96 Christmas Trivia Questions and Answers (Free Printable)

Bring a little friendly competition to your Christmas gathering with these 96 Christmas trivia questions and answers. Choose from six rounds covering Christmas trees, holiday movies, songs and carols, the Grinch, Home Alone, and familiar Christmas favorites for kids.

Read the questions below for a quick game, or use the free printable PDF for your family gathering. The printable requires your name and email address through the download form.

Home Alone and the Grinch are two of my favorite Christmas movie traditions, so both have a round of their own. Choose the subjects your family enjoys most—you don’t need to play all 96 questions in one sitting.

Jump to the questions · Get the free printable · How to play

Choose your Christmas trivia round

Round	Questions	What to expect
Christmas trees	1–16	Decorations, tree traditions and a few historical details
Christmas movies	17–32	Familiar characters and holiday-film favorites
Christmas songs and carols	33–48	Festive songs, traditional carols and musical details
The Grinch	49–64	The original story and named screen adaptations
Home Alone	65–80	The first film and its New York sequel
Christmas trivia for kids	81–96	Santa, reindeer and familiar Christmas stories

For a mixed-age group, let younger children team up with an adult. The kids’ round is a good starting point; movie questions work best when players know the films. The songs round includes religious Christmas carols, so choose the rounds that suit your gathering.

Christmas trivia questions

The answers appear directly beneath each question. If you’re hosting, read out the question and let players write down their answers before revealing the answer.

Christmas tree trivia questions and answers

Start with Christmas decorations and tree traditions. There are familiar questions for everyone and a few details that may surprise the grown-ups.

1. Which U.S. president lit the first National Christmas Tree in 1923?
Answer: Calvin Coolidge.

2. How tall was the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree displayed in 1999?
Answer: 100 feet.

3. Which U.S. state donated the first National Christmas Tree in 1923?
Answer: Vermont.

4. Which queen appeared with Prince Albert and their children around a Christmas tree in an 1848 illustration?
Answer: Queen Victoria.

5. What kind of tree is a Tannenbaum?
Answer: A fir tree.

6. How tall was the first National Christmas Tree lit in 1923?
Answer: 48 feet.

7. What did people use to light Christmas trees before electric tree lights became common?
Answer: Candles.

8. What word beginning with Y is another name for the Christmas season?
Answer: Yule.

9. What word describes trees that keep their foliage throughout the year, including many trees used at Christmas?
Answer: Evergreen.

10. Which language is the title “O Tannenbaum” written in?
Answer: German.

11. What shiny strands are often draped over Christmas tree branches?
Answer: Tinsel.

12. Name two traditional decorations placed at the top of a Christmas tree.
Answer: A star and an angel.

13. What do people call the strings of small electric lights used on Christmas trees?
Answer: String lights or fairy lights.

14. In the Nativity story, what guides the Wise Men toward Jesus?
Answer: A star.

15. Which famous New York City center displays a large Christmas tree each year?
Answer: Rockefeller Center.

16. What decorative covering is placed around the base of a Christmas tree to hide the stand?
Answer: A tree skirt.

Christmas movie trivia questions and answers

This round mixes holiday classics with family movie favorites. When a story has more than one film adaptation, use the version named in the question.

17. In A Christmas Carol, which is the second of the three Christmas spirits to visit Scrooge?
Answer: The Ghost of Christmas Present.

18. What is Ralphie’s younger brother called in A Christmas Story?
Answer: Randy.

19. What is the name of Scrooge’s former business partner in A Christmas Carol?
Answer: Jacob Marley.

20. Who is the main villain in The Nightmare Before Christmas?
Answer: Oogie Boogie.

21. Which Christmas film shows George Bailey what his town would be like if he had never been born?
Answer: It’s a Wonderful Life.

22. In It’s a Wonderful Life, what happens to an angel when a bell rings?
Answer: The angel gets its wings.

23. In which movie does Buddy travel to New York City to find his father?
Answer: Elf.

24. Which 1990 Christmas movie follows a boy accidentally left behind while his family goes on vacation?
Answer: Home Alone.

25. In which movie does a boy take a train to the North Pole on Christmas Eve?
Answer: The Polar Express.

26. Who played Ralphie in A Christmas Story (1983)?
Answer: Peter Billingsley.

27. Which department store employs Kris Kringle in the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street?
Answer: Macy’s.

28. What Christmas present does Ralphie especially want in A Christmas Story?
Answer: A Red Ryder BB gun.

29. In Elf, Buddy lists candy, candy canes and candy corn as food groups. What is the fourth?
Answer: Syrup.

30. What is the first and last name of the father who becomes Santa in The Santa Clause?
Answer: Scott Calvin.

31. Which hotel does Kevin stay at in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York?
Answer: The Plaza Hotel.

32. Who plays the Grinch in the live-action film released in 2000?
Answer: Jim Carrey.

Christmas song and carol trivia questions

Choose this round for people who look forward to Christmas music every year. It includes both secular holiday songs and traditional religious carols.

