Whether you're hosting a Christmas quiz night, settling a festive argument round the dinner table, or just testing yourself on all things Yuletide, these 50 Christmas quiz questions and answers have you covered. We've packed in five rounds covering Christmas films, traditions and origins, songs, food and drink, and Christmas around the world — with questions ranging from easy crackers to tricky tinsel-level teasers.
Grab a mince pie, pour yourself something festive, and let's find out who really knows their Christmas trivia.
Round 1: Christmas Films (Questions 1–10)
1. In the film "Home Alone" (1990), what is the name of the boy left behind?
✓ Kevin McCallister
💡 Played by Macaulay Culkin, Home Alone became the highest-grossing live-action comedy film of all time upon its release in 1990. The McCallister family were heading to Paris for Christmas.
2. In which 1942 film did Bing Crosby first perform "White Christmas"?
✓ Holiday Inn
💡 "White Christmas" was first performed in the 1942 film Holiday Inn — not the 1954 film also called White Christmas. Bing Crosby's recording became the best-selling single of the 20th century.
3. What are the names of the two burglars in Home Alone?
✓ Harry and Marv (the "Wet Bandits")
💡 Harry Lime (Joe Pesci) and Marv Merchants (Daniel Stern) call themselves the Wet Bandits because they leave the taps running in every house they rob.
4. In "Elf" (2003), what does Buddy the Elf say are the four main food groups?
✓ Candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup
💡 Will Ferrell's Buddy the Elf also eats cotton balls at one point, mistaking them for food. Director Jon Favreau originally considered Jim Carrey for the role before casting Ferrell.
5. In "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946), what is the name of the angel who helps George Bailey?
✓ Clarence Odbody
💡 Clarence is an "Angel Second Class" who earns his wings by saving George Bailey. The film flopped on original release but became a Christmas classic after its copyright lapsed and it was broadcast freely on US television.
6. Which 1994 Christmas film stars Tim Allen as a man who accidentally takes on the role of Santa Claus?
✓ The Santa Clause
💡 The Santa Clause spawned two sequels in 2002 and 2006. The title is a deliberate pun — "clause" refers to a legal clause in a contract that compels whoever puts on Santa's suit to become the new Santa.
7. Which animated Tim Burton film features the Pumpkin King trying to take over Christmas?
✓ The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
💡 Directed by Henry Selick and produced by Tim Burton, The Nightmare Before Christmas was a landmark in stop-motion animation. Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town who becomes obsessed with Christmas.
8. In the original "A Christmas Carol" (1843) by Charles Dickens, what is Scrooge's deceased business partner called?
✓ Jacob Marley
💡 Marley appears as a ghost draped in chains forged from cashboxes, keys and ledgers — representing his greed in life. Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol in just six weeks and it helped reinvigorate many Christmas traditions in Victorian Britain.
9. In which Christmas film does a boy travel on a magical steam train to the North Pole on Christmas Eve?
✓ The Polar Express (2004)
💡 Based on the 1985 children's book by Chris Van Allsburg, The Polar Express featured Tom Hanks voicing multiple characters using performance-capture technology. It was the first feature film produced entirely with that technique.
10. In which Christmas film does a hostage crisis take place in a Los Angeles high-rise on Christmas Eve — a film whose status as a "Christmas film" has been debated for decades?
✓ Die Hard (1988)
💡 The building used in Die Hard is Fox Plaza (the real 20th Century Fox headquarters) in Los Angeles. Screenwriter Steven de Souza maintains it is a Christmas film; actor Bruce Willis has repeatedly said it is not.
Round 2: Christmas Traditions & Origins (Questions 11–20)
11. In which country did the tradition of the decorated Christmas tree originate?
✓ Germany
💡 The tradition of decorated evergreen trees dates to 16th-century Germany. It was popularised in Britain after Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's German-born husband, was depicted with one at Windsor Castle in an 1848 illustrated newspaper.
12. What pre-Christian midwinter festival gives us the word "Yule"?
✓ An Old Norse and Germanic midwinter festival ("Jól" or "Geol")
💡 Yule was a midwinter festival celebrated by Germanic peoples. Many Christmas traditions — including the Yule log, evergreen decorations and feasting — have roots in pre-Christian Yule celebrations that overlapped with the winter solstice.
