Hooplah Lore
What was the 3rd Annual Hooplah theme?
Grinchmas
This traditional Christmas dessert is shaped like a log and often made of sponge cake rolled with cream and covered in chocolate frosting.
What is a yule log (Bûche de Noël)?
This large Arctic predator relies heavily on sea ice to hunt seals.
What is a polar bear?
After a day on the slopes, this social winter tradition involves relaxing at a mountain lodge with drinks, music, and cozy fireside vibes (often with boots still half on).
What is après-ski?
This natural phenomenon creates colorful lights in the sky near the North and South Poles.
What are the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)?
What was the Hooplah Theme in 2023?
Poison on the Polar Express
This European fruit-filled bread, often dusted with powdered sugar, is a Christmas staple in Germany.
What is stollen?
This animal changes its coat from brown in summer to white in winter for camouflage in snow.
What is a snowshoe hare?
This Winter Olympic sport is sometimes called “chess on ice,” where teams slide heavy granite stones toward a target while teammates sweep the ice to control speed and direction.
What is curling?
This Canadian province is famous for its snowy old city streets, French heritage, and massive winter carnival celebrations.
What is Québec?
How many babies attended in 2022?
2
What calendar year did chicken wings start being served by the hosts?
2024
Known for its thick fur and curled horns, this mountain animal survives harsh snowy alpine winters.
What is a bighorn sheep?
In this sliding sport, athletes race in teams of four over multiple runs, with the combined time determining the winner.
What is bobsledding (four-man bobsleigh)?
This Japanese region is famous for massive snowfall and hosts one of the world’s most iconic snow sculpture festivals each winter.
What is Hokkaido?
Who won elf on the shelf in 2025?
Sierra
What was the maximum # of cookies Josh has made in a single year?
300 cookies in 2024
This Arctic-dwelling owl is known for its bright white feathers, silent flight, and hunting ability during both day and night in snowy environments.
What is a snowy owl?
In this high-speed winter sport popular in the American West, skiers are pulled through snow courses by horses while navigating jumps and gates—often with rodeo-style flair and crowds in cowboy hats.
What is skijoring?
In this country, Christmas is not a national holiday, but it is often celebrated culturally as a romantic date night rather than a religious or family-centered winter festival.
What is Japan?
What was the charade game called that was played in 2023 (Hooplah experimentation year)?
Cowboy Christmas Charades
This rich, fruit-filled holiday dessert is traditionally aged for weeks or even months, often soaked in alcohol, and is commonly given as a festive gift in many Commonwealth countries.
What is Christmas pudding?
This small Arctic bird turns white in winter and is sometimes called the “snow partridge.”
What is a ptarmigan?
This country has won more Winter Olympic medals overall than any other nation.
What is Norway?
This warm spiced drink, commonly sold at German Christmas markets, is made by heating wine with cinnamon, cloves, and citrus.
What is Glühwein?