Christmas Trivia Questions: 120 Questions and Answers (6 Rounds, Easy to Hard, Movies, Songs, Kids)

Every December someone in the family says "let's do a quiz", opens their phone, and reads the first list Google gives them. Twenty minutes later the teenagers have won every movie question, grandpa has won every carol, and nobody is sure whether it was three points or four. Christmas trivia is the easiest game to start and the easiest one to ruin, because a good quiz is not a pile of questions. It is rounds, a pace, a scoreboard and a way to settle a tie.

So here is the whole thing ready to run: 120 Christmas trivia questions and answers, 115 of them in six rounds of rising difficulty (easy, movies, songs, traditions around the world, a kids round and a hard final), plus five tiebreakers for a tied score. Every round is a printable sheet with the answers on it, so the host can print it or read it straight off a tablet. You also get a scoring system, a timing plan for a 90-minute evening and a way to play it on the TV with phones as buzzers. Every answer was checked against sources, and anything with a disputed origin story was left out on purpose.

How to host a Christmas trivia game

You need one reader, teams of two to five people, paper and a pen per team, and about 90 minutes if you play all six rounds. The reader does not play, so pick the person who likes being in charge more than winning. For a big family, one round per course works well: the easy round with appetizers, the hard final with dessert.

1. 1Split into teams that mix ages. One grandparent, one parent and one kid per team beats "adults against kids" every time, because nobody gets a round they cannot touch.
2. 2Read each question twice, then give 30 seconds. Teams write the answer down instead of shouting it, which keeps the loudest cousin from answering for everyone.
3. 3After every round, teams swap sheets and mark each other while the reader reads the answers. It is faster and it is the funniest part of the evening.
4. 4Keep the score on a big sheet of paper where everyone can see it. A visible scoreboard is what turns a list of questions into a game.
5. 5If two teams are level after round six, go to the tiebreakers at the end of this article: the closest number wins.

Round 1: easy Christmas trivia to warm up

Twenty warm-up questions that everyone from about age eight can answer, so every team starts with points on the board.

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Round 1: Easy warm-up

20 questions, 1 point each

1. 1.What date is Christmas Day?
2. 2.What color is Santa's suit?
3. 3.Which reindeer has a shiny red nose?
4. 4.What do many American kids leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve?
5. 5.What do we call Santa's wife?
6. 6.Where does Santa live?
7. 7.Under which plant are people supposed to kiss at Christmas?
8. 8.Which snowman came to life when an old silk hat was put on his head, in a 1950 song?
9. 9.Which red and green plant, native to Mexico, is sold everywhere in December?
10. 10.What do people hang by the fireplace for Santa to fill?
11. 11.What is the evening of December 24 called?
12. 12.In the Nativity story, in which town was Jesus born?
13. 13.What three words does Santa say when he laughs?
14. 14.Who helps Santa make toys in his workshop?
15. 15.Which Dr. Seuss character tried to steal Christmas from the Whos?
16. 16.What does a naughty child traditionally find in their stocking?
17. 17.Which spiced cookie is often baked in the shape of a little man?
18. 18.How many arms or points does a typical snowflake have?
19. 19.Which creamy holiday drink is made with milk, eggs, sugar and nutmeg?
20. 20.What do people usually put at the very top of a Christmas tree?

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Answers: Round 1: Easy warm-up

1. 1. December 25
2. 2. Red, with white trim
3. 3. Rudolph
4. 4. Milk and cookies
5. 5. Mrs. Claus
6. 6. The North Pole
7. 7. Mistletoe
8. 8. Frosty the Snowman
9. 9. The poinsettia
10. 10. Stockings
11. 11. Christmas Eve
12. 12. Bethlehem
13. 13. Ho, ho, ho
14. 14. Elves
15. 15. The Grinch
16. 16. A lump of coal
17. 17. Gingerbread
18. 18. Six
19. 19. Eggnog
20. 20. A star or an angel

Round 2: Christmas movie trivia

Twenty Christmas movie trivia questions from 1946 to 2004, mixed so that the grandparents' films and the kids' films land in the same round.

