Santa, Words & Mixed Trivia

38 questions · Answers revealed below each question · Print this set

1.The four Sundays of Advent lead up to which feast?
- A. Easter
- B. Christmas
- C. Pentecost
- D. Epiphany
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Christmas
Did you know? Advent is the season of preparation for Christmas.
2.Who is credited as the author of the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas"?
- A. Henry Longfellow
- B. Washington Irving
- C. Nathaniel Hawthorne
- D. Clement Clarke Moore
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Clement Clarke Moore
Did you know? Clement Clarke Moore is credited with the 1823 poem, first published anonymously.
3.What is a nativity scene called in the Spanish-speaking world?
- A. La posada
- B. La piñata
- C. El níspero
- D. El nacimiento or belén
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El nacimiento or belén
Did you know? Nativity scenes are called belenes in Spain.
4."Nochebuena" refers to the celebration of which event?
- A. Epiphany
- B. Christmas morning
- C. New Year's Eve
- D. Christmas Eve
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Christmas Eve
Did you know? Nochebuena is the Christmas Eve family supper across the Spanish-speaking world.
5.The Advent wreath tradition began in which country?
- A. France
- B. Italy
- C. England
- D. Germany
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Germany
Did you know? The Advent wreath arose among German Lutherans in the 1800s.
6.What is the French name for Santa Claus?
- A. Weihnachtsmann
- B. Noel Baba
- C. Sinterklaas
- D. Père Noël
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Père Noël
Did you know? Père Noël, literally Father Christmas, is France's Santa.
7.Which two colors are the traditional Christmas palette?
- A. Orange and brown
- B. Purple and gold
- C. Blue and white
- D. Red and green
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Red and green
Did you know? Red and green remain the classic Christmas pairing.
8.What is a "white Christmas," in weather terms?
- A. Fog on Christmas morning
- B. A full moon on Christmas Eve
- C. Snow on the ground on Christmas Day
- D. Frost on the windows
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Snow on the ground on Christmas Day
Did you know? A white Christmas means snow is on the ground on December 25.
9.Advent calendars today most often hide what behind the doors?
- A. Candles
- B. Stamps
- C. Coins
- D. Chocolate
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Chocolate
Did you know? Chocolate-filled Advent calendars became the modern standard.
10.What do Italian children call Santa Claus?
- A. Babbo Natale
- B. Sinterklaas
- C. Papá Noel
- D. Père Noël
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Babbo Natale
Did you know? Babbo Natale is Italy's Santa Claus.
11.In Britain, what is the ugly Christmas sweater called?
- A. A Christmas smock
- B. A Christmas jersey
- C. A Christmas jumper
- D. A Christmas cardi
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A Christmas jumper
Did you know? Britons call the festive sweater a Christmas jumper.
12.In "Xmas", the letter X stands for which Greek letter?
- A. Theta
- B. Rho
- C. Kappa
- D. Chi
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Chi
Did you know? X is the Greek letter chi, the first letter of Christos.
13.The American Santa Claus evolved in part from which Dutch gift-bringer?
- A. Christkind
- B. Belsnickel
- C. Sint Maarten
- D. Sinterklaas
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Sinterklaas
Did you know? Dutch settlers brought Sinterklaas to New Amsterdam, feeding the Santa legend.
14.Which plant's branches were hung for luck in winter long before Christmas trees?
- A. Lavender
- B. Boxwood
- C. Evergreen fir
- D. Rosemary
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Evergreen fir
Did you know? Evergreen boughs symbolized life through the darkest winter.
15.The English word "Christmas" is a contraction of which phrase?
- A. Christ's Star
- B. Christ's Birth
- C. Christ's Mass
- D. Christ's Winter
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Christ's Mass
Did you know? "Christmas" condenses the Old English "Cristes mæsse," Christ's Mass.
16.By what name is Santa Claus known across most Spanish-speaking countries?
- A. Babbo Natale
- B. Père Noël
- C. Weihnachtsmann
- D. Papá Noel
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Papá Noel
Did you know? Papá Noel is the standard Spanish name for Santa Claus.
17.Which word names a Christmas song of praise sung in church or door to door?
- A. An anthem
- B. A carol
- C. A ballad
- D. A lullaby
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A carol
Did you know? Carols are the songs of the Christmas season.
18.Which cartoonist drew the Santa Claus images that fixed his bearded look in Harper's Weekly?
- A. Richard Outcault
- B. Winsor McCay
- C. Thomas Nast
- D. Frederic Remington
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Thomas Nast
Did you know? Thomas Nast drew Santa for Harper's Weekly from the 1860s onward.
19.Which Finnish city on the Arctic Circle calls itself the official hometown of Santa Claus?
- A. Turku
- B. Tampere
- C. Rovaniemi
- D. Helsinki
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Rovaniemi
Did you know? Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland markets itself as Santa's official hometown.
20.Where does American tradition place Santa's home and workshop?
- A. The Alps
- B. The North Pole
- C. Greenland
- D. Lapland
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The North Pole
