Charlie Brown said it best: Christmas time is here!
Just in time for happiness and cheer, I come bearing trivia before the new year.
With facts and questions to test your mind, I hope you and your loved ones read with delight.
Did you know that Christmas was not always celebrated December 25? This day was actually never mentioned in the Bible. Prior to 336 AD, Christmas was likely celebrated in the spring.
Speaking of changing celebrations, celebrating Christmas was illegal in both England and colonial America for a time. Oliver Cromwell, a staunchly Puritan English ruler, took his strong abhorrence towards gluttony into the law by banning Christmas in 1647. This ban included Easter celebrations as well. (England only made Christmas a public holiday in 1958.)
This ban spread to the American colonies from 1659 to 1681 declaring that any sign of celebrations would warrant a hefty fine. Christmas wasn’t considered a national holiday in the US until 1870.
Later, attitudes about Christmas changed in England during the Victorian era with Christmas lovers Victoria and Albert on the throne. Christmas trees were popularized by Victoria and Albert in England and later the Americas, which were first seen in 16th century Germany.
Now that we're done with the history, let's get into some quizzical quizzes.
1) “Jingle Bells” by James Lord Pierpont was originally written for which holiday?
A) Christmas
B) Thanksgiving
C) Halloween
D) New years
2) During dutiful decorating, this many people end up in the ER each year . . .
A) 2,000 people
B) 8,000 people
C) 14,000 people
D) 25,000 people
3) Which of these jolly names is not one of Santa’s reindeer?
A) Blitzen
B) Vixen
C) Bashful
D) Donner
4) Which environmentalist president prohibited Christmas trees in the White House?
A) Theodore Roosevelt
B) Jimmy Carter
C) William McKinley
D) William Howard Taft
5) Santa Claus’s original name was . . .
A) Saint Nicolas
B) Sinterklaas
C) Krampus
D) Der Weihnachtsmann
6) In the popular film Polar Express, Tom Hanks played many characters except . . .
A) The know-it-all boy
B) The homeless man on top of the Polar Express
C) The conductor
D) Santa Claus
7) Prior to the 1930s, Santa sported many different colored garments ranging many sizes. This Company is the reason Santa is associated with the iconic red suit.
A) McDonalds
B) Coca-Cola
C) The Red Cross
D) Kellogg’s
8) Which of these iconic Christmas films is the highest grossing of all time?
A) Elf (2003)
B) Home Alone (1990)
C) A Christmas Story (1983)
D) The Grinch (2018)
9) The term “X-Mas” originated in which time period?
A) 1500s
B) 1850s
C) 1960s
D) 2000s
10) The popular Christmas carol, Silent Night, was originally written in which language?
A) English
B) Russian
C) German
D) French
Answer Key:
1) B - This tune was originally titled “One Horse Open Sleigh” for a church concert in the mid 19th century, later re-released in 1857 around Christmas time.
2) C - The Consumer Product Safety Commision states that around 14,700 people visit the hospital emergency rooms each November and December from decorating accidents.
3) C - Bashful is not one of Santa’s reindeer.
4) A - Ever the environmentalist, Teddy Roosevelt banned Christmas Trees from the White House in 1901.
5) A - Santa Claus originated as a monk born around 280 AD as St. Nicolas, spreading piety and kindness.
6) A - Multifaceted Tom Hanks outdid himself in Polar Express, playing six characters, but the know-it-all boy is not one of them.
7) B - Coca-Cola commissioned Thomas Nast (a cartoonist) to create a jolly Santa dressed in red for an ad in 1931, and the rest is history.
8) D - The 2018 computer-animated Grinch made $512,858,819 worldwide with Home Alone being the runner-up.
9) A - The term Xmas originated in the 1500s as the Greeks abbreviated Christ with the letter X.
10) C - This tune was originally titled “Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,” by Austrian priest Joseph Mohr in 1816.