The AHA! Christmas Trivia Quiz - Questions

1) The first instrument on which the carol Silent Night was played was:

A) A harp

B) A pipe organ

C) A guitar

D) A kazoo

2) In Guatemala, Christmas Day is celebrated:

A) On January 6

B) On December 25

C) On October 31

D) Never

3) Electric Christmas tree lights were first used in:

A) 1944

B) 1895

C) 1976

D) 1492

4) Good King Wenceslas was king of which country?

A) Abyssinia

B) England

C) Bohemia

D) Gondor

5) Medieval English Christmas pantomimes did not include which character?

A) St. Nicholas

B) The Bold Slasher

C) Father Christmas

D) The Turkish Knight

6) The name of Scrooge's deceased business partner in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol was:

A) Bob Cratchit

B) Jerry Cornelius

C) Bill Sykes

D) Jacob Marley

7) In North America, children put stockings out at Christmas time. Their Dutch counterparts use:

A) Old hats

B) Beer mugs

C) Shoes

D) Stockings, just like everybody else!

8) Which of these events did not occur on Christmas Day?

A) Ebenezer Scrooge was visited by four ghosts

B) Charlemagne was crowned Roman Emperor

C) Hong Kong fell to the Japanese in World War II

D) King Arthur pulled Excalibur from the stone

9) Which name does not belong to one of Santa's reindeer?

A) Comet

B) Prancer

C) Blitzen

D) Klaxon

10) In Syria, Christmas gifts are distributed by:

A) The Three Kings

B) Tom o'Bedlam

C) One of the Wise Men's camels

D) Father Christmas

11) One notable medieval English Christmas celebration featured:

A) A giant, 165-pound pie

B) Snowball fights between rival courtiers

C) A swimming race across the English Channel

D) Huge crackers that sometimes exploded fatally

12) In Australia, usual Boxing Day activities include:

A) Building snowmen

B) Tobogganing

C) Wombat hunting

D) Surfing

13) In Sweden, a common Christmas decoration is the Julbukk, a small figurine of a goat. It is usually made of what material?

A) Candy

B) Straw

C) Uranium

D) Fir wood

14) The real St. Nicholas lived:

A) At the North Pole

B) On the island of Malta

C) In Turkey

D) In Holland

15) Which of the following was not one of the Three Kings?

A) Caspar

B) Balthazar

C) Teleost

D) Melchior

16) In Armenia, the traditional Christmas Eve meal consists of:

A) Fried fish, lettuce and spinach

B) Square meat pies

C) Broiled partridges with gooseberry sauce

D) Turkey and plum pudding

17) In Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker, the Nutcracker's main enemy is:

A) A girl called Clara

B) The King of the Mice

C) Dr. Almond

D) Drosselmeyer the magician

18) The day after Christmas, December 26, is known as Boxing Day. It is also the holy day of which saint?

A) St. Eustace

B) St. Brigit

C) St. Nicholas

D) St. Stephen

19) In Greek legend, malicious creatures called Kallikantzaroi sometimes play troublesome pranks at Christmas time. To get rid of them, you should:

A) Placate them with gifts of rice pudding

B) Burn either salt or an old shoe

C) Sing hymns in a loud voice

D) Throw your sandals at them

20) When visiting Finland, Santa leaves his sleigh behind and rides on:

A) Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer

B) A giant ptarmigan

C) A goat named Ukko

D) A flying carpet

21) A boar's head is a traditional Christmas dish. According to a popular story, the unlucky boar whose head began the custom in the Middle Ages was killed by:

A) Choking to death on a book of Greek philosophy

B) King Wenceslas, who speared it from horseback

C) A falling fir tree

D) Remorse, after goring St. Nicholas

22) When distributing gifts in Holland, St. Nicholas is accompanied by:

A) His wife Lucy

B) His servant, Black Peter

C) Thirteen elves

D) St. Stephen

23) At Christmas, it is customary to exchange kisses beneath a sprig of which plant?

A) Ivy

B) Yew

C) Holly

D) Mistletoe

24) Believe it or not, one Indiana town is called:

A) Christmasville

B) Wenceslas

C) Noel

D) Santa Claus

25) Who was the author of A Christmas Carol?

A) Mark Twain

B) Charles Dickens

C) Hans Christian Andersen

D) Thomas M. Sawyer

26) Which popular Christmas song was actually first written for Thanksgiving?

A) Away in a Manger

B) Frosty the Snowman

C) Jingle Bells

D) Joy to the World

27) A favorite Christmas story is Dylan Thomas' A Child's Christmas in...

A) Maryland

B) Boarding school

C) Wales

D) China

28) In Dr. Seuss' book How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the name of the Grinch's dog was:

A) Max

B) Cerberus

C) Rudolph

D) Ginger

29) The world's largest Christmas cracker was made (and pulled) in which country?

A) Sweden

B) Australia

C) England

D) The United States

30) The poem commonly known as The Night Before Christmas was originally entitled:

A) Santa's Secret Visit

B) A Visit from St. Nicholas

C) The Night Before Christmas

D) The Midnight Guest

31) The poinsettia, a traditional Christmas flower, originally grew in which country?

A) Central Asia

B) Mexico

C) Canada

D) Spain

32) The first stamp ever issued specifically for the Christmas season depicted:

A) An angel

B) Santa Claus

C) A star

D) A rose

33) Many families eat a turkey dinner on Christmas Day. The turkey is native to:

A) Turkey

B) Central America

C) England

D) Japan

34) According to the song, Frosty the snowman did not have which of the following features?

A) A corncob pipe

B) A button nose

C) A bright red scarf

D) Two eyes made out of coal

35) In 1647, the English parliament passed a law that:

A) Made Christmas illegal

B) Recognized Christmas as an official holiday

C) Let prisoners spend Christmas Day at home

D) Gave Santa immunity to break-and-enter charges