Christmas Cinema
What year was It’s a Wonderful Life originally released?
1946
What year was White Christmas first released?
1942
What country celebrates Christmas Eve as the primary holiday instead of Christmas Day?
Poland
What Roman province was Saint Nicholas from?
Lycia
What emperor made Christianity legal, paving the way for Christmas celebrations?
Constantine the Great
What is the name of the department store in Miracle on 34th Street?
Macy’s
What Christmas song was banned by the BBC during World War II for being too sentimental?
White Christmas
What Alpine folklore creature punishes misbehaving children in December?
Krampus
What language does the name “Santa Claus” originate from?
Dutch
What was Christmas originally called in Old English?
Cristes Maesse
In A Christmas Carol, how many spirits visit Scrooge?
Four
Who wrote Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas?
Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane
In Iceland, what tradition involves giving books on Christmas Eve?
Jólabókaflóð
What poem introduced the names of Santa’s reindeer?
A Visit from St. Nicholas
What color were early Christmas candles meant to symbolize Christ’s purity?
White
What 1984 cult film blends Christmas with horror and includes creatures afraid of light and water?
Gremlins
What song popularized the lyric “Faithful friends who are dear to us”?
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
In Venezuela, which city famously blocks streets so children can sleep with strings tied to their toes to wake them for church?
Caracas
What 19th-century cartoonist helped shape Santa’s modern physical appearance?
Thomas Nast
What chemical compound gives pine trees their distinctive Christmas smell?
Terpenes
In Eyes Wide Shut, what holiday decoration is present throughout the film, fueling its Christmas-movie debate?
Christmas lights
What Christmas song was the first ever played on the radio from space?
Jingle Bells
What Eastern European country decorates trees with artificial spider webs for luck?
Ukraine
What real-life event caused Santa to become associated with chimneys?
Saint Nicholas secretly delivering gifts through windows and roofs
What astronomical event is theorized to be the “Star of Bethlehem”?
A planetary conjunction