Annual Christmas Quiz (2022)

Ready for some Christmas trivia fun? With the festive season coming soon, why not find out how much you know about the important traditions and irrelevant facts of Christmas! Interested? If so, 24 questions and lots of laughs coming your way …

• If you want to quiz yourself, just note down your answers and refer to the answers page once you’ve finished.

• If you want to quiz someone else, just check out the answers page (which includes the questions) now!

Choose one option per question:

1.         The Christmas card tradition is still hanging on, despite the steep decline in snail mail. In what year and where was the first Christmas card commercially produced?

A.         In 1756 at the North Pole

B.         In 1901 in Australia

C.         In 1854 in Denmark

D.         In 1843 in the UK

2.         Which of the following is not true?

A.         Astronauts broadcasted jingle bells from space during a UFO prank just before Christmas in 1965.

B.         The Dutch came up with the idea of leaving out milk and cookies to thank Santa for his presents.

C.         Tinsel was originally spun from real silver.

D.         Candy canes originated in Poland and were coloured in honour of the national flag.

3.         Let’s face it - Santa would be lost without his sleigh and reindeer! Which of the following is not one of his team?

A.         Prancer

B.         Dancer

C.         Comet

D.         Victor

4.         We all know how popular roast turkey is on Christmas Day (see our October blog). Where do turkeys come from?

A.         Turkey. They’re named after the country.

B.         Africa. They used to roam wild on the African savanna.

C.         North America. They were introduced into Europe in the 16th century.

D.         Italy, where they’re called tacchino.

5.         What used to be added to a traditional plum pudding?

A.         A silver sixpence – it was a sign to whoever found it in their slice of pudding that they would enjoy wealth and good luck in the year to come.

B.         A prediction – on a piece of greaseproof paper, which was read out by whoever found it.

C.         A silver crown – the person who found it was called king or queen for the day.

D.         Plums – until a near-choking on a plum stone, when they were replaced by dried raisins, sultanas and currants.

6.         What does Coca-Cola have to do with Santa Claus?

A.         Through an advertising campaign starting in 1931, the company changed Santa’s image to a warm, happy chap with rosy cheeks, a white beard, twinkling eyes and wearing a red cape.

B.         From 1945 until 1960, the company sold limited Christmas editions of red-coloured ‘Santa Coke’ in the US until the Department of Health and Human Services shut down their production.

C.         The company was sued for copyright infringement in 2005 when they photoshopped a picture of George Clooney as Santa drinking Coca-Cola.

D.         Nothing – and I’m surprised you ask!

7.         Where does the mas in Christmas come from?

A.         An abbreviation of ‘massive’ because of the significance of the day.

B.         The Old English word for mass, as in a church service.

C.         From the Pilgrims celebrating the birth of Christ after landing in Massachusetts.

D.         From the word masses because of all the people who come together on 25 December.

8.         Who invented the Christmas cracker?

A.         English baker Tom Smith

B.         Dutch designer Lieke Craeker

C.         French pâtissier Jean-Michel Bonbon

D.         Mrs Claus of the North Pole

9.         Who of the following has not produced a Christmas song or album?

A.         Rapper Snoop Dog

B.         Crooner Frank Sinatra

C.         Recording artist Céline Dion

D.         None of the above

10.       Where did Santa Claus most likely originate from?

A.         Scandinavia - the Vikings used to invite the bearded man into their homes and show him great hospitality in order to please the God Odin.

B.         Turkey - based on Nicholas of Myra, the patron saint of children.

C.         USA - created by the Netflix marketing branch, with Santa wearing the same vibrant red as the company’s logo.

D.         Lapland – he still spends every Winter there as his ice floe on the North Pole gets too cold.

11.       What was special about Christmas in 1644 in England?

A.         An Englishman had a near-death experience after choking on a plume stone in his piece of plum pudding.

B.         There were no turkeys available for Christmas dinner, as the birds had all flown south to avoid the winter cold.

C.         An act of parliament banned the celebration of Christmas and people had to go to work as usual.

D.         The Christmas Cracker came into circulation for the first time.

12.       Who said the following not-so-gracious lines one Christmas Eve: ‘If I could work my will, every idiot who goes about with “Merry Christmas” on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart’?