33. Which Christmas song opens with “City sidewalks, busy sidewalks”?
Answer: Silver Bells.

34. Which Christmas song is also commonly identified by its opening reference to chestnuts roasting?
Answer: The Christmas Song.

35. Which traditional carol repeats “tidings of comfort and joy”?
Answer: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen.

36. What does Frosty promise the children before he leaves in Frosty the Snowman?
Answer: That he will return someday.

37. Which Bing Crosby recording is recognized by Guinness World Records as the best-selling Christmas single?
Answer: White Christmas.

38. What gift is given on the seventh day in The Twelve Days of Christmas?
Answer: Seven swans a-swimming.

39. Who co-wrote Here Comes Santa Claus? Name both writers.
Answer: Gene Autry and Oakley Haldeman.

40. What name is given to the snowman in Winter Wonderland?
Answer: Parson Brown.

41. Which carol is known in German as Stille Nacht?
Answer: Silent Night.

42. Which carol describes the stars as “brightly shining”?
Answer: O Holy Night.

43. Which carol describes those invited to Bethlehem as “joyful and triumphant”?
Answer: O Come, All Ye Faithful.

44. Which carol includes the line “Peace on earth and mercy mild”?
Answer: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.

45. In The First Noel, which group of people first hears the angels’ news?
Answer: Shepherds.

46. Which Christmas carol invites every heart to prepare room for the Lord?
Answer: Joy to the World.

47. In Away in a Manger, where is the baby Jesus lying?
Answer: In a manger.

48. Which familiar carol has a long, soaring refrain beginning “Gloria in excelsis Deo”?
Answer: Angels We Have Heard on High.

The Grinch trivia questions and answers

The Grinch has appeared in a book, an animated television special and several films. This round names a particular adaptation when its details matter.

49. Who voices the Grinch in Illumination’s animated film The Grinch (2018)?
Answer: Benedict Cumberbatch.

50. After the Grinch steals the Christmas gifts and decorations, what do the Whos do instead of crying?
Answer: They sing.

51. In The Grinch (2018), what kind of animal is Fred?
Answer: A reindeer.

52. At the beginning of the original story, how many sizes too small is the Grinch’s heart described as being?
Answer: Two sizes.

53. How many sizes does the Grinch’s heart grow at the end of the original story?
Answer: Three sizes.

54. In the original story, what does the Grinch tell Cindy-Lou Who is wrong with her Christmas tree?
Answer: A light on one side will not light.

55. In The Grinch (2018), what is the name of Cindy-Lou Who’s mother?
Answer: Donna Who.

56. In The Grinch (2018), what is the name of the Grinch’s cheerful neighbor?
Answer: Bricklebaum.

57. What is the title of the Dr. Seuss book that introduced the Grinch?
Answer: How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

58. What is the name of the Grinch’s dog?
Answer: Max.

59. What mountain does the Grinch live on in the original story?
Answer: Mount Crumpit.

60. What is the name of the Whos’ town?
Answer: Who-ville. Accept Whoville.

61. What holiday does the Grinch try to stop the Whos from celebrating?
Answer: Christmas.

62. Who does the Grinch dress up as when he sets out to steal Christmas?
Answer: Santa Claus.

63. In the original story, which animal does the Grinch dress up to look like a reindeer?
Answer: His dog, Max.

64. What roast does the Grinch carve at the end of the story?
Answer: Roast beast.

Home Alone trivia questions and answers

These questions cover Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). Watch the film titles closely—the two adventures include different traps, destinations and characters.

65. What are the first names of the two burglars in Home Alone?
Answer: Harry and Marv.

66. What kind of spider appears in the burglars’ encounter with Kevin’s traps in Home Alone?
Answer: A tarantula.

67. Where does Kevin’s family travel for Christmas in the first Home Alone movie?
Answer: Paris, France.

68. Which burglar gets covered in feathers in Home Alone?
Answer: Harry.

69. What kind of bird is represented by the pair of ornaments Mr. Duncan gives Kevin in Home Alone 2?
Answer: Turtle doves.

70. Who plays Kevin McCallister in the first two Home Alone films?
Answer: Macaulay Culkin.

71. Who plays Harry in the first two Home Alone films?
Answer: Joe Pesci.

72. What swinging objects hit the burglars on the staircase in the first Home Alone film?
Answer: Paint cans.

73. What are Harry and Marv called in the first film and in its sequel?
Answer: The Wet Bandits in Home Alone and the Sticky Bandits in Home Alone 2.

