Christmas Music
This song begins with the line: “You better watch out, you better not cry.”
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
In Japan, Christmas is famously associated with eating this fast-food meal.
KFC
This planet in our solar system has the shortest day (fastest rotation)
Jupiter
Many English place names ending in “-by” (such as Derby or Whitby) come from this Scandinavian language
Old Norse
This plant associated with kissing at Christmas comes from ancient pagan fertility traditions.
Mistletoe
Originally released in 1984, this song by Wham! returns to the charts almost every December.
Last Christmas
In Italy, this Christmas cake filled with candied fruit and raisins is a festive staple.
Panettone
If you fold a standard sheet of paper in half 42 times, its thickness would theoretically reach this
The Moon
This large area of England was ruled by Viking law during the 9th and 10th centuries.
Danelaw
This tradition of decorating evergreen trees at Christmas originated in this European country.
Germany
This Christmas song became a hit decades after it was written, following a 1942 film release.
White Christmas
- Originally made by Irving Berlin, made famous by Bing Crosby
In Austria and parts of Germany, this horned figure roams the streets in early December to punish naughty children.
Krampus
This is the only letter that does not appear in the name of any US state.
Q
This English city, once known as Jórvík, was a major Viking trading centre.
York
This Christmas tradition of hanging stockings comes from legends about this historical figure.
Saint Nicholas
This UK Christmas hit brought together dozens of British and Irish artists under one name in 1984.
Do They Know It’s Christmas?
This small elf-like figure is believed to protect the household and must be kept happy with a bowl of porridge on Christmas Eve.
Nisse
This was the first country Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated by, forcing him to abdicate in 1814
United Kingdom
Which of these common English words comes directly from Old Norse rather than Old English?
A) Bread
B) House
C) Window
D) Mother
C) Window
The Vikings didn’t just bring axes — they brought windows. The word comes from Old Norse vindauga, meaning ‘wind eye’.
Why was December 25th chosen as the date for Christmas?
A) It matches the date of Jesus’s birth
B) It aligns with existing Roman winter festivals
C) It marks the winter solstice
D) It was chosen by medieval English kings
B) It aligns with existing Roman winter festivals
This Christmas song was banned by the BBC in 1957 for being “too morbid” due to its lyrics about poverty and death.
Fairytale of New York
This Victorian-era book helped popularise many modern British Christmas traditions, including family gatherings and charitable giving.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The vacuum cleaner was originally invented to solve which problem?
A) Removing pet hair from carpets
B) Cleaning factory floors
C) Removing soot and ash from chimneys
D) Drying wet laundry indoors
C) Removing soot and ash from chimneys?
These three modern English pronouns replaced Old English ones due to Viking influence
they, them, and their
Why did bells become closely associated with Christmas?
A) They symbolise angels announcing Christ’s birth
B) They were used by churches to mark major religious celebrations
C) They were invented specifically for Christmas music
D) They replaced pagan drums banned by the church
B) They were used by churches to mark major religious celebrations?