Christmas trivia is easiest to run in short rounds, and this list has 124 questions and answers, from easy ones a preschooler can shout out to hard ones for the grown-ups, each checked against a museum, library, archive or university source.
A good round of Christmas trivia gives the whole family something to do together between dinner and dessert, and it works just as well on a long car ride or a video call with the grandparents.
The questions below run from easy to hard and cover history, Santa and NORAD, movies and songs, traditions and food around the world, plus a true or false round for the stories everyone thinks they know. Answers sit right beside each question, so whoever reads can play host without any prep.
Key Takeaways
124 questions in 9 rounds, from little kids to a hard round for adults.
Every answer was checked in October 2026 on a museum, library, archive or university page.
Christmas became a U.S. federal holiday in 1870, under President Ulysses S. Grant.
NORAD’s Santa tracking began with a misdialed phone number in 1955.
Keep rounds to 8 to 12 questions and play the kids’ rounds early in the evening.
Table of Contents
Christmas Trivia at a Glance
Quick Answer
Christmas trivia works best in short rounds of 8 to 12 questions, with an easy round first so the youngest players get early wins. This page has 124 questions with answers in 9 rounds, from picture-book easy to properly hard, and every table doubles as a read-aloud answer key.
Each answer was checked in October 2026 against the White House Historical Association, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, Encyclopaedia Britannica, the Ohio State University Libraries and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Where a popular story is a legend or is disputed, the question says so, and the most common mix-ups sit in the true or false round with the correction.
How to play in one minute: split into teams that mix ages, pick one person to read, and give each team a sheet of paper for answers. Read a round, collect the sheets, then read the answers aloud from the table. One point per correct answer, and the team with the most points after three or four rounds wins. For a single game night, the kids’ rounds plus history, Santa and true or false make a good 45-minute set.
Easy Christmas Trivia for Kids
Round 1 is for preschoolers and early readers. Read each question aloud, let the smallest players answer first, and accept a pointed finger or a good guess. Round 2 suits kids in elementary school who like a little challenge.
No.
Question
Answer
1
On what date is Christmas Day in the United States?
December 25.
2
What do we call the night before Christmas Day?
Christmas Eve.
3
What color is Santa’s coat in most pictures today?
Red.
4
Which animals pull Santa’s sleigh in the stories?
Reindeer.
5
Christmas trees stay green all winter. What kind of tree is that?
An evergreen.
6
Before electric lights, what did people put on Christmas trees to make them glow?
Candles.
7
Which red or green fruit hung on old “paradise trees” at Christmastime?
Apples.
8
What kind of cookie house goes on display at the White House each December?
A gingerbread house.
Round 1: easy questions for little kids.
No.
Question
Answer
9
Which saint’s name grew into the name Santa Claus?
Saint Nicholas.
10
Dutch families in early New York called him by what name?
Sinter Klaas.
11
Which Christmas song was first copyrighted as “One Horse Open Sleigh”?
“Jingle Bells.”
12
Why did people put bells on the horses that pulled sleighs?
Sleighs are very quiet, so the bells helped warn people and avoid collisions.
13
In which country was “Silent Night” written?
Austria.
14
In which language was “Silent Night” first sung?
German.
15
“O Tannenbaum” is the German name of which carol?
“O Christmas Tree.”
16
Which group of military air defenders tracks Santa every Christmas Eve?
NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command.
17
Which dome-shaped Italian holiday bread is filled with candied fruit and raisins?
Panettone.
18
In Mexico, tamales are wrapped in what before they are steamed?
Corn husks.
Round 2: kids’ round for elementary ages.
Christmas History Trivia
This round covers how Christmas and the Christmas tree came to the United States. Some of the oldest stories, like Martin Luther and the candles, are reported legends rather than recorded events, so the answers say “according to legend” where the sources do.
No.
Question
Answer
19
Which president made Christmas a federal holiday in 1870?
Ulysses S. Grant.
20
Grant hoped the new federal holiday would do what for the country after the Civil War?
Give the North and South a shared, peaceful holiday.
21
Which New England colony outlawed Christmas celebrations and closed churches on December 25?
