25 Holiday Trivia Questions

Festive trivia for your holiday party, from Christmas classics to Hanukkah, Thanksgiving and New Year's. Read them out, let everyone guess, then tap Show answer.

Play the full game 180 Holiday questions: on the TV, solo, or with up to 8 phones.

Easy Holiday Trivia Questions

Festive favorites that most of the party will know.

  1. Who plays the mother of Kevin in the original Home Alone?

    1. AGeena Davis
    2. BSusan Sarandon
    3. CCatherine O'Hara
    4. DMichelle Pfeiffer
    Show answer

    C: Catherine O'Hara She began performing with Toronto's Second City comedy troupe.

  2. Which actor plays the stranded traveler Del in Planes, Trains and Automobiles?

    1. AChris Farley
    2. BDan Aykroyd
    3. CJohn Goodman
    4. DJohn Candy
    Show answer

    D: John Candy He also co-owned a professional Canadian football team.

  3. Which sitcom's New Year's Eve episode includes a sibling dance number nicknamed The Routine?

    1. AJust Shoot Me!
    2. BFriends
    3. CMad About You
    4. DWill & Grace
    Show answer

    B: Friends The storyline involves a prerecorded TV countdown rather than a live midnight party.

  4. In I'll Be Home for Christmas, the final line says the reunion may happen where?

    1. AOnly in dreams
    2. BAt the railway station
    3. CIn the morning
    4. DBy the harbor
    Show answer

    A: Only in dreams The song became especially poignant for families separated during the 1940s.

  5. In which European country do children put out shoes for Sinterklaas before December 5?

    1. ALuxembourg
    2. BEstonia
    3. CCroatia
    4. DThe Netherlands
    Show answer

    D: The Netherlands The celebrations traditionally begin with a public arrival by boat in November.

  6. During Hanukkah, what name is given to the candle used to light the others?

    1. AKiddush
    2. BHavdalah
    3. CShamash
    4. DHaggadah
    Show answer

    C: Shamash Its position is usually set apart from the other holders.

  7. In A Christmas Carol, what does the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come say?

    1. ANothing at all
    2. BA warning in Latin
    3. CThree riddles
    4. DOnly Scrooge's name
    Show answer

    A: Nothing at all The silent visitor creates tension entirely through gestures and movement.

  8. In Harry Potter's first Christmas at school, what mysterious wearable gift does he receive?

    1. AA self-tying scarf
    2. BA pair of winged boots
    3. CAn invisibility cloak
    4. DA silver helmet
    Show answer

    C: An invisibility cloak The gift arrives with an unsigned note about its previous owner.

  9. Which film-inspired toy line made early buyers mail in a certificate for figures not ready for Christmas 1977?

    1. ABattlestar Galactica figures
    2. BStar Trek action figures
    3. CPlanet of the Apes figures
    4. DStar Wars action figures
    Show answer

    D: Star Wars action figures The early-bird package promised four figures for delivery the following year.

  10. Which charity's kettles and bell ringers became familiar sights during holiday shopping?

    1. ADoctors Without Borders
    2. BThe Salvation Army
    3. CHabitat for Humanity
    4. DThe Nature Conservancy
    Show answer

    B: The Salvation Army The first kettle appeal began in San Francisco in 1891.

Medium Holiday Trivia Questions

For guests who know their carols, customs and holiday TV.

  1. In Ted Lasso's Christmas episode, which colleague hosts teammates who cannot get home?

    1. AHiggins
    2. BDani Rojas
    3. CJamie Tartt
    4. DRoy Kent
    Show answer

    A: Higgins The guests bring dishes from their home countries to the family gathering.

  2. Which brass instrument imitates a horse's neigh at the end of many orchestral performances of Sleigh Ride?

    1. ATrombone
    2. BTuba
    3. CTrumpet
    4. DFrench horn
    Show answer

    C: Trumpet The comic effect uses flutter tonguing and partially depressed valves.

