54 trivia questions
Santa & St. Nicholas
From where does Santa set out in his reindeer sleigh?
Ages 3+
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The North Pole.
Source: The History of How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus, National Geographic
The real St. Nicholas was a bishop in which town?
Ages 8+
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Myra, a small Roman town in what is now Turkey.
Source: The History of How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus, National Geographic
St. Nicholas is the patron saint of whom?
Ages 5+
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Children. He is also seen as a protector of sailors.
Source: The History of How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus, National Geographic
What do people in the Netherlands call St. Nicholas?
Ages 5+
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Sinterklaas. Dutch families brought him to their colonies in the New World.
Source: The History of How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus, National Geographic
On which December date do the Dutch celebrate the feast of Sinterklaas?
Ages 8+
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Which cartoonist did the most to give Santa his jolly, chubby, grandfatherly face?
Ages 8+
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Thomas Nast, a political cartoonist.
Source: The History of How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus, National Geographic
Hanging up toy-filled stockings comes from which country's traditions?
Ages 8+
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The Netherlands. The custom is Dutch.
Source: How a Poem Transformed Christmas Into the Festive Holiday It Is Today, National Geographic
Reindeer
Real reindeer facts, from the scientists who study them in Alaska.
Are reindeer and caribou different animals or the same species?
Ages 5+
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The same species. In Alaska and Canada, only the semi-domesticated ones are called reindeer.
Source: Caribou Species Profile, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Reindeer are the only members of the deer family where both males and females grow what?
Ages 5+
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Antlers.
Source: Caribou Species Profile, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
The biggest male reindeer drop their antlers in late October. So which reindeer still have antlers at Christmas?
Ages 8+
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Females and young males, who keep theirs until spring. A reindeer with antlers at Christmas is likely a girl or a young boy.
Source: Caribou Species Profile, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
What do reindeer dig through the snow to eat in winter?
Ages 5+
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Lichens, which people sometimes call reindeer moss.
Source: Caribou Species Profile, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
What do reindeer use their scoop-shaped hooves for in winter?
Ages 5+
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Digging through the snow to find food.
About how much does a newborn reindeer calf weigh?
Ages 5+
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About 13 pounds.
Source: Caribou Species Profile, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Some caribou herds travel how far to reach their summer grazing grounds?
Ages 8+
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Up to 800 miles.
Stories, songs & space
How many reindeer pull the sleigh in the poem that begins "'Twas the night before Christmas"?
Ages 5+
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In which newspaper was that poem first printed, in December 1823?
Ages 8+
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The Troy Sentinel, with no author's name on it.
Source: How a Poem Transformed Christmas Into the Festive Holiday It Is Today, National Geographic
What was the poem's original title?
Ages 8+
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Account of a Visit From St. Nicholas.
Source: How a Poem Transformed Christmas Into the Festive Holiday It Is Today, National Geographic
In an 1809 book by Washington Irving, what did St. Nicholas ride over the rooftops?
Ages 8+
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A flying wagon, not a sleigh.
Source: The History of How St. Nicholas Became Santa Claus, National Geographic
Which Christmas song did astronauts play in space in December 1965?
Ages 5+
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"Jingle Bells," on a tiny harmonica and bells aboard Gemini 6.
Source: Harmonica, Gemini 6, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Which Gemini 6 astronaut played the harmonica?
Ages 8+
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Wally Schirra.
Source: Dual Gemini Flights Achieved Crucial Spaceflight Milestones, NASA
Before the song, what pretend sighting did the Gemini 6 crew report as a joke?
Ages 5+
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A UFO called Santa Claus.
Source: Harmonica, Gemini 6, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Trees & plants
Records show a Christmas tree was raised in which cathedral in 1539?
Ages 5+
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Strasbourg Cathedral, in a region that was then part of German lands.
Source: Why Do We Have Christmas Trees?, National Geographic
An 1848 picture of which royal family around a decorated tree helped make Christmas trees popular?
Ages 5+
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Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's family.
Source: Why Do We Have Christmas Trees?, National Geographic
Which president lit the first National Christmas Tree in 1923?
Ages 5+
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Calvin Coolidge. He pushed a button on Christmas Eve.
Source: History of the National Christmas Tree, President's Park (NPS)
What kind of tree was the first National Christmas Tree?
Ages 5+
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A 48-foot balsam fir from Vermont.
Source: History of the National Christmas Tree, President's Park (NPS)
The National Christmas Tree stands on a lawn called the Ellipse, next to which famous house?
Ages 5+
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The White House.
Source: History of the National Christmas Tree, President's Park (NPS)
Since 1954, smaller trees for every state and territory have stood near the National Christmas Tree. What is that walkway called?
Ages 5+
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The Pathway of Peace.
Source: History of the National Christmas Tree, President's Park (NPS)
In which country do poinsettias grow wild?
Ages 5+
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Mexico, where they can grow more than 8 feet tall, like a small tree.
Source: The Secret of Free-Branching Poinsettias, USDA Agricultural Research Service
What do plant scientists call the bright red parts of a poinsettia?
Ages 5+
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Christmas around the world
In Italy, which kindly old witch leaves gifts for children on Epiphany?
Ages 5+
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La Befana.
On what date is Epiphany, when the Three Kings bring gifts in many countries?
Ages 8+
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January 6.
In Spain, Latin America and the Philippines, where do the Three Kings leave gifts?
Ages 5+
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In children's shoes, filled with straw.
What small surprise is baked inside a Three Kings cake?
Ages 5+
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A tiny doll.
In Japan, which American fast-food chain do many families visit for Christmas dinner?
Ages 8+
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In Poland, where is the Christmas carp often kept for a few days before dinner?
Ages 5+
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In the family bathtub.
Source: How Christmas Is Celebrated Around the World, National Geographic
In Syria, who brings children their presents instead of Santa?
