Merry Movies
In the Christmas Carol, what is Scrooge’s first name?
Ebenezer
What holiday was started in the 1960s to celebrate African American heritage?
Kwanzaa
What parasitic plant is, oddly enough, supposed to inspire us to kiss on the holidays?
Mistletoe
No New Year’s Eve toast is complete without a glass of what?
Champagne
Long before Christmas was a thing, people around the world had festivals at this time of year to mark what astronomical event?
Winter solstice/longest night/shortest day
The original “Home Alone” house near Chicago was sold in January – it’s got 9,100 square feet, 5 bedrooms and an indoor sports court. It was built in 1921 and totally renovated in 2018. What was the sale price, to the nearest million, without going over?
$5.5 million
Which empire was the town of Bethlehem was once part of?
Roman Empire
Americans go looking for holiday sales on Black Friday. But in England and its former colonies, what is the big day to seek discounts? It started as a day to give money or gifts to the poor and to your servants.
Boxing Day (December 26)
What do Jewish children compete to win, and then eat, on Hanukkah when they spin the dreidel?
Chocolate coins (gelt)
What holiday is celebrated on the day the wise men arrived in Bethlehem, and marks the end of the 12 Days of Christmas?
Epiphany/Orthodox Christmas (Jan. 6)
What Bruce Willis action film is really a Christmas movie?
Die Hard
What crucial supply miraculously held out for the Jewish warrior group called the Maccabees in 165 BC – which led to it being part of today’s Hanukkah celebrations?
Oil (for lamps)
The ancient Druids built, and then gathered each December at, what famous landmark to mark the longest night of the year with feasting – and perhaps heavy metal music?
Stonehenge
In Mexico, a key traditional food for Christmas involves wrapping various combinations of meats and cornmeal in corn husks. What are these called?
Tamales
What’s the last country to ring out the old year and ring in the new?
The U.S. (via our Outlying Islands)
What town does the Grinch invade on Christmas Eve?
The first U.S. president to recognize Hanukkah in the White House did so in 1979. Who was it?
Jimmy Carter
What’s the first line of a famous poem written in 1822 by Clement Clarke Moore that basically introduced Santa Claus to America?
'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house…
What legume is considered lucky to eat on New Year’s Day because it can bring you prosperity in the year to come? (You could also listen to the song My Humps by a band with the same name while you eat them.)
Black eyed peas
In Detroit on December 21st, the shortest day of the year, how many hours of daylight will we have, to the nearest hour without going over?
9 hours (and 4 minutes)
What are the four main food groups for Buddy the Elf? (must get all four)
Candy, candy canes, candy corn, syrup
In the earliest days of the American colonies, what religious group completely canceled Christmas because it was too decadent? (Or maybe they were still full from Thanksgiving dinner.)
Puritans
The modern Hindu holiday of Pancha Ganapati is celebrated from December 21 to 25, and honors a god who traditionally has an elephant head and is the patron of culture and new beginnings. What is his name?
Ganesh(a)
Whether it’s panettone in Italy, mincemeat and Christmas pudding in England, stollen in Germany, or that waxy-looking weird loaf in the American supermarket, what is the common kind of ingredient in all these holiday dishes?
Dried fruit (raisins/figs/dates/prunes)
The full moon in December, which this year happened on December 4, was traditionally called Minado Giisoonhs by the Anishinaabeg people of Michigan, and means Little Spirit Moon. But nationally, it’s more commonly known by the name given to it by the Mohawk nation, because it basically describes what’s going on with the weather at this time of year. What do we call that moon?
The Cold Moon