13. Who commissioned the first commercial Christmas card in 1843?
✓ Sir Henry Cole
💡 Sir Henry Cole commissioned artist John Callcott Horsley to design the first commercial Christmas card in 1843 — the same year Dickens published A Christmas Carol. Around 1,000 cards were printed and sold for a shilling each.
14. What is traditionally hidden inside a Christmas pudding in Britain?
✓ A silver coin (traditionally a sixpence)
💡 Whoever finds the coin in their portion is said to have good luck for the coming year. The tradition dates to medieval times, when a dried bean or coin was baked into a Twelfth Night cake.
15. When do the Twelve Days of Christmas begin and end?
✓ They begin on Christmas Day (25 December) and end on 5 January, the eve of Epiphany (6 January)
💡 Epiphany marks the traditional arrival of the Magi. In many European countries — Spain, Italy, parts of Latin America — Epiphany is the main gift-giving day, not Christmas Day.
16. In which century did the Dutch figure "Sinterklaas" begin evolving into the modern American "Santa Claus"?
✓ The 19th century
💡 Dutch settlers brought Sinterklaas to America, where the name evolved into "Santa Claus". Haddon Sundblom's Coca-Cola advertisements from 1931 cemented the red-suited image globally, though Santa was depicted in red before Coca-Cola adopted him.
17. What is the name of the traditional French Christmas log cake?
✓ Bûche de Noël
💡 The Bûche de Noël is a chocolate sponge roll decorated to look like a Yule log. It is one of France's most popular Christmas desserts and is often flavoured with chestnut cream or coffee.
18. According to British tradition, by when should Christmas decorations be taken down to avoid bad luck?
✓ By Twelfth Night — the evening of 5 January (or by 6 January in some traditions)
💡 Leaving decorations up after Twelfth Night is said to bring bad luck. The tradition is rooted in the Christian calendar — the 12th day after Christmas marking Epiphany.
19. Which saint's feast day falls on 26 December — the day also known as Boxing Day in the UK?
✓ Saint Stephen
💡 26 December is the Feast of Saint Stephen, a Christian martyr stoned to death for his faith. The carol "Good King Wenceslas" is set on the Feast of Stephen. Boxing Day's name comes from the tradition of giving gift boxes to servants and tradespeople on the day after Christmas.
20. How many reindeer did Clement Clarke Moore name in his 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" ("'Twas the Night Before Christmas")?
✓ Eight
💡 The eight reindeer are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. Rudolph was a later addition — created by Robert L. May in a 1939 Montgomery Ward promotional booklet. He only gained his famous red nose in that story.
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Round 3: Christmas Songs & Music (Questions 21–30)
21. Who originally recorded "Last Christmas" in 1984?
✓ Wham!
💡 "Last Christmas" was written and produced by George Michael. It was kept off the UK Christmas number one by Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" — both released in December 1984.
22. Which singer recorded "All I Want for Christmas Is You" in 1994?
✓ Mariah Carey
💡 Written by Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff, the song consistently re-enters charts every December. In 2019 — 25 years after its release — it finally reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.
23. What are the opening words of "Jingle Bells"?
✓ "Dashing through the snow"
💡 "Jingle Bells" was written by James Lord Pierpont in 1857 for Thanksgiving, not Christmas. It was also the first song broadcast from space — played on a smuggled harmonica by astronaut Wally Schirra aboard Gemini 6 in December 1965.
24. Who sang "Fairytale of New York" alongside Kirsty MacColl in 1987?
✓ The Pogues (Shane MacGowan)
💡 "Fairytale of New York" reached number two in the UK charts in 1987, kept off the top spot by the Pet Shop Boys. It has repeatedly topped polls as the best Christmas song ever written in Britain.
25. Who wrote "White Christmas", the best-selling physical single of all time?
✓ Irving Berlin
💡 Irving Berlin wrote "White Christmas" for the 1942 film Holiday Inn. Bing Crosby's recording has estimated worldwide sales of over 50 million copies. Berlin was born in Russia and came to America as a child immigrant.
