72 Bits Of Christmas Trivia To Delight Your Friends & Family

Did you know Jim Carrey’s makeup for How The Grinch Stole Christmas sometimes took up to eight and a half hours to apply or when Santa’s birthday is? If you’re a big fan of Christmas trivia questions, or you need some fun facts to put together a Christmas game for your family, there’s no shortage of surprising knowledge to choose from. You could choose one theme, like Christmas movies, songs, or food, or choose a few from every category and throw together one epic trivia game night.

How you use Christmas trivia is up to you — it’s a fun activity for a holiday party, and also makes for great conversation starters when you’re sitting around the table with family.

Christmas trivia questions and answers

If you’re looking for a mish-mash of miscellaneous Christmas trivia questions, you’ve come to the right place. Here you’ll find tidbits about how other countries celebrate, where favorite traditions started, and more.

• Name all of Santa’s nine reindeer. Answer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Donner, Cupid, Rudolph, Vixen, Blitzen, and Comet.
• How do you say Merry Christmas in French? Answer: Joyeux noël.
• How did the tradition of sending letters to Santa begin? Answer: Thomas Nast’s depiction of Santa in Harper’s Weekly showed him reading letters from kids and sorting them into “nice” and “naughty” piles.
• When buying all the presents on their nice list each year, the average consumer spends this much. Answer: $967.
• What Christmas decoration’s name translates, in German, to mean, “dung on a twig?” Answer: Mistletoe.
• How did poinsettias get their name? Answer: Minister Joel Poinsett brought them back from a trip to Mexico, where they grow wild.
• When did the tradition of mall Santas start? Answer: Massachusetts store owner James Edgar first dressed up as St. Nick in 1890 to delight his customers, and children traveled to see him.
• In this country, a witch drops gifts for children through the chimney on Christmas. Answer: Italy.
• What was the first artificial Christmas tree made of? Answer: In the 19th century, the first faux tree was made using goose feathers that had been painted green.
• How tall was the tallest real Christmas tree ever? Answer: 221 feet (it was a Douglas fir decorated at a shopping center).
• This country celebrates the holidays officially from Dec. 16 to Jan. 9, but many put decorations up in September and leave them up through January. Answer: The Philippines.
• What animal, who is not a reindeer, carries gifts to children in Italy? Answer: Dominick the Donkey.
• Speaking of reindeer, which one of Santa's reindeer has the same name as another holiday’s mascot? Answer: Cupid.
• In this country, people celebrate Christmas by going to the beach. Answer: Australia.
• Name the poem that was the first publication to mention Santa's reindeer. Answer: "Old Santeclaus with Much Delight.”
• When is Santa’s birthday? Answer: March 15

Christmas trivia movie questions and answers

Whether you have a trivia night planned for your kids or just want to shock them with your in-depth knowledge before you watch The Grinch this year, these facts focused on Christmas movies are here to help.

• Which famous Christmas-movie actor was first choice to play Buddy in Elf? Answer: Jim Carrey.
• What story was It’s a Wonderful Life based on? Answer: The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern.
• Who wrote the book that the The Bishop’s Wife based on? Answer: Robert Nathan.
• What’s the highest earning Christmas movie of all time? Answer: Home Alone, which grossed $286 million at the box office.
• Who voiced The Grinch in Dr. Seuss’ animated How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, released in 1966? Answer: Boris Karloff.
• The man who voiced the Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas! also played this famous monster. Answer: Frankenstein’s Monster.
• In Home Alone, why were the McCallisters running late the morning of their flight to Paris? Answer: Their alarm clocks turned off due to a power outage.
• Name the traveling polka band Kevin McAllister’s mom travels with on her way home to rescue him in Home Alone. Answer: The Kenosha Kickers.
• In The Nightmare Before Christmas, what does Jack Skellington mistakenly call Santa Claus? Answer: Sandy Claws.
• What was the name of The Grinch’s crush in grade school? Answer: Martha May Whovier.
• True or false: The Grinch was not originally green. Answer: True. In the original illustrations in Dr. Seuss’ book, everything is black, white, and red. The Grinch became green in the 1966 film adaptation.
• What does the Grinch have in his soul? Answer: Garlic.
• Which actor played six different roles in The Polar Express? Answer: Tom Hanks.
• Finish this famous quote from A Christmas Story: “Fra-gee-lay…”Answer: “…it must be Italian!”
• In Elf, what song does everyone in the park sing to raise the Christmas spirit and restart Santa’s sleigh? Answer: “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”
• What are the four main food groups for elves, according to Buddy from Elf? Answer: Candy, candy corn, candy canes, and syrup.
• And what is the first rule of The Code of Elves? Answer: Treat every day like Christmas.
• In National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, what does Clark’s boss give him as a Christmas bonus? Answer: A one-year subscription to the Jelly of the Month Club.
• In Love Actually, what’s the name of the jewelry salesman who takes so long to wrap Harry’s gift for Mia? Answer: Rufus.

