The ultimate Christmas quiz: 50 festive questions for you!

Christmas gatherings need activities. After the meal, before the afternoon film, there's a window where everyone's together and vaguely alert. That's quiz time.

I've run Christmas quizzes for family groups ranging from 5 to 35 people, and the key is variety. You need questions that Uncle Brian can answer, that the kids feel included in, and that stop your competitive cousin from completely dominating.

Here are 40 questions that cover the festive spectrum, from extremely easy to impressively obscure.

Easy Round

Perfect for warming up or getting the younger participants involved.

1What colour is Rudolph's nose?

Answer:Red(click to reveal)

2Who lives at the North Pole and delivers presents?

Answer:Santa Claus (also accept Father Christmas)(click to reveal)

3What do you traditionally put on top of a Christmas tree?

Answer:A star or angel(click to reveal)

4Complete the film title: Home __

Answer:Alone(click to reveal)

5How many reindeer pull Santa's sleigh, not including Rudolph?

Answer:Eight(click to reveal)

6What date is Christmas Day?

Answer:December 25th(click to reveal)

7What colour are mistletoe berries?

Answer:White(click to reveal)

8In the song, what did my true love give to me on the first day of Christmas?

Answer:A partridge in a pear tree(click to reveal)

Christmas Films Round

Films are great equalisers. Different generations know different movies.

9In which film does a young boy set booby traps for two burglars?

Answer:Home Alone(click to reveal)

10Which actor plays the Grinch in the 2000 live-action film?

Answer:Jim Carrey(click to reveal)

11In Love Actually, what is the occupation of the character played by Hugh Grant?

Answer:Prime Minister(click to reveal)

12What Christmas film features the song "Walking in the Air"?

Answer:The Snowman(click to reveal)

13In Elf, what is Buddy's favourite food group?

Answer:Candy (also accept sugar)(click to reveal)

14Which Dickens character says "Bah, humbug!"?

Answer:Ebenezer Scrooge(click to reveal)

15In Die Hard, what building do the terrorists take over?

Answer:Nakatomi Plaza(click to reveal)

16In the film Miracle on 34th Street, which department store does Kris Kringle work for?

Answer:Macy's(click to reveal)

Yes, Die Hard is a Christmas film. It takes place at Christmas and that's good enough for quiz purposes.

Christmas Music Round

Play clips if you have the equipment, or just read out the questions.

17Which singer had a 1994 hit with "All I Want for Christmas Is You"?

Answer:Mariah Carey(click to reveal)

18"Last Christmas" was a hit for which 80s duo?

Answer:Wham!(click to reveal)

19Who originally sang "White Christmas"?

Answer:Bing Crosby(click to reveal)

20Which band sang "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday"?

Answer:Wizzard(click to reveal)

21In "The Twelve Days of Christmas," what gift appears on the seventh day?

Answer:Seven swans a-swimming(click to reveal)

22Who duetted with Bing Crosby on "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" in 1977?

Answer:David Bowie(click to reveal)

23What was the Christmas number one in the UK in 1984?

Answer:Do They Know It's Christmas? by Band Aid(click to reveal)

24Complete the song title: "Fairytale of ___"

Answer:New York (by The Pogues)(click to reveal)

Christmas Traditions and History Round

Where the general knowledge types can shine.

25In which country did the tradition of Christmas trees originate?

Answer:Germany(click to reveal)

26What is the name of the period leading up to Christmas Day?

Answer:Advent(click to reveal)

27What is frankincense?

Answer:A fragrant resin used as incense(click to reveal)

28In the Christmas nativity story, what gifts did the three wise men bring?

Answer:Gold, frankincense, and myrrh(click to reveal)

29What is the traditional Christmas Day meal in Japan?

Answer:KFC / fried chicken(click to reveal)

This one always surprises people. KFC Japan's Christmas tradition started in the 1970s and is now a genuine cultural phenomenon.

30How many ghosts visit Scrooge in A Christmas Carol?

Answer:Four (Marley plus Past, Present, and Future)(click to reveal)

31What is Stollen?

Answer:A German fruit bread traditionally eaten at Christmas(click to reveal)

32Which country donates the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree to Britain each year?

Answer:Norway(click to reveal)

Tricky Christmas Questions

For when you need to separate the contenders from the pretenders.

33In the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," what were hung by the chimney with care?

Answer:Stockings(click to reveal)

34What is the name of Scrooge's deceased business partner?

Answer:Jacob Marley(click to reveal)

35The poinsettia plant is native to which country?

Answer:Mexico(click to reveal)

36What year was the first Christmas card sent?

Answer:1843(click to reveal)

37In the song "Winter Wonderland," what is the name given to the snowman?

Answer:Parson Brown(click to reveal)

38What was the highest-grossing Christmas film of all time at the box office?

Answer:The Grinch (2018 animated version)(click to reveal)

39What is the chemical symbol for gold, one of the gifts from the Magi?

Answer:Au(click to reveal)

40In the Christmas song, how many geese were a-laying?

Answer:Six(click to reveal)

Running Your Christmas Quiz

A few tips from running these for years:

Split people into teams carefully. Mix up the generations so each team has a range of ages. Avoid all the competitive types ending up together.

Adjust the length to your audience. For a family gathering, 20-30 questions is plenty. You don't need all 40.

Have a few spare questions. Ties happen. A sudden-death tiebreaker saves arguments about who really won.

Keep the prizes small but fun. Nobody should feel bad about losing, and winning shouldn't feel like too big a deal. Novelty chocolate and bragging rights work well.