26. Which band recorded "Merry Xmas Everybody" in 1973, and who is their distinctive-voiced lead singer?
✓ Slade; lead singer Noddy Holder
💡 "Merry Xmas Everybody" reached number one in the UK in 1973 and has re-entered the charts almost every Christmas since. Noddy Holder has said the song earns him substantial royalties each December.
27. Which carol contains the soaring refrain "Glo-o-o-oria, in excelsis Deo"?
✓ "Angels We Have Heard on High"
💡 "Angels We Have Heard on High" is a traditional French carol ("Les Anges dans nos campagnes") translated into English. "In excelsis Deo" means "Glory to God in the highest" in Latin — the words of the angels at the Nativity.
28. Bob Geldof and Midge Ure organised which 1984 charity single to raise money for the Ethiopian famine?
✓ "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid
💡 "Do They Know It's Christmas?" featured artists including Bono, Boy George, George Michael, Sting and Paul Young. It remains one of the best-selling singles in UK chart history and was re-recorded in 1989, 2004 and 2014.
29. Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer recorded which famous anti-commercialism Christmas song in 1975?
✓ "I Believe in Father Christmas"
💡 "I Believe in Father Christmas" samples Sergei Prokofiev's "Troika" from the Lieutenant Kijé suite. Lake described it as a protest against the commercialisation of Christmas. It reached number two in the UK charts in 1975.
30. Which artist had the UK Christmas number one in 1957 with "Mary's Boy Child" — and whose version of the same song topped the UK charts again at Christmas 1978?
✓ Harry Belafonte (1957); Boney M (1978)
💡 Harry Belafonte's "Mary's Boy Child" was the UK Christmas number one in 1957. Boney M's disco version "Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord" topped the UK charts at Christmas 1978 — making it one of very few songs to reach UK number one twice in different versions.
Round 4: Christmas Food & Drink (Questions 31–40)
31. What type of meat is traditionally served for Christmas dinner in the UK?
✓ Turkey
💡 Turkey became the traditional British Christmas bird during the 16th century, replacing goose. Henry VIII is thought to be the first English monarch to have eaten turkey at Christmas.
32. What spirit is traditionally poured over Christmas pudding before it is set alight?
✓ Brandy
💡 The brandy creates a dramatic blue flame. The tradition of flaming the pudding dates to Victorian times and was seen as symbolically representing the passion of Christ. The blue colour comes from ethanol burning at a relatively low temperature.
33. What is "Stollen"?
✓ A traditional German Christmas fruit bread
💡 Stollen is a dense fruit bread containing marzipan, dried fruits and spices, dusted with icing sugar. It originates from Dresden, where the famous Dresdner Stollen has been made since the 14th century and is celebrated with an annual festival.
34. In which country is "Panettone" a traditional Christmas food?
✓ Italy
💡 Panettone is a tall, dome-shaped sweet bread from Milan containing candied orange peel, citron and raisins. It is exchanged as a gift between families and colleagues throughout December and is popular across South America thanks to Italian immigration.
35. What are the two main ingredients in a traditional brandy butter?
✓ Butter and brandy (creamed together with icing sugar)
💡 Brandy butter — also called "hard sauce" in North America — is traditionally served alongside Christmas pudding and mince pies. It is made by creaming butter with icing sugar and brandy until fluffy and pale.
36. What is "Glühwein"?
✓ German mulled wine
💡 Glühwein ("glow wine") is red wine heated with cinnamon, cloves, star anise and orange peel. It is the most popular drink at German Christmas markets, which have been held in Germany since at least the 14th century.
37. Mince pies once contained real meat. What type of meat was most commonly used in historical recipes?
✓ Beef or mutton (shredded)
💡 Medieval mince pies — called "shred pies" or "coffins" — contained minced meat mixed with dried fruits, spices and suet. Meat was gradually replaced by suet and dried fruit alone from the 18th century. The word "mincemeat" still refers to the fruit and suet mixture used today.
38. What is a Yule log cake (Bûche de Noël) traditionally made from?
✓ A chocolate Swiss roll decorated with chocolate buttercream to resemble tree bark
💡 The cake imitates the real Yule log — a large log traditionally burned in the fireplace on Christmas Eve in Germanic and Norse custom. The cake version became popular in France during the 19th century.