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Round 2: Christmas movies

20 questions, 1 point each

1. 1.Who plays Buddy in Elf (2003)?
2. 2.In Elf, which city does Buddy travel to in search of his father?
3. 3.Who plays Buddy's father, Walter Hobbs, in Elf?
4. 4.What is the name of the boy left behind in Home Alone (1990)?
5. 5.What do the two burglars in Home Alone call themselves?
6. 6.In Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), which famous hotel does Kevin check into?
7. 7.In A Christmas Story (1983), what does Ralphie want for Christmas?
8. 8.In A Christmas Story, what "major award" does the father win?
9. 9.In It's a Wonderful Life (1946), what is the name of George Bailey's guardian angel?
10. 10.In It's a Wonderful Life, what happens every time a bell rings?
11. 11.Which actor plays the conductor in The Polar Express (2004)?
12. 12.In The Polar Express, what is the first gift of Christmas the boy receives?
13. 13.In Miracle on 34th Street (1947), what name does the store Santa give?
14. 14.Which department store hires Kris in Miracle on 34th Street?
15. 15.In The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), who is the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town?
16. 16.What is the family's last name in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)?
17. 17.In Christmas Vacation, what does Clark get from his boss instead of a cash bonus?
18. 18.Who plays Scott Calvin, the man who becomes Santa, in The Santa Clause (1994)?
19. 19.Who plays the Grinch in the live-action How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)?
20. 20.In Love Actually (2003), what is the name of the aging rock star played by Bill Nighy?

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Answers: Round 2: Christmas movies

1. 1. Will Ferrell
2. 2. New York City
3. 3. James Caan
4. 4. Kevin McCallister
5. 5. The Wet Bandits
6. 6. The Plaza Hotel
7. 7. A Red Ryder BB gun
8. 8. A lamp shaped like a leg
9. 9. Clarence
10. 10. An angel gets his wings
11. 11. Tom Hanks
12. 12. A silver sleigh bell
13. 13. Kris Kringle
14. 14. Macy's
15. 15. Jack Skellington
16. 16. Griswold
17. 17. A membership in the Jelly of the Month Club
18. 18. Tim Allen
19. 19. Jim Carrey
20. 20. Billy Mack

Round 3: Christmas songs and carols

Twenty questions about Christmas songs, from 19th-century carols to radio hits you will hear in every store this December.

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Round 3: Songs and carols

20 questions, 1 point each

1. 1.Who sings All I Want for Christmas Is You (1994)?
2. 2.Which composer wrote White Christmas?
3. 3.In which 1942 film did White Christmas make its screen debut, sung by Bing Crosby?
4. 4.Which song begins with "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire"?
5. 5.Which singer made The Christmas Song famous with his 1946 recording?
6. 6.In The Twelve Days of Christmas, what does my true love give on the first day?
7. 7.In The Twelve Days of Christmas, how many lords are a-leaping?
8. 8.Which singing cowboy took Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to number one at the turn of 1949 and 1950?
9. 9.Who was the lead singer of Wham! on Last Christmas (1984)?
10. 10.Which charity supergroup released Do They Know It's Christmas? in 1984?
11. 11.Who sang Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree in 1958, when she was just 13?
12. 12.Who first released Jingle Bell Rock in 1957?
13. 13.Which Puerto Rican singer wrote and recorded Feliz Navidad (1970)?
14. 14.In which language was Silent Night originally written?
15. 15.In which country was Silent Night first performed, in 1818?
16. 16.Who recorded Santa Baby in 1953?
17. 17.In the song, what are Frosty the Snowman's two eyes made of?
18. 18.In Jingle Bells, how many horses pull the open sleigh?
19. 19.Who sings Underneath the Tree (2013)?
20. 20.Which singer recorded Blue Christmas for his 1957 Christmas album?

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Answers: Round 3: Songs and carols

1. 1. Mariah Carey
2. 2. Irving Berlin
3. 3. Holiday Inn
4. 4. The Christmas Song
5. 5. Nat King Cole
6. 6. A partridge in a pear tree
7. 7. Ten
8. 8. Gene Autry
9. 9. George Michael
10. 10. Band Aid
11. 11. Brenda Lee
12. 12. Bobby Helms
13. 13. José Feliciano
14. 14. German
15. 15. Austria
16. 16. Eartha Kitt
17. 17. Coal
18. 18. One
19. 19. Kelly Clarkson
20. 20. Elvis Presley

Tip for the reader: if a team is stuck on a song question, hum two bars. It costs them nothing and it is the moment people remember.

Round 4: Christmas traditions around the world

Twenty questions about how other countries celebrate, which is where the family member who has traveled or lived abroad finally gets to shine.

