Christmas History
What Roman festival is believed to have influenced the timing of Christmas?
Saturnalia
: What Christmas song was originally written for Thanksgiving?
Jingle Bells
What country celebrates Christmas with a giant lantern festival called Ligligan Parul?
Philippines
What year was It’s a Wonderful Life released?
1946
What color was Santa’s suit before red became popular?
Green
In what year was Christmas officially recognized as a holiday in the Roman Empire?
336 AD
Who wrote “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)”?
Mel Tormé
In which country does a Christmas witch named La Befana deliver gifts?
Italy
What department store is featured in Miracle on 34th Street?
Macy’s
What Norse god is sometimes linked to the legend of Santa Claus?
Odin
Which country first used candles to decorate Christmas trees?
Germany
What song begins with the line “City sidewalks, busy sidewalks…”?
Silver Bells
What Scandinavian country hides brooms on Christmas Eve?
Norway
What is the name of the snowman in The Polar Express?
Hobo
What is the name of Santa’s reindeer that is rarely mentioned?
Blitzen
What Puritan-controlled colony banned Christmas celebrations in the 1600s?
Massachusetts Bay Colony
Which Christmas carol was first published in 1744?
Adeste Fideles
In Catalonia, what unusual character appears in nativity scenes?
El Caganer
What actor voiced Jack Skellington in The Nightmare Before Christmas?
Danny Elfman
What saint is Santa Claus based on?
St. Nicholas
Which pope officially declared December 25 as Christmas Day?
Pope Julius I
What modern Christmas song took over 25 years to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100?
All I Want for Christmas Is You
In which country do people roller-skate to church on Christmas Eve?
Venezuela
What Christmas movie is based on a short story by Jean Shepherd?
A Christmas Story
What was the original name of the poem “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”?
A Visit from St. Nicholas