We hope you have fun as you test your general knowledge with this Christmas quiz. The answers are posted below.
1. Holly, Snow Lake, Christmas Island, Sugarcane. What do all of these things have in common?
2. According to Guinness World Records, what Christmas song is the best-selling single of all time?
a) White Christmas b) Silver Bells c) Mary’s Boy Child d) Santa Baby
3. If you added up all the gifts in “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” how many gifts would there be?
4. Which city is officially known as “The Christmas Capital of Canada”?
a) Toronto b) Montreal c) Winnipeg d) Vancouver
5. Which Canadian was born on Dec. 25?
a) Celine Dion b) Wayne Gretzky c) Jan Arden d) Justin Trudeau
6. Canada’s National Christmas Tree Growers Association reports that real Christmas trees have positive spin-offs. Which of the following is true?
a) They produce oxygen, rid the air of carbon dioxide and reduce the greenhouse effect b) They are a renewable resource, biodegradable and a wildlife habitat c) neither a or b d) both a and b
7. What are the names of the nine reindeer that drive Santa’s sleigh?
8. Which continent do turkeys originate from?
a) North America b) South America c) Europe d) Australia
9. How often does the average Canadian eat turkey?
a) once a year b) twice a year c) 10 times a year d) 15.5 times a year
10. How many points does a snowflake traditionally have?
11. The word mistletoe comes from the Anglo-Saxon word misteltan. But what did this word originally translate to?
a) witch berry tree b) little dung twig c) spotted owl bush
12. Three of the ghosts in Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” were the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come. But which ghost is missing?
13. Which real life person is Santa Claus based on?
14. When were Christmas lights first invented?
a) 1882 b) 1923 c) 1859 d) 1906
15. The first charity Christmas card was made by UNICEF in 1949. Who designed the image on the front of the card?
a) a fashion designer b) a Buddhist monk c) a 7-year-old girl d) a chimpanzee
16. What was the highest grossing Christmas movie of all time?
a) It’s a Wonderful Life b) Home Alone c) A Charlie Brown Christmas d) Scrooged
17. In the classic, “How The Grinch Stole Christmas,” the Grinch was described with three words. What are they?
a) mean, green, lean b) rude, lewd, crude c) stink, stank, stunk
18. In the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life,” what happened every time a bell rang?
19. In the movie “Elf,” what was the first rule of The Code of Elves?
a) You can never eat too many candy canes. b) Treat every day like Christmas. c) There’s always room on the Nice List. d) The best way to spread Christmas cheer is to sing loud for all to hear.
20. Which fairy tale were the first gingerbread houses inspired by?
a) Shrek b) The Gingerbread Man c) Hansel and Gretel d) Rumpelstiltskin
21. What was the poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas” originally titled?
22. In what decade did Coca-Cola start using Santa Claus in advertisements?
a) 1970s b) 1950s c) 1930s d) 1920s
23. “Silent Night” is the most-recorded Christmas song. But how many times has it been recorded?
a) 327 b) 469 c) 733 d) 1054
24. In what country did Silent Night originate?
a) Germany b) Austria c) France d) England
25. What popular holiday song was written during the Cuban missile crisis and was a plea for peace?
a) Do You Hear What I Hear? b) I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing c) Jingle Bell Rock
ANSWERS
1. All places in Canada; 2. a) Bing Crosby’s White Christmas (1942); 3. 364; 4. c) Winnipeg earned this title because of its frequent snowfalls and ideal weather for skating & sleigh rides; 5. d) Justin (& Sacha) Trudeau. Pierre Trudeau had three sons, two of whom were born on Christmas Day; 6. a) both a and b. Every year, approximately five to six million Christmas trees are grown in Canada; On average, trees need seven to 10 years to reach the right height for harvesting; 7. Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph; 8. a) North America; 9. d) 15.5 times a year. Canada is the eighth largest global turkey producer, which works out to 19.6 million gobblers per year. The United States is No. 1; 10. six; 11. b) little dung twig as the plant’s seeds spread through bird droppings; 12. the ghost of Jacob Marley; 13. the Christian bishop, Saint Nicholas; 14. a) 1882; 15. c) a 7-year-old girl; 16. b) Home Alone; 17. c) stink, stank, stunk; 18. an angel got his wings; 19. b) Treat every day like Christmas; 20. c) Hansel and Gretel; 21. A Visit from St. Nicholas. It was anonymously published in 1823; 22. d) 1920s. It’s a myth that Coca-Cola invented the modern Santa Claus. There are numerous examples of a Santa Claus as we know him with his red and white suit well before Coca-Cola started its advertising campaign; 23. c) 733; 24. b) Austria. It’s original German title was Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht. The lyrics were written by Joseph Mohr in 1816 and the music was composed by Franz Xaver Gruber in 1818; 25. a) Do You Hear What I Hear? Gloria Shayne Baker composed the music, and the lyrics were written by her then husband Noel Regney who was inspired to write, “Pray for peace, people everywhere.” Shayne stated in an interview years later that neither could perform the entire song at the time they wrote it because of the emotions surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis.
PLAYER’S SCORECARD
21 TO 25 CORRECT = YOU’RE A VIRTUOSO AT CHRISTMAS!
16 TO 20 CORRECT = SANTA WOULD HIRE YOU IN HIS WORKSHOP.
11 TO 15 CORRECT = YOU CAN JOIN IN THE REINDEER GAMES.
6 TO 10 CORRECT = IT WAS A “GRINCH” OF A TRY.
0 TO 5 CORRECT = BAH! HUMBUG!