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Round 4: Around the world

20 questions, 1 point each

1. 1.Which fast-food chain is a popular Christmas dinner in Japan?
2. 2.What is the Mexican tradition of nine nights of processions from December 16 to 24 called?
3. 3.How many Yule Lads visit children in Iceland before Christmas?
4. 4.What is Iceland's Christmas Eve tradition of giving books and reading them called in English?
5. 5.Which kind old witch brings gifts to Italian children on the night of January 5?
6. 6.Which horned creature punishes naughty children in Austrian and Alpine folklore?
7. 7.On which evening do Dutch families celebrate Sinterklaas with presents?
8. 8.What is December 26 called in the UK, Canada and Australia?
9. 9.What paper tube that snaps when two people pull it sits on every British Christmas table?
10. 10.What small coin was traditionally stirred into a British Christmas pudding for luck?
11. 11.What is a Christmas market called in German?
12. 12.How many dishes are traditionally served at the Polish Christmas Eve supper?
13. 13.What thin wafer do Polish families break and share before Christmas Eve supper?
14. 14.What is the star-shaped Christmas lantern of the Philippines called?
15. 15.In which season does Christmas fall in Australia?
16. 16.Which city sends a Christmas tree to London's Trafalgar Square every year?
17. 17.On which date do Swedes celebrate Saint Lucia's Day?
18. 18.What is the Catalan Christmas log that children hit with sticks until it gives them treats?
19. 19.How many candles are on a traditional Advent wreath?
20. 20.What papier-mâché figure full of candy is broken at Mexican Christmas parties?

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Answers: Round 4: Around the world

1. 1. KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken)
2. 2. Las Posadas
3. 3. Thirteen
4. 4. The Christmas Book Flood (Jólabókaflóð)
5. 5. La Befana
6. 6. Krampus
7. 7. December 5
8. 8. Boxing Day
9. 9. A Christmas cracker
10. 10. A sixpence (a silver coin)
11. 11. Weihnachtsmarkt (or Christkindlmarkt)
12. 12. Twelve
13. 13. Opłatek
14. 14. A parol
15. 15. Summer
16. 16. Oslo, Norway
17. 17. December 13
18. 18. Tió de Nadal (Caga Tió)
19. 19. Four, one for each Sunday of Advent
20. 20. A piñata

Round 5: Christmas trivia for kids

Twenty questions written for kids from about five to ten; let the youngest answer out loud and let a parent write for them.

• Play this round as kids only if you have three or more children: they form their own team and the adults cheer.
• With one or two kids, play it as a normal round, but only the kid on each team is allowed to answer. The adults may not whisper.
• If the kids round finishes early, let each child read one question from round 1 to the adults. They love being the quizmaster.

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Round 5: Kids round

20 questions, 1 point each

1. 1.How many reindeer pull Santa's sleigh if you count Rudolph?
2. 2.What is a baby reindeer called?
3. 3.What color are holly berries?
4. 4.Which reindeer's name sounds like the German word for lightning?
5. 5.What two colors is a classic candy cane?
6. 6.What do we call someone who hates Christmas, after the grumpy man in A Christmas Carol?
7. 7.What is the name of the town where the Whos live?
8. 8.What do elves make in Santa's workshop?
9. 9.What calendar with little doors counts down the days to Christmas?
10. 10.Which Peanuts character picks a tiny, droopy Christmas tree?
11. 11.What does Santa ride through the sky?
12. 12.What do we call the long pointy ice that hangs from roofs?
13. 13.If you are not on Santa's naughty list, which list are you on?
14. 14.What did the three wise men follow to find baby Jesus?
15. 15.Where does the train in The Polar Express go?
16. 16.What is Santa's other name that starts with Saint?
17. 17.What ring of evergreen branches do people hang on the front door?
18. 18.Which vegetable is usually used for a snowman's nose?
19. 19.What do we call the songs people sing door to door at Christmas?
20. 20.What do you call a gift under the tree before anyone opens it?