The Massachusetts Bay Colony.
22
Which religious group in early New England rejected Christmas celebrations?
The Puritans.
23
Christmas trees were not really common in the United States until which decade?
The 1840s.
24
Which president placed the first Christmas tree in the White House, in 1889?
Benjamin Harrison.
25
Who hosted the first White House Christmas party, in December 1800?
John and Abigail Adams, for their granddaughter Susanna.
26
In which year did electric lights first appear on a White House Christmas tree?
1894, during Grover Cleveland’s presidency.
27
Whose children put what is believed to be the first Christmas tree in the Blue Room, in 1912?
William H. Taft’s.
28
Which president presided over the first National Christmas Tree Lighting, in 1923?
Calvin Coolidge.
29
Which college gave the first National Christmas Tree?
Middlebury College.
30
According to legend, which English missionary cut down an oak dedicated to Thor around the year 723?
Saint Boniface.
31
Which 16th-century church reformer is reported to have first put lighted candles on a tree?
Martin Luther (the story is a report, not a recorded event).
32
Which German-born queen of England had decorated trees in the 1790s?
Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III.
33
Which American women’s magazine reprinted a picture of the British royal Christmas tree in 1850, changed to look American?
Godey’s Lady’s Book.
Round 3: history.
A good follow-up for curious kids: ask which answers surprised them. Many people assume Christmas has always been an official American holiday, or that the Christmas tree arrived with the first colonists, and this round shows both took far longer. Older kids can also sort the answers into two piles, events with a written record and stories passed along as legend, which is a nice first lesson in how historians weigh evidence.
Christmas Traditions Around the World Trivia
Christmas looks different from one country to the next, from the date itself to what lands on the table. Keep a map or globe nearby so younger players can find each place as you go.
No.
Question
Answer
34
Saint Nicholas was born in the third century in what is now which country?
Turkey.
35
On which date is the feast day of Saint Nicholas?
December 6.
36
On which date do Ethiopian Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas?
January 7.
37
How many days is the vegan fast many Ethiopian Orthodox Christians keep before Christmas?
40 days.
38
Doro wat, an Ethiopian Christmas stew, is served with which spongy flatbread?
Injera.
39
In the Philippines, what does the name of the Christmas Eve feast, Noche Buena, mean?
Good night.
40
Noche Buena is traditionally eaten after which church service?
Midnight Mass.
41
Which seafood do many families in France eat on Christmas Eve, grilled or raw?
Oysters.
42
Which Italian Christmas sweet is baked in an eight-pointed star-shaped pan?
Pandoro.
43
Pandoro’s shape is said to be modeled on the mountains near which Italian city?
Verona.
44
Bebinca, a layered Christmas cake, comes from which part of India?
Goa.
45
The tune of “Deck the Halls” comes from which country?
Wales.
46
The Welsh tune behind “Deck the Halls” was first a song for which night?
New Year’s Eve (the carol “Nos Galan”).
Round 4: traditions around the world.
To stretch this round, let each team pick one country from the answers and share how their own family celebrates in return. Grandparents and relatives who grew up somewhere else often have the best stories, and those conversations tend to outlast the game.
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These questions stick to titles, years, writers and singers, so you can play them without anyone needing to remember a single line. The film years and National Film Registry dates come from the Library of Congress.
No.
Question
Answer
47
In which year was It’s a Wonderful Life released?
1946.
48
Miracle on 34th Street came out in which year?
1947.
49
A Christmas Story was released in which year?
1983.
50
Home Alone came out in 1990. In which year did the Library of Congress add it to the National Film Registry?
2023.
51
Which 1944 film, named for a Missouri city, is in the National Film Registry?
Meet Me in St. Louis.
52
The Nightmare Before Christmas joined the National Film Registry in 2023. When was it released?
1993.
53
The Shop Around the Corner joined the National Film Registry in 1999. In which year was it released?
1940.
54
Who wrote “Jingle Bells”?
James Lord Pierpont.
55
“Jingle Bells” was written in 1857 for which holiday season?
Thanksgiving.