A.         Sting in the pop song, ‘Fight Christmas’

B.         Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1602, the year before she died

C.         Scrooge in the novel by Charles Dickens, ‘A Christmas Carol’

D.         Kanye West in his hit song, ‘I am a God’

13.       What was the original name for Christmas Crackers?

A.         Christmas Pops

B.         Bangs of Expectation

C.         Christmas Delights

D.         Cracklers

14.       Which of the following facts about the holly bush is not true?

A.         Male and female holly flowers grow on different plants.

B.         Holly berries are poisonous to people and pets.

C.         If you find a plant with berries, it’s usually a female plant.

D.         Holly berries are always red.

15.       Australia Post generally receives more than 100,000 letters bound for Santa each year. How should you address your letter in 2022?

A.         Christmas Cheer 2022

B.         North Pole 9999

C.         Santa & Co. 0000

D.         Santa’s Ice Floe, C/- North Pole

16.       Which of these well-known people was not born on 25 December?

A.         English physicist Sir Isaac Newton

B.         English actor Sir Charlie Chaplin

C.         Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau

D.         Australian rock twins The Veronicas

17.       Why is the day after Christmas called Boxing Day in some countries?

A.         It originated as a holiday to give boxed gifts to the poor.

B.         There used to be boxing matches in the streets in many UK towns and cities.

C.         People traditionally wrote down their wishes for the coming year and placed the notes in a box.

D.         It comes from the Latin ‘greges’, meaning the day after.

18.       What’s the difference between a bonbon and a cracker?

A.         Bonbons are more exclusive.

B.         Crackers have a snap and bonbons don’t.

C.         Bonbons were invented in Canada and crackers in the UK.

D.         Nothing – they’re the same thing.

19.       How is the Statue of Liberty in the USA associated with Christmas?

A.         It represents the freedom (or liberty) from work that many people have over the Christmas period.

B.         It was erected on Christmas Day in 1880 despite widespread protests by Christian groups.

C.         It was gifted by France to the USA as a Christmas gift in 1886, as a way of commemorating the friendship between the people of the two countries.

D.         It’s repainted every five years on Christmas Day, in order to maintain its iconic green colouring.

20.       Why is Christmas often written as Xmas?

A.         This abbreviated spelling started in the 1960s when word processing started to become a thing.

B.         It’s a preferred spelling for people who don’t follow the Christian faith.

C.         The X comes from the ancient Greek language. The X represents the Greek letter ‘chi’, which is the first letter of ‘Christos’ (Christ).

D.         The X symbolises the cross.

21.       How does Santa Claus travel so fast on Christmas Eve?

A.         He and his reindeer sit in a small bubble in the space-time fabric.

B.         He rotates his reindeer and gives them high-energy nutrition.

C.         Thanks to his elves, he has magic powers that enable him to travel at lightning speed.

D.         No one knows for sure.

22.       Why do we celebrate Christmas on 25 December?

A.         In A.D. 350, Pope Julius I proclaimed 25 December as the official celebration date for the birthday of Christ.

B.         The three wise men followed the star to Bethlehem and arrived, with gold, frankincense, and myrrh, on this day.

C.         When Pope John XVIII became the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States on 25 December 1004, he declared this day as the official celebration date for the birthday of Christ.

D.         There are no theories as to why this day is the official celebration date for the birthday of Christ.

23.       What did the Tate Gallery in London do during the Christmas period in 2016?

A.         Displayed wax sculptures of Santa, Mrs Claus and six elves, all on loan from Madame Tussauds.

B.         Suspended a 6.7 metre Christmas Tree upside down from the ceiling as a work of art.

C.         Closed down for three days to allow the Royal Family to view the gallery without distraction, and were heavily criticised in the media.

D.         Broke the Guinness Book record for the highest number of gallery product sales in any given month.

24.       What American government agency tracks Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve?

A.         NORAD (North American Aerospace Defence Command)

B.         FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)

C.         NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

D.         None of the above – I mean, really!

The End

 How did you go? We hope you had a hoot of a time! Click here to find the answers and tally up your score!