Crackers, carols, classic films and curious customs. How much do you really know about Christmas?
10 questions covering Christmas traditions, films, songs and customs from around the world. Perfect for warming up before the family quiz on the big day. No peeking at your phone!
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Everyone thinks they know Christmas. Crackers at the dinner table, mistletoe in the doorway, the same films every December... But do you know who actually invented the Christmas cracker, which beloved carol was never meant to be a Christmas song at all, or why Rudolph exists in the first place? The stories behind our favourite traditions are stranger than most people realise.
This quiz digs into the festive season from every angle: Victorian inventions, Dickens and his ghosts, the booby traps of Home Alone, the plant you kiss under and the record-breaking song crooned by Bing Crosby. Whether you're after bragging rights at Christmas dinner or just fancy five minutes of festive fun, grab a mince pie and get stuck in.
All ten easy level questions, with the answer and the reasoning behind it.
Correct answer: 3
Three, the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come.
Correct answer: Elf
Elf, and smiling is his favourite.
Correct answer: Down the chimney
Down the chimney, which raises questions about modern heating.
Correct answer: A lump of coal
A lump of coal, which at least keeps the room warm.
Correct answer: Roast turkey
Roast turkey, with Brussels sprouts for those who must.
Correct answer: Frosty
Frosty the Snowman, in a song from 1950.
Correct answer: A partridge
A partridge, the first of a very large number of gifts.
Correct answer: 24 December
24 December, the night of last-minute wrapping.
Correct answer: Ginger
Ginger, though cinnamon and cloves often help out.
Correct answer: Wham!
Wham!, and someone gave away a heart the very next day.
Want to warm up before playing or double-check something? Open any question to reveal the correct answer and a short explanation.
Correct answer: Confectioner Tom Smith
Tom Smith took inspiration from French bon-bons wrapped in twists of paper, then added the famous bang. Legend has it the idea came from the crackle of a log fire.
Correct answer: Jacob Marley
Scrooge's dead business partner Jacob Marley appears first, dragging his chains and warning that three spirits will follow. Dickens published the novella in 1843 and it has never been out of print.
Correct answer: The Wet Bandits
They're the Wet Bandits, because Marv insists on leaving the taps running in every house they rob. They only rebrand as the Sticky Bandits in the sequel.
Correct answer: The One Horse Open Sleigh
James Lord Pierpont published it as The One Horse Open Sleigh, and the lyrics never mention Christmas at all. It only became a festive staple decades later.
Correct answer: Montgomery Ward
Copywriter Robert L. May dreamed up Rudolph for a Montgomery Ward colouring booklet, and the store handed out 2.4 million copies that first Christmas. The hit song followed ten years later.
Correct answer: Mistletoe
Kissing under the mistletoe took off in England around the 18th century. In Norse myth, the god Baldur was killed by a dart of mistletoe, which is why the plant is so wrapped up in legend.
Correct answer: Milk, cream, sugar and whipped eggs
Eggnog is essentially a rich custard of milk, cream, sugar and eggs, usually dusted with nutmeg. Adults often spike it with rum, brandy or bourbon.
Correct answer: 26 December
Boxing Day falls on 26 December. The name is usually traced back to the Victorian custom of giving Christmas boxes of money or gifts to servants and tradespeople.
Correct answer: James Stewart
James Stewart gives one of his most beloved performances under director Frank Capra. Funnily enough, Cary Grant had been attached to the role when an earlier studio owned the script.
Correct answer: White Christmas by Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby's White Christmas, written by Irving Berlin, has sold an estimated 50 million copies worldwide, widely cited as the best-selling single ever, at an estimated 50 million copies.
Stuck on one, or just curious how nasty it gets? Every hard mode question is here with its answer and the reasoning behind it.
Correct answer: Prince Albert
Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's German-born husband.
Correct answer: Norway
Norway, as a thank-you for British support in the Second World War.
Correct answer: German
German, as Stille Nacht, first performed in Austria in 1818.
Correct answer: Clement Clarke Moore
Clement Clarke Moore, though the authorship is sometimes disputed.
Correct answer: The Puritans
The Puritans, who disliked the feasting and drinking. It came back with the Restoration.
Correct answer: 8
Eight, led by the likes of Dasher and Dancer. Rudolph would come along in 1939.
Correct answer: Nakatomi Plaza
Nakatomi Plaza, where the office Christmas party goes very badly.
Correct answer: O. Henry
O. Henry, with a very neat twist involving hair and a watch chain.
Correct answer: Haddon Sundblom
Haddon Sundblom, although Santa was already often in red before that.
Correct answer: Good King Wenceslas
Good King Wenceslas, duke of Bohemia in real life, and not technically a king.