56
Who wrote the music for “Silent Night”?
Franz Xaver Gruber, a schoolmaster.
57
Who wrote the words to “Silent Night”?
Father Joseph Mohr.
58
In which year was “Silent Night” written?
1818.
59
Which singer recorded “White Christmas” in 1942?
Bing Crosby.
60
Benjamin Hanby wrote which Santa song in 1864?
“Up on the House Top.”
61
“Winter Wonderland” was written in which year?
1934.
62
“Toyland” comes from which 1903 operetta?
Babes in Toyland.
Round 5: movies and songs.
Make it easier for younger players: turn the year questions into “which came first?” pairs. For example, read two titles and ask which one is older. Kids who have never heard of a 1940s film can still reason it out, and it keeps the round from turning into a contest only the adults can win.
Santa, Reindeer and North Pole Trivia
The modern Santa took shape in New York in the 1800s, through a satire, a poem and a cartoonist. The NORAD questions come from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s account of how Santa tracking began.
No.
Question
Answer
63
On what date in 1955 did a child’s phone call reach an Air Force colonel instead of Santa?
November 30, 1955.
64
Which store’s 1955 ad invited kids to call Santa on the phone?
Sears.
65
Which colonel answered the call and started Santa tracking?
Col. Harry Shoup.
66
What nickname did Harry Shoup earn?
The Santa Colonel.
67
What was the name of the command Shoup worked for in 1955?
CONAD, the Continental Air Defense Command.
68
What did Shoup’s staff add to their big plexiglass tracking map that Christmas week?
Santa and his sleigh.
69
In which year was NORAD formed, taking over the Santa tracking tradition?
1958.
70
In which year did Santa tracking go online with a website?
1997.
71
Canadian NORAD pilots fly which jets to welcome Santa into North America?
CF-18s.
72
In which newspaper was the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” first published?
The Troy (New York) Sentinel, on December 23, 1823.
73
Which New York scholar claimed authorship of “A Visit from St. Nicholas” about 15 years after it appeared?
Clement Clarke Moore.
74
Whose family also claimed he wrote that poem?
Henry Livingston Jr.
75
Which cartoonist drew “Merry Old Santa Claus” for Harper’s Weekly in 1881?
Thomas Nast.
76
Nast’s drawings helped give Santa which home address, before explorers had even reached it?
The North Pole.
77
Which author of The Wizard of Oz wrote a Santa origin story in 1902?
L. Frank Baum.
78
In Baum’s book, in which valley does Santa settle?
The Laughing Valley of Hohaho.
Round 6: Santa, reindeer and the North Pole.
If you have young believers at the table, this round works as a story about how people have imagined and celebrated Santa over time, which is exactly what it is. You can skip the authorship questions and keep the NORAD ones, which most kids love.
Christmas Food and Treats Trivia
Holiday food has some of the best stories. These questions travel from medieval England to the White House kitchen.
No.
Question
Answer
79
Mince pies have been served since the Middle Ages. What did the old versions contain that most modern ones do not?
Meat (minced game, lamb or beef), mixed with dried fruit and spices.
80
How long does panettone dough take to rise?
At least 30 hours.
81
What is baccalà, popular in southern Italy at Christmas?
Pan-fried salt cod.
82
The Feast of the Seven Fishes is held on which night?
Christmas Eve.
83
In Mexico, what kind of sauce is served on Christmas turkey?
Mole.
84
Mexican pozole is what kind of dish?
A broth-based soup, often topped with lime, radish and lettuce.
85
Filipino bibingka is a cake made with which kind of flour?
Rice flour, with coconut milk.
86
When in the day do many families in the Philippines eat bibingka during the Christmas season?
Breakfast.
87
What is lechon, a favorite at Noche Buena?
Roasted pig.
88
Queso de bola, a Noche Buena favorite, is a ball of which cheese?
Edam.
89
The French bûche de Noël is a rolled cake made to look like what?
A yule log.
90
Which two first ladies were known for their gingerbread cake recipes?
Martha Washington and Dolley Madison.
91
Which White House chef added the first gingerbread house to the holiday decorations, in 1969?