  3. Which carol was originally published in French as Cantique de Noël?

    1. AHe Is Born
    2. BAngels We Have Heard on High
    3. CO Holy Night
    4. DBring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella
    Show answer

    C: O Holy Night Its widely sung English text arrived several years after the original French version.

  4. What do some Colombian New Year's revelers put beneath their beds to predict financial luck?

    1. AThree colored ribbons
    2. BThree painted spoons
    3. CThree polished stones
    4. DThree differently peeled potatoes
    Show answer

    D: Three differently peeled potatoes Selecting one without looking is part of the fortune-telling game.

  5. In Japan, how many bell strikes are traditionally sounded for joya no kane at New Year?

    1. A60
    2. B144
    3. C88
    4. D108
    Show answer

    D: 108 Some ceremonies begin the ringing before midnight and finish after the year changes.

  6. What is a common Scottish first-footing gift intended to symbolize household warmth?

    1. AA silver thimble
    2. BA brass compass
    3. CA woolen ribbon
    4. DA piece of coal
    Show answer

    D: A piece of coal Traditional visits can include several symbolic gifts rather than just one.

  7. What is the German Christmas confection marzipankartoffeln shaped to resemble?

    1. ATiny potatoes
    2. BPine cones
    3. CWalnut shells
    4. DMiniature pears
    Show answer

    A: Tiny potatoes A dusting of brown powder creates an earthy-looking outer skin.

  8. Which fantasy author wrote illustrated Letters from Father Christmas for his own children?

    1. AT. H. White
    2. BC. S. Lewis
    3. CJ. R. R. Tolkien
    4. DGeorge MacDonald
    Show answer

    C: J. R. R. Tolkien The letters span more than twenty years of family Christmases.

  9. Which broadcaster became especially associated with a six-legged roast served on Thanksgiving football TV?

    1. AJohn Madden
    2. BJoe Buck
    3. CBob Costas
    4. DAl Michaels
    Show answer

    A: John Madden The oversized dish was assembled by adding extra legs to a whole roasted bird.

  10. Which US president established a recurring formal turkey-pardon ceremony in 1989?

    1. AGerald Ford
    2. BGeorge H. W. Bush
    3. CRonald Reagan
    4. DJimmy Carter
    Show answer

    B: George H. W. Bush Earlier presidents had occasionally spared birds, but the modern annual format dates from his first year.

Hard Holiday Trivia Questions

For the guest who has watched every holiday special twice.

  1. What is the name of the town in the animated film Klaus?

    1. AFrosthaven
    2. BBellford
    3. CBrindlewick
    4. DSmeerensburg
    Show answer

    D: Smeerensburg The film combined hand-drawn characters with digital lighting to create a dimensional look.

  2. Which animator directed the TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas?

    1. ABill Melendez
    2. BChuck Jones
    3. CTex Avery
    4. DFriz Freleng
    Show answer

    A: Bill Melendez He also supplied vocal sounds for several animal characters in the franchise.

  3. In Japan, what fruit often floats in baths taken at the winter solstice?

    1. ALychee
    2. BPersimmon
    3. CKumquat
    4. DYuzu
    Show answer

    D: Yuzu The aromatic peel releases fragrant oils into the warm water.

  4. Who developed the original green bean casserole recipe for a soup company in 1955?

    1. AIrma Rombauer
    2. BFannie Farmer
    3. CDorcas Reilly
    4. DRuth Wakefield
    Show answer

    C: Dorcas Reilly Her handwritten recipe card entered the National Inventors Hall of Fame's collection.

  5. Which artist helped establish Santa's round, red-suited image in 1930s soft-drink advertisements?

    1. AJ. C. Leyendecker
    2. BN. C. Wyeth
    3. CHaddon Sundblom
    4. DNorman Rockwell
    Show answer

    C: Haddon Sundblom He used live models and later his own reflection while developing the annual paintings.

Want More Holiday Trivia?

These 25 are a taste of I Know That Trivia's Holiday event. Put the non-stop Trivia Channel on the TV at your party, play a round on your own, or have everyone race on their phones in Group Play. It's free, with no sign-up.

Play the full game Holiday Trivia on I Know That Trivia.

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