History
•It is located in the Indian Ocean, around 350 kilometres (220 mi) south of Java and Sumatra Captain William Mynors sailed past it on 25 December 1643 and gave it a name.
• Which name?
Bonus +200 points - what country does it belong to?
Christmas Island
Australia
•Based on the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (commonly called "The Night Before Christmas") by Clement Clarke Moore, they are called Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen.
•Who are they?
Santa's reindeer
In this country the traditional Christmas dinner consists of sausages, burgers, steaks, prawns and beer.
Name the country
Australia
In Love Actually, who sings the carol Good King Wenceslaus?
Bonus +100 - King Wenceslaus was actually not a king, when he was alive, but the Duke of ______________. Name the Duchy.
The Prime Minister
Bohemia
One of the best-known and commonly sung American Christmas songs in the world, originally published under the title "One-_____ Open _________" in the autumn of 1857, became the first song ever to be performed in space by American astronauts in 1965.
Give the title of the song.
+100 points - complete the original title of the song.
Jingle Bells
One-Horse Open Sleigh
What is the connections between Jesus Christ, the river Jordan and 6th January, according to the Bible?
He was baptised in the river on that day.
What is the name of the Jewish Festival of Lights that takes place around the same time as Christmas?
Hanukkah
The Polish share the Christmas wafer (oplatek) and wish each other good things for the coming year at what moment of Christmas Eve?
When the first star appears (the dusk)
In Home Alone, what is Kevin's family name and which city do they live in? 100 points for each.
McAllister
Chicago
In 1970, after the band’s break-up, the UK fan-club sent out a compilation LP of all seven of the band’s special Christmas recordings for fans, entitled From Then to You. In the US, the seven messages were issued as “____________ ____________ Christmas Album’.
Complete the two words in the title.
The Beatles
A new king of England was crowned on the Christmas Day of 1066 and started a new dynasty of monarchs there. Give the name of the king.
Bonus +100 - Give the name of the dynasty he started.
Bonus +100 - Give the name of the abbey he was crowned in.
William the Conqueror
Normandy
Westminster Abbey.
An "adventurous and forward-thinking Tom Smith invented a new way of packaging sugared almonds", which included a love motto and twisted ends. In a few years it developed into something whose look and sound is difficult to imagine Christmas without. Thomas Smith company still produces his invention.
Name the Christmas table decoration.
Christmas crackers
Foie Gras is a popular Christmas food in France. What does Foie Gras mean in English?
Fat Liver
This is the highest grossing Christmas film of all time, starring the voices of Benedict Cumberbatch as the title character, with Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson, Angela Lansbury, and Pharrell Williams. The live-action version of the same story released in 2000 is the fifth highest-grossing Christmas film.
Name the story
Bonus +200 points - name the author of the 1957 children's book the films are based on.
The Grinch
Dr Zeuss
A modern popular Czech singer, born Miroslav Slodičák, but better known by his stage name, and one of the most popular singers of Czechoslovakia recorded a Christmas cross-generational duet in 2021, a year before the death of the latter.
Vánoce ______________ ____________ Complete the two words in the title.
For bonus 200 points – give the names of both singers (100 points each)
Vánoce jako dřív
Marek Ztracený
Hana Zagorová
Which land, which was part of the Roman Empire, but out of reach for King Herod, did Joseph and Mary escape to protect baby Jesus from the Massacre of the Innocents?
Egypt
Many Spaniards make sure to wear red ___________ on New Year’s Eve as an extra guarantee of joy and good luck, but it can never be on show.
What red garments do they wear?
Underwear
This Christmas dish, filled with fruit, was first mentioned in an official document in 1474 and remains notable and available – amongst other places – at the _______________ Christmas market, the Striezelmarkt. The festival dedicated to it takes place on the Saturday before the second Sunday in Advent, when the dish, weighing 3-4 tonnes, is taken by a carriage to the Christmas market, where it is ceremoniously cut into pieces and distributed among the crowd, in return for a small payment which goes to charity.
Name the dish
Bonus 200 points - name the city where the fistival takes place.
Stollen
Dresden
In an episode of this show set around Christmas one of the main characters sings a Christmas song for her friends, which goes like this:
"Monica, Monica, Have a Happy Hanukkah!
Saw Santa Claus, He said hello to _______.
And please tell Joey, Christmas will be snowy!
And Rachel and __________, Have err-umm-glander!"
Name the show
+100 for each missing name in the song and the name of the singing character.
Friends
Ross, Chandler, Phoebe
An acronym for Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr; which translates into English as "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour", is also a name (in translation) of a composer of a very popular Christmas piece of music in the Czech lands.
Bonus 100 points – what is the name of the piece of music?
Ryba; Česka mše vanoční
On Christmas 1776 a general who had sustained several defeats earlier during that war, crossed a cold river with a small army and the next day surprisingly attacked his opponents, still groggy after celebrating Christmas. It was the first victory for the general's side in that war, which eventually led to a new country being born.
Name the general.
Bonus +200 points - name the river his army crossed.
George Washington
The Delaware River
What is exchanged on Christmas eve as part of the Jolabokaflod tradition?
Bonus +200 points - name the country where this tradition is held?
Books
Iceland
In Spain it is customary to eat 12 grapes on 31st December at 12 precise moments, which supposedly guarantees a year of good luck and prosperity.
Which 12 moments?
Each of the twelve clock bell strikes at midnight
This 2019 film, where nothing seems to go right for young Kate, a frustrated Londoner who works as an elf in a year-round Christmas shop, is named after one of the most popular (relatively modern) Christmas pop songs. In the film things soon take a turn for the better when she meets Tom - a handsome charmer who seems too good to be true.
Name the film.
Bonus +200 - name the most famous role of Emilia Clarke, playing Kate in this film.
Last Christmas
Daenerys Targaryen, Game of Thrones.
Brenda Lee recorded this song in 1958, being only 13 years old. In November 2023, Lee released a music video for the song, and in December 2023 the song topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, marking Lee's third number-one single and making Lee the oldest artist ever to top the Hot 100 at age 78, later breaking the record once again one week later at the age of 79.
“______________ _____________ the Christmas Tree.” Complete the two words in the title.
Rocking Around the Christmas Tree