Assistant Executive Chef Hans Raffert.
92
Which first lady’s time in the White House began the cranberry tree tradition?
Betty Ford’s.
Round 7: food and treats.
Hard Christmas Trivia for Adults
Save this round for after the little ones are in bed, or let the teens take on the grown-ups.
No.
Question
Answer
93
More than how many people attended the first National Christmas Tree Lighting in 1923?
6,000.
94
Which military band played at that first National Christmas Tree Lighting?
The U.S. Marine Band.
95
In 1959, how many Christmas trees did the Eisenhower White House set up?
26, filling every floor of the house.
96
How many Christmases in a row did Franklin Roosevelt spend at the White House?
Ten.
97
Electricity was installed in the White House in which year?
1891.
98
Which yearly White House holiday event has been held every year since 1954?
The Christmas Pageant of Peace.
99
The National Christmas Tree planted in 1978 was brought down by what, and when?
A windstorm, in 2011.
100
Who wrote the modern English words to “Deck the Halls” in 1862?
Thomas Oliphant, a Scottish musician.
101
Who translated “Silent Night” into English in 1859?
John Freeman Young, an Episcopal priest.
102
“The Twelve Days of Christmas” was first published in which year, and without what?
1780, without music.
103
Whose 1909 arrangement gave “The Twelve Days of Christmas” its standard tune?
Frederic Austin’s.
104
Which Bristol composer’s 1935 arrangement made “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” popular?
Arthur Warrell’s.
105
“Away in a Manger” first appeared in 1882 under which title?
“Luther’s Cradle Song.”
106
Which 1809 satire by Washington Irving featured Saint Nicholas?
A History of New York.
107
In Baum’s 1902 book, who finds the baby who becomes Santa?
Ak, the Master Woodsman of the World.
108
In the 1880s, Germans made some of the first artificial Christmas trees out of what?
Goose feathers.
109
In which year did UNESCO recognize “Silent Night” as intangible cultural heritage?
2011.
110
Die Hard was released in 1988. In which year did it join the National Film Registry?
2017.
Round 8: hard round for adults.
Christmas True or False
Read each statement, take a show of hands or have teams hold up a T or F card, then read the answer. This round is where the famous mix-ups live.
No.
Question
Answer
111
Martin Luther wrote “Away in a Manger.”
False. The song was once credited to him, but that claim has been disproven.
112
“Jingle Bells” was written as a Christmas song.
False. James Lord Pierpont wrote it in 1857 for the Thanksgiving season.
113
The poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” calls him Santa.
False. It calls him St. Nicholas.
114
In that poem, Santa’s fur outfit is described as red.
False. It is described as covered in ashes and soot.
115
NORAD’s Santa tracking began with a wrong number.
True. A child misdialed the number in a 1955 Sears ad.
116
Christmas has been a federal holiday since George Washington’s presidency.
False. It became a federal holiday in 1870.
117
Christmas celebrations were once outlawed in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
True. Officials also closed churches on December 25.
118
The Twelve Days of Christmas begin on Christmas Day.
True.
119
Artificial Christmas trees were first made in the 1950s.
False. Germans made trees from goose feathers in the 1880s.
120
In a 2025 survey, most U.S. households planning a tree said they would use an artificial one.
True. American Christmas Tree Association data put it at 83 percent, as reported by Britannica.
121
The Feast of the Seven Fishes has been influenced by Italian-American culture.
True.
122
Thomas Nast drew Santa at the North Pole before explorers had reached it.
True.
123
Clement Clarke Moore’s poem was first printed under his own name.
False. It first appeared anonymously.
124
The first National Christmas Tree Lighting was held on Christmas Eve.
True. It took place on the Ellipse on Christmas Eve, 1923.
Round 9: true or false.
How to Run a Christmas Trivia Game
A trivia game should feel like part of the celebration, not a test. A little planning keeps it moving and keeps every age at the table involved.
Build mixed teams: put a grandparent, a teen and a little one on each team so no team is all experts or all beginners.
Keep rounds short: 8 to 12 questions per round and three or four rounds total. Play one before dinner, one before dessert and one by the tree.
