50 Christmas quiz questions with answers (2026 edition)

Fifty questions, five rounds, every answer checked. Read them out, print them, or paste them into the slides for the office party. They're written the way we write The Social Quiz Club: a few everyone gets, a few nobody gets, and enough in between to spread the scores. The answers are under each round, so scroll carefully if you're playing.

Round 1: traditions and history

1. In which country did the decorated Christmas tree, as we know it, first become popular in the 16th century?
2. Which plant do people traditionally kiss under?
3. What were the three gifts the Magi brought?
4. In the UK, on which date is Boxing Day?
5. Which Italian witch delivers sweets to children on the eve of Epiphany?
6. "Good King Wenceslas looked out" on the feast of which saint?
7. The poem that begins "'Twas the night before Christmas" has what proper title?
8. Which soft-drink company's 1930s adverts, painted by Haddon Sundblom, helped fix the modern image of Santa Claus?
9. In "The Twelve Days of Christmas", how many gifts are given in total across the twelve days?
10. What was traditionally hidden in a Christmas pudding for luck?

Answers: 1. Germany. 2. Mistletoe. 3. Gold, frankincense and myrrh. 4. 26 December. 5. La Befana. 6. St Stephen (26 December). 7. "A Visit from St. Nicholas". 8. Coca-Cola. 9. 364. 10. A silver sixpence (any coin will do).

Round 2: film and TV

1. In Home Alone, which city does the McCallister family fly to for Christmas, leaving Kevin behind?
2. Who plays Buddy in Elf?
3. Die Hard takes place during a Christmas party in the tower of which fictional corporation?
4. In Love Actually, what is the first name of Hugh Grant's Prime Minister?
5. What is the name of the Grinch's dog?
6. Who plays Scrooge in The Muppet Christmas Carol?
7. Which film has the line "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings"?
8. Which stop-motion film, produced by Tim Burton, stars Jack Skellington?
9. Which actor plays Scrooge in the 1951 British film Scrooge?
10. In which 1988 film does Bill Murray play a television executive visited by three ghosts?

Answers: 1. Paris. 2. Will Ferrell. 3. The Nakatomi Corporation (Nakatomi Plaza). 4. David. 5. Max. 6. Michael Caine. 7. It's a Wonderful Life. 8. The Nightmare Before Christmas. 9. Alastair Sim. 10. Scrooged.

Round 3: music

1. Which band had the UK Christmas number one in 1973 with "Merry Xmas Everybody"?
2. "Fairytale of New York" is by The Pogues featuring which singer?
3. Who wrote "White Christmas"?
4. In which year was Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" released?
5. Which carol was first sung in German as "Stille Nacht"?
6. Released in 1984, Wham!'s "Last Christmas" finally reached UK number one in which year?
7. In which year was Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" first released?
8. Which Christmas song did Brenda Lee first release in 1958?
9. Who had a hit in 1985 with "Merry Christmas Everyone"?
10. Which Christmas song did Bing Crosby and David Bowie sing together on television in 1977?

Answers: 1. Slade. 2. Kirsty MacColl. 3. Irving Berlin. 4. 1994. 5. Silent Night. 6. 2021. 7. 1984. 8. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree". 9. Shakin' Stevens. 10. "Peace on Earth / Little Drummer Boy".

Round 4: food and drink

1. What is the main ingredient of marzipan?
2. Which bird was the traditional British Christmas roast before turkey took over?
3. Panettone is a sweet Christmas bread from which country?
4. Which spirit is traditionally poured over a Christmas pudding and set alight?
5. What is the German name for the spiced mulled wine sold at Christmas markets?
6. What is the French name for a Yule log cake?
7. In the song, what is roasting on an open fire?
8. Stollen is most associated with which German city, home to one of the oldest Christmas markets?
9. Which Christmas drink is made with eggs, milk, sugar and usually rum or brandy?
10. In Japan, a Christmas meal from which fast-food chain has become a tradition?

Answers: 1. Almonds. 2. Goose. 3. Italy. 4. Brandy. 5. Glühwein. 6. Bûche de Noël. 7. Chestnuts. 8. Dresden. 9. Eggnog. 10. KFC.

Round 5: Christmas around the world

1. On which date does the Russian Orthodox Church celebrate Christmas?
2. What is the Welsh word for Christmas?
3. Who commissioned the first commercial Christmas card, in London in 1843?
4. How many reindeer pull Santa's sleigh, including Rudolph?
5. Which London square has a Christmas tree given each year by Norway?
6. In Mexico, what are the nine nights of processions re-enacting Mary and Joseph's search for a room called?
7. How many Yule Lads visit children in Iceland in the run-up to Christmas?
8. Santa Claus grew out of the legend of which 4th-century bishop of Myra?
9. In Catalonia, what is the name of the log that is "fed" through December and then beaten so it gives up presents?
10. In which year was the monarch's Christmas message first broadcast on the radio?

Answers: 1. 7 January. 2. Nadolig. 3. Sir Henry Cole. 4. Nine. 5. Trafalgar Square. 6. Las Posadas. 7. Thirteen. 8. St Nicholas. 9. Tió de Nadal (the Caga Tió). 10. 1932, by George V.

How to run it

• Teams of four to six. Bigger teams mean quieter people; smaller teams mean more teams to mark.
• Swap answer sheets to mark. Nobody marks their own, and the arguing over half-marks is half the fun.
• Make it phone-proof. Put the questions on a screen or read them twice, keep the pace up, and add one round nobody can search for: a picture round about your own company, a taste test, or a Christmas song played backwards. We've written up how to make a quiz phone-proof.
• Spread the scores. If every team is on 48 out of 50, the questions were too easy for your room. Our guide to hosting a great quiz has the rest.
• Finish on a high. A music round or a quickfire last, never the hardest round.

Planning the whole party, not just the quiz? Our Christmas party page has the quiz, Treachery! and the games night with prices, and our list of office Christmas party ideas for London in 2026 has the quiz, a Traitors-style game and a games night side by side, with prices.