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Answers: Round 5: Kids round

1. 1. Nine
2. 2. A calf
3. 3. Red
4. 4. Blitzen
5. 5. Red and white
6. 6. A Scrooge
7. 7. Whoville
8. 8. Toys
9. 9. An Advent calendar
10. 10. Charlie Brown
11. 11. A sleigh
12. 12. Icicles
13. 13. The nice list
14. 14. A star
15. 15. The North Pole
16. 16. Saint Nicholas
17. 17. A wreath
18. 18. A carrot
19. 19. Carols
20. 20. A present

Round 6: hard Christmas trivia and tiebreakers

The final round is worth two points per answer, so read it slowly and give 45 seconds per question instead of 30; the five tiebreakers sit under the sheet.

• 1. In what year was Jingle Bells first published, under the title The One Horse Open Sleigh? 1857.
• 2. In what year did the tradition now known as NORAD Tracks Santa begin, after a newspaper ad printed the wrong phone number? 1955.
• 3. In what year did A Charlie Brown Christmas first air on TV? 1965.
• 4. How tall, in feet, was the tallest tree ever put up at Rockefeller Center, in 1999? 100 feet.
• 5. How many feet tall was the first National Christmas Tree lit by Calvin Coolidge in 1923? 48 feet.

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Round 6: Hard final

15 questions, 2 points each

1. 1.In which year did Charles Dickens publish A Christmas Carol?
2. 2.What is the name of Scrooge's clerk in A Christmas Carol?
3. 3.What is the name of Scrooge's cheerful nephew?
4. 4.Who commissioned the first commercial Christmas card, also in 1843?
5. 5.Which US president signed the law that made Christmas a federal holiday in 1870?
6. 6.Which president lit the first National Christmas Tree, in 1923?
7. 7.In what year was the first official tree lighting at Rockefeller Center?
8. 8.The poinsettia is named after Joel Roberts Poinsett. What was his job?
9. 9.Who created the character Rudolph in 1939?
10. 10.Which 1964 TV special features the Island of Misfit Toys?
11. 11.Who composed the music for Silent Night?
12. 12.Who composed the ballet The Nutcracker?
13. 13.In which city did The Nutcracker premiere in 1892?
14. 14.Which three gifts did the wise men bring, according to the Gospel of Matthew?
15. 15.Which Christian feast on January 6 marks the visit of the wise men?

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Answers: Round 6: Hard final

1. 1. 1843
2. 2. Bob Cratchit
3. 3. Fred
4. 4. Sir Henry Cole
5. 5. Ulysses S. Grant
6. 6. Calvin Coolidge
7. 7. 1933
8. 8. The first US minister (ambassador) to Mexico
9. 9. Robert L. May
10. 10. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
11. 11. Franz Xaver Gruber
12. 12. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
13. 13. Saint Petersburg
14. 14. Gold, frankincense and myrrh
15. 15. Epiphany

Start it on the TV, the rest is in your pocket

The printed sheets work fine, but they have one flaw: the reader never gets to play. If you want the whole family in the game, including the person who usually holds the list, put the quiz on the TV. Buzzin runs in the smart TV's browser, on a Chromecast or a laptop plugged in over HDMI, and the phones in everyone's pockets become the buzzers. Every setup, including the BuzzinTV app, is explained in smart TV party games with phones.

1. 1Open tv.playbuzzin.com in the TV's browser and start TV Show.
2. 2A room code and a QR code appear on the screen.
3. 3Everyone scans the code or types the room code on their phone, picks a character and is in. Nothing to install, no account.

More Christmas games for the rest of the night

Trivia fills an hour and a half. For the rest of the evening, our guide to family Christmas games has games for three generations in one living room, from table games right after dinner to games with no supplies at all. If more than ten people are coming, the ideas in party games for large groups scale better than a quiz. And if you want to turn the whole evening into a real show with a host, buzzers and a prize, read how to host a game show night at home. The same crowd usually comes back a week later, so our New Year's Eve games have their own trivia rounds too. Throwing the office party too? See our office holiday party games.

Want a round nobody can google? Type your own family questions below and print them as cards for the host.

Sheet title

Layout

CardsNotebook

Your questionsWho burned the cookies last Christmas? | Uncle Mike What did Grandma give everyone in 2019? | Hand-knitted socksOne question per line. Add the answer after | (optional). Up to 40 items. Nothing is uploaded, it all happens in your browser.

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Our Family Christmas Round

Cut along the dashed lines. The answer is upside down at the bottom of each card.

1. #1playbuzzin.com

   Who burned the cookies last Christmas?

   Uncle Mike

2. #2playbuzzin.com

   What did Grandma give everyone in 2019?

   Hand-knitted socks

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