formerly ban Christmas?
A: They believed it was too pagan
Q: How many days after his birth did Jesus get the name Jesus?
A: Eight
Q: What does the name Jesus mean?
A: Savior
Q: Which prophet predicted the birth of Mary’s child?
A: Isaiah
Q: Is Dec. 25 Jesus’s actual birthday?
A: No, the Bible does not mention a specific date
Q: Which country did Mary and Joseph have to flee to due to persecution by King Herod?
A: Egypt
Q: What did the three wise men bring with them to meet Jesus?
A: Gold, frankincense, and myrrh
Q: What is “Christmas” short for?
A: Christ’s mass
Q: Where did the wise men spot the star that guided them to Jesus?
A: In the east
Q: What do we call the 24 days leading up to Christmas?
A: Advent
Q: What does the title Immanuel mean?
A: God with us
Q: What is a manger?
A: A feeding trough for animals
Christmas Trivia FAQ
Did all that trivia leave you with even more questions? No worries. We have answers to some of the most common questions about Christmas trivia.
How Should I Use Christmas Trivia Questions?
You can use Christmas trivia questions as a way to gather friends and family around during a holiday celebration. These questions are great ice breakers, especially if you have a big group. However, that’s far from the only way to use these trivia questions. You can also quiz your kids. The fun game aspect of trivia will keep them engaged and occupied, whether they’re scampering around disrupting the Christmas dinner preparations or in school getting antsy for their Christmas break.
Can I Use Christmas Trivia on Christmas Day?
Absolutely! If you are going to or hosting a gathering on Christmas Day, Christmas trivia questions are a great way to get everyone into the spirit of the holiday. You can break out the trivia after dinner while everyone is sitting around with their bellies full. Or maybe you want to use Christmas trivia as a game to entertain children while the adults are busy. There are a lot of ways to incorporate Christmas trivia on the day itself.
Can I Use Christmas Trivia for the Party Game 20 Questions?
Definitely. Christmas trivia works great for games like 20 Questions. Instead of personal questions, simply swap in the trivia. That can help make the game more holiday-themed. Often, a game like 20 Questions dives into personal issues, but the Christmas holiday is a nice time to set that aside and simply enjoy some togetherness with loved ones. You can use the same format as 20 Questions, but simply reference our Christmas trivia questions instead.
If you do want to play 20 questions the traditional way, check out our huge list of trivia questions and never have I ever questions to get you started.
Are There More Cool Facts About Christmas?
There are an almost endless number of cool facts about Christmas. We couldn’t even fit them all on our list! For example, did you know that in 1964’s “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” Rudolph’s faithful elf companion is named Hermey? Or how about this one: The first image of the modern-day incarnation of Santa Claus appeared in 1881 in Harper’s Weekly, where Thomas Nast drew a big, jolly man carrying a bag of toys. Crazy, right!
Free Printable Christmas Word Search
Looking for more Christmas puzzles and challenges for kids of all ages? Take a look at our collection of free printable Christmas word searches. We have them in all skill levels and Christmas-themed shapes, so that everyone can join in on the fun!
More Fun Holiday Trivia and Games
