60 Christmas Jeopardy Questions and Answers to Crown Your Family’s Trivia Champion

This set of sixty christmas jeopardy questions and answers turns one quiz night into a five-category showdown, easy at the top of the board and genuinely hard by the bottom row. Teams call a category and a point value, the host flips the matching card, and the room finds out fast who actually knows which poem invented Rudolph’s eight brothers. Mixed ages play together easily here, since nobody needs every answer, just enough of one category to make a real run at the board.

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How to Play

Split the room into teams of two to six, or let everyone play solo if the group is small. One host reads the cards and keeps score; everyone else picks a category and calls out a point value from 100, the easiest, up to 1200, the hardest. The host flips that card, reads the question aloud, and the first team to answer correctly claims the points and chooses the next category; a wrong answer passes the question along to the next team in line.

If the group wants a breather between rounds, keep a few other Christmas games for family night on standby. Print the shared board once as a poster so everyone can see which squares are still live, cut each category deck into its 100-to-600 and 700-to-1200 halves, and keep the answer keys in the host’s hand only.

Around the World Traditions

Every quiz has one know-it-all who insists every custom here began in her own country: this round settles exactly which border gets the bragging rights, one tradition at a time.

1. (100 pts) Which country gets credit for bringing a decorated evergreen tree indoors to celebrate Christmas? The answer is Germany, which started the tradition of putting up a Christmas tree.
2. (200 pts) In Japan, what fast-food chicken chain has turned into the go-to Christmas Eve dinner for millions of families? Eating fried chicken from KFC is a very popular Christmas tradition in Japan.
3. (300 pts) What is Iceland’s Christmas Eve tradition of giving and reading new books called? The Icelandic Christmas Eve tradition of Jolabokaflod, or Christmas Book Flood, is deeply rooted in the nation’s love for literature and storytelling.
4. (400 pts) During which world war did Iceland’s book-gifting tradition begin, back when paper stayed ungated while other gifts grew scarce? The story of Jolabokaflod begins during the Second World War, when paper was one of the few commodities not rationed, making books a popular gift.
5. (500 pts) Every December, which Swedish city builds a giant straw goat that locals keep trying to set on fire before Christmas Day? In the city of Gavle, Sweden, a 42-foot high straw goat is erected each year but often meets an unfortunate fate before the end of Advent.
6. (600 pts) About how many of Gavle’s straw goats have actually survived in one piece all the way to Christmas Day? Only 16 have ever survived until Christmas Day, as flaming arrows, beatings and even birds have taken their toll.
7. (700 pts) Long before Santa Claus, which horned Scandinavian figure delivered the gifts and still gets a giant straw tribute in Gavle every year? The straw goat is an ancient Scandinavian Yuletide character that precedes Santa Claus as a bringer of gifts, known as the Yule Goat.
8. (800 pts) In Ukrainian folklore, what tiny creature spun a web on a poor family’s bare tree that turned to silver and gold by morning? A spider spun an intricate web across the bare branches of the tree, and when morning came, the web shimmered into strands of silver and gold.
9. (900 pts) What are the small spider-shaped ornaments that Ukrainian children craft for the tree called? Ukrainian children craft little pavuchky ornaments, mini ornaments made of paper and wire in the shape of a spider.
10. (1000 pts) What horned companion of St. Nicholas punishes naughty children across Austria and the Alpine regions every winter? The devilish companion of St. Nicholas, Krampus punishes naughty children and is the devilish companion to St. Nicholas.
11. (1100 pts) On what date does Krampusnacht fall, the night before the Feast of St. Nicholas? Krampus is said to accompany Saint Nicholas on visits to children during the night of 5 December, Krampusnacht, immediately before the Feast of St. Nicholas on 6 December.
12. (1200 pts) Named for the American ambassador who brought it home from Mexico, what red-and-green Christmas plant is still called Flor de Nochebuena there? In the 19th century, Joel Roberts Poinsett was amazed by the cuetlaxochitl in Taxco and took cuttings home, and the plant was commonly named poinsettia as a tribute to him.

Holiday Treats

The spread on this table is a global potluck, from a German bakers’ craft to a Mexican bread with a plastic baby hidden inside, and the board rewards whoever actually reads the label on the tin. A pack of blank cardstock and a cheap laminating pouch turn these cards into something sturdy enough to survive the whole holiday season if the deck comes out again next year. Guests hungry for a second round afterward can move straight into a family trivia questions night with a completely different set of categories.