Christmas song trivia questions and answers

Whether you start jamming to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas” the day after Thanksgiving or skip right over the holiday music playlists, Christmas songs can’t be skipped on trivia night. You and your kids can learn about record holders, history makers, and a funny pee pun that should have been.

• What does the narrator in “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” say he wouldn’t touch the Grinch with? Answer: A 39-and-a-half foot pole.
• How old was Brenda Lee when she recorded “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”? Answer: 13 years old.
• What tragedy occured on the same day that “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” was released? Answer: John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
• True or false: “Jingle Bells” was always a Christmas song. Answer: False. It was written in the mid-19th century for a Thanksgiving church service.
• This Christmas song has been recorded more than any other, with more than 700 different versions copyrighted and released since 1978. Answer: “Silent Night.”
• Which Christmas song has been broadcast from space? Answer: “Jingle Bells.”
• What holiday song was written as a call for peace during the Cuban missile crisis? Answer: “Do You Hear What I Hear?”
• In total, how many birds are given to the recipient in “The 12 Days of Christmas?” Answer: 23. (Seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtledoves, and one partridge in a pear tree.)
• Which Christmas song holds the Guinness World Record for best-selling single? Answer: “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby.
• This was the original title of the song “Silver Bells,” until the writer’s wife said it reminded her of peeing. Answer: “Tinkle Bells.”
• In the song "Winter Wonderland," what do they decide to call the snowman? Answer: Parson Brown.
• This song was sung on Christmas during World War I, when both armies declared a truce for the day. Answer: “Silent Night.”

Christmas history trivia questions and answers

History buffs may know some of these already, but for the average holiday lover, this round of trivia will be enlightening. And honestly, it’s kind of fun to know Christmas was once illegal.

• What gifts did the Three Wise Men bring to Jesus on the day of his birth? Answer: gold, francencense, and myrrh.
• Why is mistletoe associated with Christmas? Answer: it is believed to be linked to fertility and vitality.
• The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center first appeared when? Answer: 1931, during the center’s construction. It became an official tradition in 1933 after the building opened.
• How many lights are on the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree? Answer: More than 25,000.
• Who put up the first ever Christmas light display? Answer: Thomas Edison, to market his light bulb invention. String lights were invented a few years later.
• The United States once banned this Christmas decoration for containing poisonous levels of lead (at the time, is was made using real silver). Answer: Tinsel.
• Christmas was declared a federal holiday in this year. Answer: 1870.
• True or false: Christmas used to be outlawed in the States. Answer: True. From 1659 to 1681, Puritans made celebrating Christmas illegal.
• What Roman festival, held annually from Dec. 17 to Dec. 23, was the basis for Christmas as we know it today? Answer: Saturnalia.
• In what year did NORAD start tracking Santa Claus’ location on Christmas Eve? Answer: 1955.
• Which modern-day country was St. Nicholas born in? Answer: Turkey.

Food-themed Christmas trivia questions and answers

‘Tis the season for delicious meals and festive desserts, and for every tradition you have around food and drink this time of year, there’s probably a piece of trivia to go with it. Just don’t go into this round of trivia hungry.

• Why do some people eat ham on Christmas? Answer: Celebrators in Germany started the tradition as they believed it appeased the harvest god, Freyr.
• Queen Elizabeth I is why this Christmas dessert is still so popular today. Hoping to impress some special guests, she asked the palace chef to make them in the likeness of each visitor. Answer: Gingerbread cookies.
• What holiday drink is sometimes called milk punch? Answer: Eggnog.
• Which fruit was used to fill stockings when the tradition of hanging them first began? Answer: Oranges.
• Do more people eat ham or turkey on Christmas? Answer: Trick question. Americans eat roughly the same amount of both meats (in pounds) each year.
• True or false: There are actually no eggs in eggnog. Answer: False.
• Candy canes originated in this country, where a choirmaster made them and gave them to children to occupy them during a long church service. Answer: Germany.
• What is the most popular Christmas Eve dinner in Japan? Answer: Kentucky Fried Chicken.
• In this country, it’s tradition to fast all day on Christmas Eve, and begin a feast when someone spots the first star in the sky. Answer: Poland.
• Cougnou, a loaf of holiday bread shaped like baby Jesus, is a traditional food in what country? Answer: Belgium.
• When preparing holiday mincemeat, which direction are you supposed to stir for good luck? Answer: Clockwise.
• What fairy tale inspired the invention of gingerbread houses? Answer: Hansel and Gretel.
• True or false: The tradition of leaving out cookies and milk for Santa originated during the Great Depression. Answer: True. It was a way for parents to teach their children about generosity.
• Traditionally, what did single women eat at Christmas to help them find love in the New Year? Answer: Gingerbread men.
• Which spirit is typically added to butter and served with Christmas Pudding? Answer: Brandy.

Whoever you’re playing this Christmas trivia game with, don’t forget to think of some catchy team names. The Dashers versus the Vixens, the Humbugs versus the Sugarplums... the options are endless.