Holidays

35 Holiday Trivia Facts That Will Impress Your Guests This Year

Heat up the holidays with some friendly competition.

by Lauren Grant and Emma Carey
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Find 35 holiday trivia questions & answers for Zoom parties.
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The holidays are a perfect time for reuniting, reminiscing, and rejoicing with friends and family. But, as you gather ‘round after another calendar year has gone by, it’s also an opportunity to remind your loved ones how brilliant you are with some good old-fashioned holiday-themed trivia.

OK, so maybe competition and celebration don’t go hand in hand for everybody. But, incorporating a game into your festivities is a great way to get everybody involved in the fun and break the ice if you have new holiday guests. And, as some may opt for another year of virtual holiday celebrations, games can also help to take the emotional lag out of a Zoom party.

Common traditions like Secret Santa and Yankee Swap aren’t exactly ideal for virtual parties. But what better way to have some festive fun than with a round of holiday-themed trivia? For how much time we spend celebrating the winter holidays, there’s surprisingly a whole lot that most of us don’t know about holiday origins and traditions. So, get the fireplace roaring — or fire up your laptop — for a memorable night of fun facts. Below, you’ll find holiday trivia questions and answers.

Holiday Trivia Questions

  1. When was the term "X-mas" invented?
  2. True or false: The song "Jingle Bells" was written specifically for Christmas.
  3. When was Christmas declared a national holiday?
  4. True or false: Hanukkah is the most popular Jewish holiday.
  5. How many days of Kwanzaa are there?
  6. Do more Americans get real or artificial trees?
  7. What does the word "Hanukkah" mean?
  8. What is the candle holder for Hanukkah called?
  9. What year was Kwanzaa created?
  10. Which three colors are used in Kwanzaa?
  11. Who was the first U.S. president to recognize Hanukkah in the White House?
  12. True or false: You are supposed to light all of the candles on the first night of Hanukkah.
  13. What is the candle holder for Kwanzaa called?
  14. How much money do Americans spend (on average) on holiday gifts per person?
  15. True or false: Kwanzaa is a religious holiday.
  16. Which department store was featured in the film Miracle on 34th Street?
  17. What is the highest-grossing Christmas movie?
  18. Which is more popular for gift purchasing: Black Friday or Cyber Monday?
  19. True or false: Christmas originally began as a pagan holiday.
  20. In the Christmas story The Gift of Magi, what does the wife sell in order to purchase a gift for her husband?
  21. Who was the author of A Christmas Carol?
  22. How many reindeer were in the story 'Twas the Night Before Christmas?
  23. What made Frosty the Snowman come to life?
  24. What country was the original St. Nicholas from?
  25. What were Frosty the Snowman’s first words?
  26. How many days of Hanukkah are there?
  27. True or false: Hanukkah falls on the same dates every year.
  28. What is the Yiddish word for “spinning top,” as played on Hanukkah?
  29. On Hanukkah, children are often given chocolate coins called what?
  30. True or false: Kwanzaa was invented in Africa.
  31. The word “Kwanzaa” comes from a phrase meaning, “first fruits,” in which language?
  32. “Eight Crazy Nights” is an animated Hanukkah movie starring which Jewish comedian?
  33. Kwanzaa creator Maulana Karenga was first inspired to create the holiday after the 1965 Los Angeles civil uprising known as the [Blank] Rebellion.
  34. When was the first New Year’s Eve ball drop?
  35. Which American television personality is most famous for hosting New Year’s Eve from Times Square on ABC?

Holiday Trivia Answers

  1. The mid-1500s by the Greeks (Fun fact: "Christos" in Greek begins with the letter X.)
  2. False
  3. 1870
  4. False (Passover is the most celebrated)
  5. 7
  6. Artificial
  7. "Hanukkah" means "dedication"
  8. Menorah
  9. 1966
  10. Black, red, and green (Fun fact: Black symbolizes the African people, red is for the struggle, and green is for the rich land of Africa.)
  11. Jimmy Carter in 1979
  12. False
  13. Kinara
  14. About $1,000 per person ($1 trillion total in the United States)
  15. False
  16. Macy's
  17. Home Alone
  18. Black Friday
  19. True
  20. Her hair
  21. Charles Dickens
  22. 8 (Rudolph isn't in this story.)
  23. His hat
  24. Turkey
  25. “Happy birthday!”
  26. Eight.
  27. False.
  28. Dreidel
  29. Gelt.
  30. False. It was invented in the U.S.
  31. Swahili.
  32. Adam Sandler
  33. Watts.
  34. 1907
  35. Dick Clark

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