39. In "A Christmas Carol", what does the Cratchit family eat for their Christmas dinner?
✓ Goose (not turkey)
💡 The Cratchits eat a goose — turkey was a luxury only the wealthy could afford in 1843 when Dickens wrote the story. The book helped shape the modern British Christmas, including the expectation of charitable giving and the family feast.
40. What are the main ingredients in traditional eggnog?
✓ Eggs, cream or milk, sugar, and spirits such as bourbon, rum or brandy
💡 Eggnog is most popular in the United States and Canada. It likely derives from early British "posset" — warm ale or wine mixed with milk, eggs and spices. The name may come from "egg and grog" or "noggin", an old term for a small drink.
Round 5: Christmas Around the World (Questions 41–50)
41. In which country is it traditional to eat KFC on Christmas Day?
✓ Japan
💡 KFC Japan launched its "Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii" ("Kentucky for Christmas") campaign in 1974 and it became a genuine national tradition. Japanese families pre-order their Christmas KFC buckets weeks in advance — the queues on Christmas Eve are legendary.
42. In Spain and many Latin American countries, on which date do children receive gifts from the Three Kings (Los Reyes Magos)?
✓ 6 January (Epiphany / El Día de Reyes)
💡 Children leave their shoes out on the night of 5 January for the Three Kings to fill with presents. In most Spanish-speaking countries this is the primary gift-giving occasion — not Christmas Day itself.
43. What is the name of the kind witch in Italian folklore who delivers gifts to children on the eve of Epiphany?
✓ La Befana
💡 La Befana flies on a broomstick on the night of 5 January, filling good children's stockings with sweets and leaving coal for naughty ones. She is more beloved than Santa in many parts of Italy.
44. In Scandinavian countries, what is the name of the Christmas gnome figure who brings gifts?
✓ Tomte (Sweden) / Julenisse (Norway and Denmark)
💡 The Tomte/Julenisse originates in Norse folklore as a household spirit who protected the farm. Over centuries he merged with Father Christmas traditions to become the gift-giving figure of Scandinavian Christmas.
45. What is "Noche Buena", and in which cultures is it the primary Christmas celebration?
✓ Christmas Eve; the main festive occasion in Spain, Mexico, the Philippines and most of Latin America
💡 Noche Buena (Good Night) is a large family feast on Christmas Eve in Catholic Hispanic cultures, typically followed by Midnight Mass. Christmas Day itself tends to be quieter.
46. On what date do Ethiopian Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas ("Ganna")?
✓ 7 January
💡 Ethiopian Christmas (Ganna) is celebrated on 7 January. It is a religious rather than commercial celebration, with church services beginning at midnight. A traditional game similar to field hockey — also called Ganna — is played on the day.
47. Which country invented the Advent calendar?
✓ Germany
💡 Advent calendars originated in 19th-century Germany as a way to count down the 24 days to Christmas. The first commercially printed Advent calendar is credited to Gerhard Lang around 1908. Today they range from chocolate-filled to luxury versions containing whisky or perfume.
48. In which South American country do people celebrate "Novenas de Aguinaldos" — nine nights of prayers, carols and festivities leading up to Christmas?
✓ Colombia
💡 The Novenas de Aguinaldos run from 16 to 24 December in Colombia. Each evening families gather for prayers, carols (villancicos), traditional food and fireworks. It is one of the most cherished Christmas traditions in the country.
49. In Australia, what season is it during Christmas?
✓ Summer
💡 Australian Christmas falls in the height of summer, with temperatures often exceeding 30°C. Many Australians celebrate with barbecues on the beach. "Christmas in July" — a midwinter Christmas dinner — is a popular tradition in cooler southern parts of the country.
50. What is the "Feast of the Seven Fishes", and where does it originate?
✓ A Christmas Eve tradition of eating seven seafood dishes, rooted in Italian-American Catholic culture
💡 The Feast of the Seven Fishes is rooted in the Roman Catholic tradition of abstaining from meat on Christmas Eve (la Vigilia di Natale). While a seafood Christmas Eve meal is common throughout Italy, the specific "seven fishes" tradition is most strongly associated with Italian-American communities in the United States.
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