Choose a reader who is not playing: an older cousin or a grandparent who likes the spotlight can read, keep score and settle disputes from the answer table.
Use simple scoring: team names across the top of a sheet of paper, rounds down the side, one tally mark per correct answer. Give half points for close answers on the hard round.
Break ties with a closest guess: ask a number question and the nearest answer wins, such as how many trees the Eisenhower White House set up in 1959 (26).
Swap the buzzer for something festive: teams can raise a wooden spoon, ring a small hand bell or hold up a paper star to answer.
Mix in movement: between rounds, play something active from our Christmas games. Its short family trivia list uses different questions, so you can use both on the same night.
Write a bonus round together: the day before your party, ask each child to write one question about your own family, such as where you spent last Christmas or what grandma always bakes. Family questions level the field, because the kids often know the answers better than the adults do.
Printing and prep: print this page, or copy two or three rounds onto index cards with the answer on the back. Shuffle the cards within a round so repeat players cannot memorize the order from year to year.
For toddlers and preschoolers: turn Round 1 into yes or no and point-to-it questions. Hold up an ornament and ask its color, or ask whether reindeer or ducks pull Santa’s sleigh. Every answer earns a cheer, and nobody keeps score.
For family on a video call: one host reads and keeps score while each household plays as a team. Teams can hold up paper cards marked T and F for the true or false round, or type answers in the chat.
Make it a countdown: tuck one question a day into an advent calendar and read the answer at breakfast. A few laughs from our Christmas jokes for kids fit nicely between questions, too.
Keeping the Fun Going Past Bedtime
Holiday evenings run long, and little players fade fast. Play the kids’ rounds early while the youngest players are fresh, and save the hard round and the movie questions for the adults once the children are asleep.
If the late nights of the season are starting to unravel naps and bedtime, a steady toddler bedtime routine is the simplest fix: same steps, same order, even when the evening starts late.
Pick three or four rounds, mix the ages on every team and read the answers with a little drama. For more holiday brain games, try our Christmas riddles and Christmas facts, and when the season turns, our Thanksgiving trivia and general trivia for kids work any time of year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some good Christmas trivia questions?
Good Christmas trivia questions have one clear answer you can check. Try these: Which president made Christmas a federal holiday in 1870? (Ulysses S. Grant.) Which song was first called One Horse Open Sleigh? (Jingle Bells.) Which store’s 1955 ad led a child to call the military instead of Santa? (Sears.)
What are easy Christmas trivia questions for kids?
Start with questions a preschooler can answer out loud: What is the night before Christmas called? (Christmas Eve.) Which animals pull Santa’s sleigh? (Reindeer.) Older kids can try: In which country was Silent Night written? (Austria.) What does the German carol O Tannenbaum mean in English? (O Christmas Tree.)
What is a hard Christmas trivia question?
Hard questions usually ask for a name or a year few people remember. For example: Who wrote the modern English words to Deck the Halls in 1862? (Thomas Oliphant.) In which year was The Twelve Days of Christmas first published? (1780, without music.) How many trees did the Eisenhower White House set up in 1959? (26.)
When did Christmas become a federal holiday?
Christmas became a federal holiday in the United States in 1870. According to the Library of Congress, President Ulysses S. Grant made it a holiday partly to give the North and South a shared, peaceful celebration after the Civil War. Earlier, some New England Puritans had rejected the holiday, and Massachusetts Bay Colony officials outlawed celebrations.
How did NORAD start tracking Santa?
In 1955 a Sears ad printed a phone number for kids to call Santa. A child misdialed and reached Col. Harry Shoup at the Continental Air Defense Command on November 30, 1955. His staff added Santa to their tracking map, NORAD continued the tradition after it formed in 1958, and it went online in 1997.
How do you play Christmas trivia with family?
Split into teams that mix ages, with a grandparent, a teen and a small child on each. Pick one reader, play three or four rounds of 8 to 12 questions, and keep tally marks on one sheet of paper. Start with an easy round so young kids score early, and break ties with a closest guess question.
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