Question 1 of 20Silly stuffEasy
Funny Christmas trivia
Get ready to giggle with 20 funny Christmas trivia questions and answers that are completely true. This funny Christmas quiz rounds up oddball traditions, record-breaking creations, strange moments from history and silly facts that will have the whole family laughing and arguing over the answers.
A free quiz from Megan Moran, author of The Ultimate Christmas Quiz Book.
Question 2 of 20Odd traditionsEasy
Some American families hide a special ornament on the tree, calling it a German custom, yet in a YouGov poll 91% of Germans said they had never heard of it. What is it?
Question 3 of 20Silly stuffMedium
In 1856, a town in which US state picked the name Santa Claus after the post office rejected its first choice, Santa Fe?
Question 4 of 20Odd traditionsEasy
Some Czech families buy a live carp a day or two before Christmas Eve dinner. Where is it famously kept until then?
Question 5 of 20Odd traditionsMedium
Many Catalan nativity scenes hide a little figure called the caganer. What is he usually shown doing?
Question 6 of 20Odd traditionsHard
Which classical work is performed so often in Japan each December that it has become a year-end tradition, sometimes with choirs of thousands?
Question 7 of 20Silly stuffMedium
If you add up every gift in "The Twelve Days of Christmas," counting each day's repeated gifts, how many are there?
Question 8 of 20Silly stuffEasy
Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean got its name because of what?
Question 9 of 20Odd traditionsMedium
Sweden's giant straw Yule goat in the town of Gävle, first built in 1966, is famous for what?
Question 10 of 20Odd traditionsHard
Which of these is the English name of one of Iceland's mischievous Yule Lads?
Question 11 of 20Silly stuffMedium
Every Christmas Eve at 3 p.m., millions of Swedes sit down to watch what on TV?
Question 12 of 20NatureEasy
How are mistletoe seeds usually spread to new trees?
Question 13 of 20World recordsMedium
In 2008, the town of Bethel, Maine, built a record-breaking snowwoman more than 120 feet tall. What did she have for eyelashes?
Question 14 of 20Strange historyHard
In 1647, anger over England's ban on Christmas boiled over into the "Plum Pudding Riots" in which cathedral city?
Question 15 of 20Strange historyMedium
In 1966, a New York TV station filled hours of Christmas Eve airtime by showing what?
Question 16 of 20World recordsEasy
In 1950, a Seattle shopping mall put up a record-breaking Christmas tree more than 200 feet tall. What kind of tree was it?
Question 17 of 20Odd traditionsMedium
Every December 23, the city of Oaxaca, Mexico, holds a famous contest for scenes carved out of what?
Question 18 of 20Odd traditionsHard
What does Krampus, the horned beast of Alpine Christmas folklore, traditionally carry to swat naughty children?
Question 19 of 20Silly stuffMedium
Each January, Manitou Springs, Colorado, holds a "Great" contest in which people do what with fruitcakes?
Question 20 of 20World recordsHard
The gingerbread house that set a world record in Bryan, Texas, in 2013 contained roughly how many calories?
Answer all 20 to see your score.
Want more? The Ultimate Christmas Quiz Book has over 500 questions like these, ready for your next quiz night.
Want a free 100-question bonus quiz?
Show all the answers, with the facts behind them
- In Britain, what do people call an ugly Christmas sweater? A Christmas jumperSince 2012, the charity Save the Children has held a Christmas Jumper Day each December to raise money for children.
- Some American families hide a special ornament on the tree, calling it a German custom, yet in a YouGov poll 91% of Germans said they had never heard of it. What is it? A pickleWoolworth's began importing glass Christmas ornaments in 1890, and glass vegetable ornaments were being shipped in from France by 1892.
- In 1856, a town in which US state picked the name Santa Claus after the post office rejected its first choice, Santa Fe? IndianaChildren's letters to Santa mailed to the town have been answered since at least 1914; today volunteers called Santa's Elves write the replies.
- Some Czech families buy a live carp a day or two before Christmas Eve dinner. Where is it famously kept until then? The bathtubMany Czechs also tuck a carp scale into their wallet, believed to keep money in it all year.
- Many Catalan nativity scenes hide a little figure called the caganer. What is he usually shown doing? PoopingModern versions are made to look like celebrities, athletes and politicians, and children often hunt for him in the scene.
- Which classical work is performed so often in Japan each December that it has become a year-end tradition, sometimes with choirs of thousands? Beethoven's Ninth SymphonyIt was first performed in Japan in 1918 by German prisoners of war at the Bandō camp, in what is now the city of Naruto.
- If you add up every gift in "The Twelve Days of Christmas," counting each day's repeated gifts, how many are there? 364The "four calling birds" were originally "colly birds," using an old dialect word meaning black, so they were blackbirds.
- Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean got its name because of what? A ship's captain sailed past it on Christmas DayThe island is home to tens of millions of red crabs, and roads close during their yearly march to the sea.
- Sweden's giant straw Yule goat in the town of Gävle, first built in 1966, is famous for what? Being burned or wrecked by vandals in many yearsThe very first goat went up in flames on New Year's Eve 1966, just weeks after it was built.
- Which of these is the English name of one of Iceland's mischievous Yule Lads? Sausage SwiperIcelandic children leave a shoe on the windowsill, and naughty ones may find a potato in it.
- Every Christmas Eve at 3 p.m., millions of Swedes sit down to watch what on TV? A Disney cartoon special named after Donald DuckShown every Christmas Eve since 1960, it drew about 4.5 million viewers in 2020, the most-watched show in Sweden that year.
- How are mistletoe seeds usually spread to new trees? Carried by birds that eat the berriesThe sticky seeds are often pooped out or wiped off a bird's beak onto a branch, where their natural glue hardens.
- In 2008, the town of Bethel, Maine, built a record-breaking snowwoman more than 120 feet tall. What did she have for eyelashes? SkisShe was named Olympia after Maine senator Olympia Snowe and stood 122 feet 1 inch tall, a world record for a snow figure.
- In 1647, anger over England's ban on Christmas boiled over into the "Plum Pudding Riots" in which cathedral city? CanterburyRiots broke out after the city's Puritan mayor banned church services on Christmas Day.
- In 1966, a New York TV station filled hours of Christmas Eve airtime by showing what? A log burning in a fireplaceThe original footage was filmed at Gracie Mansion, the official home of New York City's mayor.
- In 1950, a Seattle shopping mall put up a record-breaking Christmas tree more than 200 feet tall. What kind of tree was it? Douglas firGuinness World Records lists the tree at Seattle's Northgate mall as the tallest cut Christmas tree on record.
- Every December 23, the city of Oaxaca, Mexico, holds a famous contest for scenes carved out of what? RadishesThe carved vegetables wilt quickly, so the entries are only on display for a few hours before judging.
- What does Krampus, the horned beast of Alpine Christmas folklore, traditionally carry to swat naughty children? A bundle of birch branchesHis name is thought to come from the German word krampen, meaning "claw."
- Each January, Manitou Springs, Colorado, holds a "Great" contest in which people do what with fruitcakes? Throw them as far as they canIn 2007, eight engineers used a homemade air cannon powered by an exercise bike to launch a fruitcake 1,420 feet, the event's all-time record.
- The gingerbread house that set a world record in Bryan, Texas, in 2013 contained roughly how many calories? About 36 millionIt covered 2,520 square feet and used 7,200 eggs, 1,800 pounds of butter and 7,200 pounds of flour.