Ages 8+
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The youngest of the three wise men's camels.
Source: How Christmas Is Celebrated Around the World, National Geographic
How many courses can a traditional Ukrainian Christmas feast have?
Ages 8+
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12, one for each apostle.
Source: How Christmas Is Celebrated Around the World, National Geographic
In Newfoundland, Canada, what do costumed holiday visitors do until you guess who they are?
Ages 8+
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Perform comedy sketches.
Source: How Christmas Is Celebrated Around the World, National Geographic
Winter science
In December, the Northern Hemisphere has its shortest day and longest night. What is that day called?
Ages 8+
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The winter solstice.
Source: The Seasons, the Equinox, and the Solstices, National Weather Service
What causes Earth's seasons?
Ages 8+
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The tilt of Earth's axis, not how far Earth is from the sun.
Source: The Seasons, the Equinox, and the Solstices, National Weather Service
A snowflake starts when a tiny, very cold water droplet freezes onto what?
Ages 5+
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A speck of pollen or dust in the sky.
Source: How Do Snowflakes Form? Get the Science Behind Snow, NOAA
How many sides does a snowflake have?
Ages 3+
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Why are no two snowflakes exactly alike?
Ages 8+
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Each one takes a slightly different path to the ground, so it meets slightly different conditions as it grows.
Source: How Do Snowflakes Form? Get the Science Behind Snow, NOAA
What color is a polar bear's skin under its fur?
Ages 5+
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Black, which helps it soak up the sun's warmth.
Source: Polar Bear, National Geographic
Which emperor penguin parent keeps the egg warm through the Antarctic winter?
Ages 5+
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The father.
Emperor penguins can dive deeper than any other bird. About how deep?
Ages 8+
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About 1,850 feet.
Christmas in history
In what year did Congress make Christmas a federal holiday?
Ages 8+
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Which American colony banned Christmas celebrations starting in 1659?
Ages 8+
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Massachusetts.
Source: How Christmas Has Evolved Over Centuries, National Geographic
By the year 336, Christmas was celebrated on December 25 in which city?
Ages 8+
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Old-time wassailing worked a bit like which Halloween tradition?
Ages 8+
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Trick-or-treating, except poorer neighbors visited richer ones instead of kids visiting grown-ups.
Source: Yuletide Tales: Santa, Singing Mobs, and the Time Christmas Was Canceled, National Geographic
Electric Christmas lights were invented in what year?
Ages 8+
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1882.
Source: Why Do We Have Christmas Trees?, National Geographic
In December 1965, the Gemini 6 and Gemini 7 crews made spaceflight history. What did they do?
Ages 8+
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The first-ever rendezvous of two spacecraft in orbit, coming as close as one foot apart.
Source: Dual Gemini Flights Achieved Crucial Spaceflight Milestones, NASA
About how many people watched the first National Christmas Tree lighting in 1923?
Ages 8+
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About 3,000.
Source: History of the National Christmas Tree, President's Park (NPS)
Which college donated the first National Christmas Tree?
Ages 8+
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Middlebury College, in Vermont.
Source: History of the National Christmas Tree, President's Park (NPS)
Play it at a party
Unwrap and Answer
5–10
Ages
6–20, seated in a circle
Players
10–20 min
How long
- Wrap a small gift in layers of holiday paper, with a trivia card tucked under each layer.
- Pass the parcel around the circle while Christmas music plays.
- When the music stops, the child holding it unwraps one layer and reads the question, or a grown-up reads it for them.
- The whole circle can help answer. The last layer holds the gift.
Borrowed from pass the parcel, where the full rules live.
Snowball Quiz
6–12
Ages
8–20, two teams
Players
15–20 min
How long
- Make a pile of paper snowballs, about five per child, and split the room into two teams with a line between them.
- Read a question to one team. A right answer wins that team a 30-second snowball throw.
- A wrong answer passes the question, and the throw, to the other team.
- After ten questions, the team with fewer snowballs on its side wins.
Borrowed from the indoor snowball fight, where the full rules live.
Reindeer Relay Quiz
6–12
Ages
8–20, two teams
Players
10–15 min
How long
- Line up two teams, each with a set of reindeer antler headbands at the start.
- The first runner puts on the antlers and gallops to the quiz master at the far end.
- They answer a question; a right answer sends them back to pass the antlers on, a wrong one means another question.
- The first team whose whole herd gets home wins.
Borrowed from relay races, where the full rules live.
When to run it
- At a class holiday party, as the seated game before snacks.
- Between courses at a family Christmas dinner.
- While the cookies are in the oven at a decorating party.
More games for the same party: Christmas Party Games for Kids and Left Right Christmas Game.
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A Christmas party built around the one guest every kid actually wants to see — plus the games, the food, the decor, and a printable invitation to send before December fills up.
Christmas party ideasFrequently asked questions
- What are easy Christmas trivia questions for young kids?
- Questions about things they already know, like where Santa sets out from or how many sides a snowflake has. Items tagged for ages 3 and 5 are written for early readers; read them aloud for the youngest and offer two answers to pick from.
- How many Christmas trivia questions do I need for a party?
- About 15 to 20 for a 15-minute round. Pull a few from each topic so kids who love animals, space or stories all get a favorite, and save the history questions for a grown-ups' round.
- How do you run Christmas trivia at a class party?
- Play Unwrap and Answer: wrap a small gift in layers with a question under each one. When the music stops, the child holding it unwraps a layer and the circle answers together. Every child gets a turn, and nobody is put on the spot alone.
- Are the answers accurate?
- Yes. Each answer was checked against a source such as the National Park Service, NASA, NOAA, the Smithsonian or National Geographic, and the source is linked under the answer. Where sources disagree on a detail, the question was left out.
