Traditions Around the World
Many people in Japan eat this fast‑food chain’s fried chicken on Christmas Eve.
What is KFC?
The 1857 song often associated with sleighs, originally titled “One Horse Open Sleigh.”
What is “Jingle Bells”?
A dense fruit‑and‑nut loaf often joked about and long‑lasting as a holiday gift.
What is fruitcake?
The 1990 film in which Kevin McCallister famously defends his home from burglars.
What is Home Alone?
The Christian season of preparation for Christmas spanning the four Sundays before Dec 25.
What is Advent?
The Dutch/Belgian gift‑bringing figure celebrated on Dec 5–6.
Who is Sinterklaas? or Who is Santa Claus?
Irving Berlin song famously recorded by Bing Crosby that begins “I’m dreaming of a…”
What is “White Christmas”?
The log‑shaped chocolate cake named after a traditional hearth log burned at Yule.
What is a Yule log (Bûche de Noël)?
The 2003 film starring Will Ferrell as Buddy, a human raised by elves who travels to New York.
What is Elf?
The country most often credited with popularizing the modern indoor decorated Christmas tree.
What is Germany?
A small U.K. party favor pulled apart to reveal a toy, paper hat, and joke.
What is a Christmas cracker?
The reindeer‑themed song popularized by Gene Autry that began as a department‑store promotion.
What is “Rudolph the Red‑Nosed Reindeer”?
A spiced milk‑and‑egg drink commonly served chilled or warm during the holidays.
What is eggnog?
The 2004 animated film based on a picture book about a boy’s magical train ride to the North Pole.
What is The Polar Express?
The astronomical event caused by Earth’s axial tilt that marks the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
What is the winter solstice?
The date many Orthodox Christian churches celebrate Christmas according to the Julian calendar.
What is January 7?
The 1994 pop hit by Mariah Carey that became a modern Christmas standard.
What is “All I Want for Christmas Is You”?
Fried potato pancakes traditionally eaten during Hanukkah.
What are latkes?
This secular holiday celebrated on December 23 features an aluminum pole, the "Airing of Grievances," and was popularized by a 1997 Seinfeld episode.
What is Festivus?
The holiday name that refers to the historical practice of giving servants or tradespeople boxes of gifts or money after Christmas.
What is Boxing Day?
A Scandinavian festival on Dec 13 celebrating a young woman wearing a crown of candles.
Correct response: What is St. Lucia Day?
The bilingual 1970 holiday song by José Feliciano repeating “Feliz Navidad.”
What is “Feliz Navidad”?
A steamed pudding often doused in brandy and set alight as a British holiday classic.
What is Christmas pudding?
The man whose life Clarence the angel helps to appreciate in It’s a Wonderful Life.
Who is George Bailey?
The pre‑Christian Germanic midwinter festival associated with the winter solstice.
What is Yule?