1. (100 pts) What edible holiday craft became a German tradition after the Brothers Grimm published Hansel and Gretel in 1812? The tradition of making decorated gingerbread houses started in Germany in the early 1800s, after the fairy tale described children finding an edible house: the gingerbread house.
2. (200 pts) What German city gives its name to a dense, fruit-studded, powdered-sugar-dusted Christmas bread? Dresden, home of stollen.
3. (300 pts) What tall, dome-shaped Italian sweet bread studded with candied fruit takes its name from the city that invented it? Panettone, from Milan.
4. (400 pts) What rich, spiced drink made from eggs, milk and sugar traces back to a medieval British drink called posset? Eggnog.
5. (500 pts) What French dessert is a rolled sponge cake decorated to look like a log, traditionally served on Christmas Eve? Buche de Noel, the Yule log cake.
6. (600 pts) In the famous 1823 poem, what sweet treat danced in the children’s heads while they slept, snug in their beds? Sugar-plums.
7. (700 pts) Centuries ago this pastry was stuffed with meat as well as fruit and spice; what do we call it today? Mince pie.
8. (800 pts) What steamed dessert gets stirred clockwise by the whole family while everyone makes a wish, sometimes with a coin hidden inside? Christmas pudding.
9. (900 pts) Before peppermint stripes took over, what shape and color were candy canes originally sold in? Straight and all white.
10. (1000 pts) What Mexican sweet bread, eaten on Epiphany, hides a tiny plastic baby figure inside for whoever finds the slice? Rosca de Reyes.
11. (1100 pts) What dense holiday dessert is famous for a shelf life so long that the same one gets jokingly re-gifted for years? Fruitcake.
12. (1200 pts) Gingerbread houses actually predate the fairy tale that made them famous: in which century did German bakers begin the craft? Gingerbread houses originated in Germany during the 16th century, though their popularity as a Christmas tradition ignited after the Grimms’ tale.

Carols

Nobody has to carry a tune for this round, since the lyrics stay out of it completely: these twelve questions are about who actually wrote the melodies everyone hums without thinking, and the odd history behind them. For a round built entirely around music rather than the holiday, a music trivia night covers every era using the same simple format.

1. (100 pts) Silent Night was written and first performed in which country? Silent Night was composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria.
2. (200 pts) Who composed the melody for Silent Night and set it to guitar for its first performance? Mohr showed Gruber a six-stanza poem he had written in 1816 and asked Gruber to set the poem to music: Franz Xaver Gruber.
3. (300 pts) In which small Austrian town was Silent Night first performed, on Christmas Eve 1818? The Silent Night carol was first performed in the church of St Nikola in Oberndorf on Christmas Eve of 1818.
4. (400 pts) Jingle Bells was written in 1857 for which other holiday, not Christmas at all? Thanksgiving.
5. (500 pts) Who wrote Jingle Bells under its original title, One Horse Open Sleigh? James Lord Pierpont.
6. (600 pts) The song Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is based on a 1939 story created for which department store’s holiday giveaway? Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a 1949 song written by Johnny Marks based on the 1939 story published by the Montgomery Ward Company.
7. (700 pts) Who wrote that original 1939 Rudolph story, years before his brother-in-law turned it into a hit song? In 1939, Marks’ brother-in-law, Robert L. May, created the character Rudolph as an assignment for Montgomery Ward.
8. (800 pts) Whose 1949 recording of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer became the first version to top the charts? Gene Autry’s recording hit No. 1 on the U.S. charts the week of Christmas 1949.
9. (900 pts) O Holy Night was composed in French by Adolphe Adam, with lyrics written by which French poet? Placide Cappeau.
10. (1000 pts) The tune for Hark the Herald Angels Sing was adapted from a cantata by which composer? Felix Mendelssohn.
11. (1100 pts) Deck the Halls borrows its melody from a Welsh song traditionally sung on what occasion? New Year’s Eve, from the tune Nos Galan.
12. (1200 pts) In 2011, which carol on this list was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO? Silent Night was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011.

Christmas Movies

Every family has the person who has watched Die Hard forty times and still argues it is not a Christmas film: this round puts actors, directors and plot twists to the test instead. Short on time, a set of free printable Christmas trivia rounds runs the same idea in a lighter, quicker format.