Did you know? The North Pole became Santa's home in American tradition.
21.Who commissioned the first commercial Christmas card in 1843?
- A. Charles Dickens
- B. William Thackeray
- C. Henry Cole
- D. Queen Victoria
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Henry Cole
Did you know? Sir Henry Cole commissioned the first commercial Christmas card in London in 1843.
22.In southern Germany and Austria, which figure traditionally brings the gifts?
- A. Knecht Ruprecht
- B. The Christkind
- C. Babbo Natale
- D. The Weihnachtsmann
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The Christkind
Did you know? The Christkind, a Christ child figure, brings gifts in southern Germany and Austria.
23.Summer camps in which US state are credited with the first "Christmas in July" celebration in 1933?
- A. Maine
- B. North Carolina
- C. New York
- D. Georgia
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North Carolina
Did you know? Keystone Camp in North Carolina held the first Christmas in July in 1933.
24.The word "carol" originally named what?
- A. A winter feast
- B. A solemn hymn
- C. A circle dance with singing
- D. A bell chime
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A circle dance with singing
Did you know? "Carol" began as the old French carole, a ring dance with song.
25.The Penny Post of which year made Christmas cards affordable in Britain?
- A. 1855
- B. 1840
- C. 1871
- D. 1820
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1840
Did you know? The 1840 Penny Post cheapened mail just as the first cards appeared.
26.Which German name for the gift-bringer literally means "Christmas Man"?
- A. Weihnachtsmann
- B. Père Noël
- C. Knecht Ruprecht
- D. Sinterklaas
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Weihnachtsmann
Did you know? The Weihnachtsmann is the German Christmas Man figure.
27.Which material were the very first Christmas ornaments, strung on trees in Germany?
- A. Paper stars
- B. Apples and wafers
- C. Walnuts
- D. Glass balls
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Apples and wafers
Did you know? Early German trees bore apples and communion wafers as ornaments.
28.The Old English toast behind "wassail" means what?
- A. Warm this hall
- B. Bring the ale
- C. Good cheer to all
- D. Be in good health
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Be in good health
Did you know? "Wassail" comes from "wes hal," meaning be whole and healthy.
29.Who illustrated the first commercial Christmas card of 1843?
- A. John Callcott Horsley
- B. George Cruikshank
- C. Randolph Caldecott
- D. Thomas Nast
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John Callcott Horsley
Did you know? Artist John Callcott Horsley designed the 1843 card for Henry Cole.
30.The word "Noel" ultimately comes from a Latin word meaning what?
- A. Gift
- B. Light
- C. Winter
- D. Birth
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Birth
Did you know? Noel traces to Latin "natalis," meaning birth.
31.The word "Advent" comes from a Latin term meaning what?
- A. Waiting
- B. Arrival
- C. Light
- D. Winter
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Arrival
Did you know? Advent comes from "adventus," meaning arrival or coming.
32.The word "Yule" descends from the midwinter festival of which ancient people?
- A. The Saxons
- B. The Celts
- C. The Romans
- D. The Norse
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The Norse
Did you know? "Yule" comes from the Norse jól, their midwinter feast.
33.Which Boston printer popularized Christmas cards in America in the 1870s?
- A. John Callcott Horsley
- B. Louis Prang
- C. Henry Cole
- D. Nathaniel Currier
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Louis Prang
Did you know? Louis Prang, the "father of the American Christmas card," printed them from 1875.
34.Why would all of Santa's flying reindeer most likely be female?
- A. Only females tolerate the cold
- B. Males lose their fur in winter
- C. Males shed their antlers in winter
- D. Males migrate south in winter
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Males shed their antlers in winter
Did you know? Male reindeer shed their antlers in early winter, while females keep theirs.
35.What does "Joulupukki," Finland's name for Santa, literally mean?
- A. Yule goat
- B. Yule man
- C. Gift mouse
- D. Snow grandfather
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Yule goat
Did you know? Joulupukki literally means "Yule goat," echoing older traditions.
36.Which town hosted America's first documented family Christmas tree, in 1847?
- A. Boston, Massachusetts
- B. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- C. Wooster, Ohio
- D. Albany, New York
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Wooster, Ohio
Did you know? August Imgard put up a tree in Wooster, Ohio, in 1847.
37.Which 1821 children's poem first showed Santa flying with a sleigh and reindeer?
- A. The Sketch Book
- B. The Children's Friend
- C. A Christmas Carol
- D. A Visit from St. Nicholas
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The Children's Friend
Did you know? "The Children's Friend" (1821) introduced a reindeer-drawn flying sleigh.
38.Which store owner is credited as the first department-store Santa, in 1890?
- A. James Edgar
- B. Thomas Nast
- C. F. W. Woolworth
- D. Clement Clarke Moore
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James Edgar
Did you know? James Edgar of Brockton, Massachusetts, dressed as Santa in his store in 1890.

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