Hard Christmas Trivia for Adults: 40 Tough Questions

These 40 hard Christmas trivia questions are for adults who like a challenge. They cover history, books, music and traditions around the world, with answers after each question.

How to Play Christmas Trivia

1. Pick a host who reads each question twice.
2. Make teams of three to five players. Teams write answers on one sheet.
3. Give 30 seconds per question. No phones.
4. Score 1 point for each right answer. Ask the host to rule on close answers.
5. Add up the totals after question 40. Use a tiebreaker if teams are tied.

History and Origins

1. Which ruler was crowned Emperor of the Romans on Christmas Day in the year 800? Answer: Charlemagne
2. The 1843 first-ever commercial Christmas card run had roughly how many copies? Answer: About 1,000
3. Which Roman festival honored Saturn and ran in mid-to-late December? Answer: Saturnalia
4. In which Austrian-German tradition do people hide a coin or almond in rice pudding? Answer: It is a Danish tradition (risalamande): the finder of the almond wins a prize
5. What was the Aztec name for the poinsettia? Answer: Cuetlaxochitl
6. Which Alabama first: in 1836, Alabama became the first US state to do what? Answer: Make Christmas an official state holiday
7. In what year was the Christmas Truce, when soldiers on the Western Front paused fighting? Answer: 1914
8. Which captain named Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean in 1643? Answer: Captain William Mynors
9. Which first lit the National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C., in 1923? Answer: President Calvin Coolidge
10. The Advent wreath tradition began in the 1800s in which country? Answer: Germany

Books, Poems and Stage

11. What is the subtitle of Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol”? Answer: “A Ghost Story of Christmas”
12. Who is Scrooge’s dead business partner who warns him? Answer: Jacob Marley
13. Which newspaper first printed “A Visit from St. Nicholas” in 1823? Answer: The Troy Sentinel
14. In the original 1823 poem, what were the names of the reindeer that became Donner and Blitzen? Answer: Dunder and Blixem
15. Which author wrote the story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” that inspired the ballet? Answer: E.T.A. Hoffmann
16. Which Dr. Seuss book about the Grinch first appeared in 1957? Answer: “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”
17. Which gospel tells of the shepherds visiting the baby Jesus? Answer: Luke
18. Which Shakespeare comedy is named for the eve of Epiphany? Answer: “Twelfth Night”
19. In which year was “A Christmas Carol” published? Answer: 1843
20. On what date is the Epiphany, the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas? Answer: January 6

Customs and Decorations

21. Who is credited with creating the first electric Christmas tree lights in 1882? Answer: Edward H. Johnson, an Edison associate
22. In which German town were glass ornaments first made famous? Answer: Lauscha
23. What was tinsel first made from in 1600s Germany? Answer: Real silver
24. What London landmark gets a Christmas tree each year as a gift from Norway? Answer: Trafalgar Square
25. What is the name of the giant straw goat that Swedish city Gävle puts up each year? Answer: The Gävle Goat (Yule Goat)
26. What is the Spanish name for the poinsettia in Mexico, meaning “Christmas Eve flower”? Answer: Flor de Nochebuena
27. How many nights does Las Posadas last in Mexico? Answer: Nine
28. In Finland, which northern region is traditionally called the home of Santa Claus? Answer: Korvatunturi, in Lapland
29. On what date is Saint Nicholas Day celebrated in many European countries? Answer: December 6
30. Which Indiana town gets thousands of letters to Santa each year? Answer: Santa Claus, Indiana
31. Which colonel’s phone number appeared in a misprinted newspaper ad in 1955, starting the NORAD Santa tracker? Answer: Colonel Harry Shoup
32. What is the Christmas Island in Kiribati also called? Answer: Kiritimati

Music and Culture

33. Which composer premiered “The Nutcracker” ballet in Saint Petersburg in 1892? Answer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
34. Which Dublin city premiered Handel’s “Messiah” in 1742? Answer: Dublin
35. Who wrote the music for “A Charlie Brown Christmas”? Answer: Vince Guaraldi
36. Which 1942 film introduced “White Christmas”? Answer: “Holiday Inn”
37. “Carol of the Bells” is based on the Ukrainian folk chant known as what? Answer: “Shchedryk”
38. Which composer arranged “Carol of the Bells” in 1914 into its modern form? Answer: Mykola Leontovych
39. Who is the patron saint of children and sailors who inspired Santa Claus? Answer: Saint Nicholas
40. Which Christmas tradition in Venezuela involves roller skates? Answer: Going to early morning Mass on roller skates

Tips for a Fun Trivia Night

• Mix easy rounds with hard ones so every team scores.
• Use a tiebreaker like “How many years ago was the first Christmas card sent?” and award the closest guess.
• Hold a team name contest, such as “Mistletoe Misfits”.
• Keep answers private until the end of each round.
• Put a hot drink and snack table nearby.