1. (100 pts) In Home Alone, what is the surname of the family young Kevin gets left behind by? McCallister.
2. (200 pts) Which actor plays Kevin McCallister in Home Alone? Macaulay Culkin.
3. (300 pts) In Elf, what name does Will Ferrell’s character go by, despite being human and raised among Santa’s elves? Buddy.
4. (400 pts) What 1946 Frank Capra film stars James Stewart as a man who gets to see what the world would look like if he had never been born? It’s a Wonderful Life.
5. (500 pts) In A Christmas Story, what gift does Ralphie want more than anything, despite being warned he will shoot his eye out? A Red Ryder BB gun.
6. (600 pts) Which stop-motion film follows Jack Skellington as he tries to take over Christmas from Halloween Town? The film tells the story of Jack Skellington, a being from Halloween Town who opens a portal to Christmas Town and decides to celebrate the holiday: The Nightmare Before Christmas.
7. (700 pts) Who actually directed The Nightmare Before Christmas, even though Tim Burton often gets the credit? Henry Selick is the director of The Nightmare Before Christmas, though he has said the credit going to Burton was a Disney marketing tactic.
8. (800 pts) What 1954 film gave its name to a holiday classic after Bing Crosby sang its title song? White Christmas.
9. (900 pts) Based on a Chris Van Allsburg book, which 2004 film has Tom Hanks voicing and motion-capturing multiple roles aboard a magical train? The Polar Express.
10. (1000 pts) In National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, what is the surname of Chevy Chase’s accident-prone family man? Griswold.
11. (1100 pts) What 1947 film asks whether a department-store Santa really might be the genuine Kris Kringle? Miracle on 34th Street.
12. (1200 pts) Which 1988 action film, set at a Los Angeles office Christmas party, still sparks arguments over whether it counts as a Christmas movie? Die Hard.

Santa and Reindeer Lore

Before Rudolph, before the red suit went mainstream, one 1823 poem invented most of what the room assumes is ancient tradition: these questions dig into exactly what that poem said, names included.

1. (100 pts) What was the original title of the 1823 poem now better known as Twas the Night Before Christmas? The poem was first published anonymously under the title Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas.
2. (200 pts) In which newspaper was the poem first published, on December 23, 1823? The poem was first published in the Troy, New York Sentinel on December 23, 1823, having been sent there by a friend of Moore.
3. (300 pts) Which poet is most often credited as the poem’s author, acknowledging it himself in his own 1844 book? It was first attributed in print to Moore in 1837, and Moore himself acknowledged authorship when he included it in his own book of poems in 1844.
4. (400 pts) Whose family spent decades insisting he, not Moore, had actually written the poem? Henry Livingston died in 1828 and never claimed authorship, but by the turn of the century members of the Livingston clan had begun to publicly insist that he wrote it.
5. (500 pts) How many reindeer pull Santa’s sleigh in the original 1823 poem, long before Rudolph joined the team? The poem describes Santa’s sleigh being pulled by a team of eight reindeer, best known as Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen.
6. (600 pts) In the 1823 original, what were the two reindeer now called Donder and Blitzen actually named? In 1823, St. Nicholas calls to Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder, and Blixem.
7. (700 pts) Those original names, Dunder and Blixem, are Dutch for which two weather words? Scholars have pointed out the similarities between Dunder and the Dutch word for thunder, and Blixem and bliksem, lightning.
8. (800 pts) According to the poem, how does St. Nicholas get into the house to deliver the presents? Down the chimney.
9. (900 pts) The poem famously compares St. Nicholas’s belly, when he laughed, to what wobbly dessert? A bowl full of jelly.
10. (1000 pts) What is the poem’s closing line, Santa’s parting wish to the household? Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.
11. (1100 pts) Which poet and editor first publicly credited Moore as the poem’s author, in an 1842 poetry anthology? In 1842, the noted poet and editor William Cullen Bryant credited Moore as the author when he included the piece in an anthology of American poetry he had compiled.
12. (1200 pts) The reindeer names reveal a debt to which country’s folklore, the same one that shaped New York’s earliest St. Nicholas legends? Much of the original concept of St. Nicholas is drawn from Dutch legends, which were in turn based on a third century Greek bishop.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many players do you need for Christmas Jeopardy?

The format flexes with the room. A handful of people can play solo and buzz in individually, while a bigger crowd works better split into small teams of two to four so everyone gets a turn to call a category.

How many questions should a Christmas trivia game have?

Sixty questions across five categories runs comfortably for an hour-long game night, since an even mix of easy and hard rounds keeps both the kids and the office know-it-alls engaged without dragging.

How do you play Christmas Jeopardy?

A host reads the card, teams call a category and point value from the board, and whoever answers correctly first keeps the points and picks the next square. Wrong answers simply pass to the next team.

Can kids play along with this Christmas trivia?

Yes, the low point values are written for casual guessers while the top rows reward whoever actually knows carol history or the original poem, so mixed-age tables stay competitive without anyone feeling shut out.

Do you need real buzzers to play?

No buzzer system is necessary. A simple rule works fine: whichever team shouts first gets the first shot at the answer, and a five-second limit keeps the game moving if nobody jumps in.

How do I print and set up the cards?

Print each category’s two sheets, cut along the lines, and keep the matching answer key face down by the host’s seat. Laminating the cards means the same deck survives being shuffled again next year.