74. Which burglar steps barefoot on glass Christmas ornaments in the first Home Alone film?
Answer: Marv.

75. What is the name of the pizza company that delivers to the McCallister house?
Answer: Little Nero’s Pizza.

76. How old is Kevin in the first Home Alone movie?
Answer: Eight.

77. What does Kevin use to make the burglars think a party is happening in his house?
Answer: Moving mannequins and a cardboard cutout, with lights and music. Accept a description of the staged party.

78. What is the name of Kevin’s elderly neighbor in the first Home Alone film?
Answer: Marley. Accept Old Man Marley.

79. What is the title of the fictional gangster film Kevin watches in Home Alone?
Answer: Angels with Filthy Souls.

80. Who plays Marv in the first two Home Alone films?
Answer: Daniel Stern.

Easy Christmas trivia questions for kids

Use these questions for a gentler round, or pair younger children with someone who can read the questions aloud. Familiarity with Christmas songs and stories matters more than age alone.

81. Which Christmas carol begins by describing the night as both silent and holy?
Answer: Silent Night.

82. In the United Kingdom, what is December 26 commonly called?
Answer: Boxing Day.

83. In Christmas stories, who helps Santa make toys?
Answer: Elves.

84. What does Santa ride in to deliver presents?
Answer: A sleigh.

85. How many horses pull the sleigh in Jingle Bells?
Answer: One.

86. Can you name the eight reindeer in the traditional team before Rudolph is added?
Answer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. Accept Donder as a variant of Donner.

87. What do the other reindeer initially exclude Rudolph from in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?
Answer: Reindeer games.

88. What gift is given on the fifth day in The Twelve Days of Christmas?
Answer: Five gold rings. Accept five golden rings.

89. In A Visit from St. Nicholas, which small animal is mentioned as not stirring?
Answer: A mouse.

90. Which reindeer has a shiny red nose?
Answer: Rudolph.

91. What item brings Frosty the Snowman to life?
Answer: A magical old silk hat. Accept a magic hat.

92. What color is the Grinch in the animated film The Grinch (2018)?
Answer: Green.

93. What is the first and last name of the boy left behind in the movie Home Alone?
Answer: Kevin McCallister.

94. In A Charlie Brown Christmas, does Charlie Brown choose a small real tree or a large artificial tree?
Answer: A small real tree.

95. Which Christmas ballet features a Nutcracker and a Mouse King?
Answer: The Nutcracker.

96. What snack and drink do many U.S. families leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve?
Answer: Cookies and milk.

How to play Christmas trivia

You need a host, the questions and something for players to write on. Play individually or divide into teams. Decide in advance which rounds you will use and whether spelling needs to be exact—recognizable answers usually work well for a family game.

1. Choose your rounds. One round gives you 16 questions. For a longer game, combine two or three subjects your group knows.

2. Read one question at a time. Give everyone a chance to answer before moving on. Start with about 30 seconds per question and adjust for your group.

3. Award one point for each correct answer. For questions with more than one part, agree on partial-credit rules before starting.

4. Check answers after each round. The host should keep the answers out of players’ view while the round is in progress.

5. Break a tie with an unused question. Reserve one before the game if you want a clear winner.

For a relaxed gathering, skip the scoring and take turns asking questions. For mixed-age teams, invite children to answer first on the kids’ round before their teammates help.

Download your free Christmas trivia printable

Want to take the game away from the screen? Enter your name and email in the form below to get the free Christmas trivia PDF and join the Once Upon a Printable email list.

The download is for personal use. Save a copy before your gathering so you can open it when you’re ready to print. Keep the answer information with the host if you are playing competitively.

These free printables are a part of our exclusive subscriber library and are for personal use only. They are the exclusive property of Once Upon A Printable and may not be reproduced or used for commercial purposes without our written consent. Thank you for respecting our copyright.

Is the Christmas trivia printable free?

Yes. The printable is free with email signup. You can also read the questions and answers on this page without downloading the file.

Can kids and adults play together?

Yes. Start with the kids’ round or form mixed-age teams. Choose movie and music rounds based on what your group knows rather than assuming every question suits every child.

Do we need to use all 96 questions?

No. Pick one 16-question round for a shorter game, or combine your favorites for a longer family quiz.

What if the download does not open?

Check that you’ve completed the required fields and look for any message beside the form. If it still does not open, contact me through the site’s Contact page and include the title of this printable and the error message you see.

More Christmas games and activities

Keep the gathering going with Christmas Pictionary word lists, or plan an outing with the Christmas lights scavenger hunt. If your family enjoyed the Grinch round, explore the Grinch worksheets.

Historical and recording details were checked against the National Park Service, Rockefeller Center, Royal Collection Trust, Guinness World Records and Gene Autry’s official website.