# Christmas Trivia: 24 Questions with Separate Player and Host Printables
Play 24 original Christmas trivia questions in two rounds, with sourced answers, simple scoring and separate free A4 or Letter player and host PDFs.
Canonical: https://feteandfig.com/stories/christmas-trivia
Author: Fête & Fig Editorial (https://feteandfig.com/about)
Published: 2026-10-08T21:30:00.000Z
Updated: 2026-10-08T21:30:00.000Z
These **Christmas trivia questions** make a small, paper-first game for adults: twelve questions about stories and traditions, then twelve about festive plants and winter surprises. The answers draw on museum collections, botanical publications, NOAA and NASA, with a source beside every answer. There are no song lyrics to finish, tasting tasks or questions about guests' personal lives.
Choose **2-12 willing players**, individually or in pairs, and one non-playing host. Each individual or pair is one entry with the same maximum score. You can play either round on its own for twelve points, or both for **24 points**. Set aside roughly 25-35 minutes for both rounds and reveals; this is a planning allowance, not a measured game trial.
## