The trick to a great family trivia game isn't making everything easy or everything hard — it's mixing both so the kids nail some, the adults nail others, and everyone has at least one moment where they shout the answer first.
Each round below has questions tagged by difficulty: 🟢 Easy (kids will get these), 🟡 Medium (teens and adults), 🔴 Hard (the one that stumps everyone).
Round 1: Christmas Classics Everyone Should Know (1-14)
- 🟢 What color is Santa's suit?
Answer
Red
- 🟢 How many reindeer pull Santa's sleigh (including Rudolph)?
Answer
9
- 🟢 What do you hang on the fireplace for Santa to fill?
Answer
A stocking
- 🟢 What goes on top of a Christmas tree?
Answer
A star or an angel
- 🟡 Name all of Santa's reindeer (not counting Rudolph).
Answer
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen
- 🟡 What country started the tradition of putting up Christmas trees?
Answer
Germany
- 🟡 What three gifts did the Wise Men bring to baby Jesus?
Answer
Gold, frankincense, and myrrh
- 🟡 Where was Jesus born?
Answer
Bethlehem
- 🟡 What do people kiss under at Christmas?
Answer
Mistletoe
- 🟡 What is the day after Christmas called in the UK?
Answer
Boxing Day
- 🔴 What was tinsel originally made from?
Answer
Real silver — starting around 1610 in Germany
- 🔴 What year did Christmas become a US federal holiday?
Answer
1870
- 🔴 What ancient Roman festival influenced many Christmas traditions?
Answer
Saturnalia (December 17-23)
- 🟢 What snack do kids leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve?
Answer
Cookies and milk
Round 2: Christmas Movies for the Whole Family (15-28)
- 🟢 What's the name of the green character who tries to steal Christmas?
Answer
The Grinch
- 🟢 In "Home Alone," what's the boy's first name?
Answer
Kevin
- 🟢 In "Frozen," what's the snowman's name?
Answer
Olaf
- 🟢 What happens to the Grinch's heart at the end?
Answer
It grows three sizes
- 🟡 In "Elf," what are Buddy's four main food groups?
Answer
Candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup
- 🟡 In "A Christmas Story," what gift does Ralphie desperately want?
Answer
A Red Ryder BB gun
- 🟡 What's the name of Scrooge's dead business partner?
Answer
Jacob Marley
- 🟡 In "The Polar Express," where is the train headed?
Answer
The North Pole
- 🟡 What's Jack Skellington's town called?
Answer
Halloween Town
- 🔴 In the 1964 "Rudolph" TV special, what does elf Hermey want to be?
Answer
A dentist
- 🔴 "It's a Wonderful Life" became a classic because of what legal reason?
Answer
Its copyright lapsed in 1974, letting TV stations air it for free
- 🔴 Rudolph was originally created in 1939 for what store?
Answer
Montgomery Ward
- 🟢 What snowman comes alive with a magic hat?
Answer
Frosty the Snowman
- 🟡 In "A Charlie Brown Christmas," what kind of tree does Charlie Brown pick?
Answer
A small, scraggly, sad-looking tree
Round 3: Christmas Music Mix (29-42)
- 🟢 Complete: "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny ___"
Answer
Nose
- 🟢 What Christmas song starts with "Dashing through the snow"?
Answer
"Jingle Bells"
- 🟢 "Silent Night" describes what kind of night besides silent?
Answer
Holy
- 🟡 Who sings "All I Want for Christmas Is You"?
Answer
Mariah Carey
- 🟡 In "The Twelve Days of Christmas," what's the gift on the first day?
Answer
A partridge in a pear tree
- 🟡 Who sang the original "White Christmas"?
Answer
Bing Crosby
- 🟡 What color Christmas does Elvis Presley sing about?
Answer
Blue
- 🟡 In "Frosty the Snowman," what brings Frosty to life?
Answer
An old silk hat
- 🔴 "Jingle Bells" was originally written for what holiday?
Answer
Thanksgiving
- 🔴 How many years did it take "All I Want for Christmas Is You" to reach #1?
Answer
25 years (1994 to 2019)
- 🔴 What was the first song broadcast from outer space?
Answer
"Jingle Bells" — Gemini 6, December 16, 1965
- 🟢 "We wish you a merry Christmas" — and what else?
Answer
"And a happy New Year!"
- 🟡 How many lords are a-leaping in "The Twelve Days of Christmas"?
Answer
10
- 🔴 "Silent Night" was first performed with guitar instead of organ because...?
Answer
The church organ was broken
Round 4: Christmas Food & Celebrations (43-56)
- 🟢 What cookie-shaped house is a popular Christmas activity?
Answer
A gingerbread house
- 🟢 What sweet, striped candy is shaped like a hook?
Answer
A candy cane
- 🟢 What red-and-white flower is associated with Christmas?
Answer
Poinsettia
- 🟡 What warm drink is made with milk, eggs, and often rum?
Answer
Eggnog
- 🟡 In Japan, what fast food is traditional for Christmas dinner?
Answer
KFC
- 🟡 What Jewish holiday often falls near Christmas and lasts 8 nights?
Answer
Hanukkah
- 🟡 What do you pull at the table that makes a snapping sound?
Answer
A Christmas cracker
- 🟡 What meat is most commonly served for Christmas dinner in America?
Answer
Turkey or ham
- 🔴 Candy canes were originally all one color for 200+ years. What color?
Answer
White
- 🔴 Eggnog evolved from what medieval English drink?
Answer
Posset
- 🔴 What fairy tale inspired making gingerbread houses?
Answer
"Hansel and Gretel"
- 🟢 What do you put under the Christmas tree?
Answer
Presents/gifts
- 🟡 What is a traditional Christmas dinner in Australia?
Answer
A barbecue or cold seafood — Christmas is in summer there
- 🔴 Fruitcake can last approximately how long?
Answer
25+ years
Round 5: Around the World at Christmas (57-68)
- 🟢 What country does Santa live in?
Answer
The North Pole
- 🟢 What organization tracks Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve?
Answer
NORAD
- 🟡 In the Philippines, Christmas season starts in what month?
Answer
September
- 🟡 What scary creature accompanies St. Nicholas in Austria?
Answer
Krampus
- 🟡 How many Yule Lads visit children in Iceland?
Answer
13
- 🟡 What's another name for Santa in the UK?
Answer
Father Christmas
- 🔴 In Catalonia, what does the "Caga Tio" tradition involve?
Answer
Children "feed" a log, beat it with sticks, and it "poops" out gifts
- 🔴 In Venezuela, how do people get to Christmas Mass?
Answer
Roller skates
- 🔴 In Ukraine, finding what on your tree is good luck?
Answer
A spider web ornament
- 🟢 What falls from the sky to make a "white Christmas"?
Answer
Snow
- 🟡 Finland has declared "Christmas Peace" every year since what century?
Answer
The 14th century (since 1320)
- 🔴 What 1914 WWI event saw enemy soldiers celebrate Christmas together?
Answer
The Christmas Truce
Round 6: Speed Round — True or False (69-80)
- 🟢 True or false: Rudolph was one of Santa's original reindeer.
Answer
False — created in 1939, over 100 years after the original 8
- 🟢 True or false: Santa wears a blue suit.
Answer
False — red
- 🟡 True or false: "Jingle Bells" was originally for Thanksgiving.
Answer
True
- 🟡 True or false: Candy canes have always had red stripes.
Answer
False — plain white for 200+ years
- 🟡 True or false: Christmas trees originally came from Germany.
Answer
True
- 🟡 True or false: "White Christmas" is the best-selling single of all time.
Answer
True
- 🔴 True or false: Christmas was once banned in England.
Answer
True — 1647-1660
- 🔴 True or false: The first Rockefeller Center tree was put up by construction workers.
Answer
True — in 1931
- 🟢 True or false: Santa comes down the chimney.
Answer
True
- 🟡 True or false: Boxing Day is December 27th.
Answer
False — December 26th
- 🟢 True or false: There are 12 days of Christmas in the famous song.
Answer
True
- 🔴 True or false: NORAD's Santa tracker started because of a misprinted phone number.
Answer
True — a 1955 Sears ad
How to Play This Family Quiz
- Split into teams. Mix ages — a grandparent, parent, teen, and kid per squad.
- Read questions in order. The difficulty mix is intentional.
- Score by difficulty. 🟢 = 1 point, 🟡 = 2 points, 🔴 = 3 points.
- Use 3-4 rounds for shorter games. Pick the rounds that suit your group.
Want a Print-Ready Version?
Our Christmas trivia packs include formatted question sheets, answer keys, PowerPoint slides, and score sheets.
More Christmas Trivia by Difficulty
- Easy Christmas Trivia — all easy, great for younger kids
- Christmas Trivia for Adults — medium-hard, for grown-up game nights
- Hard Christmas Trivia — expert level
- Christmas Movie Trivia: 100 Questions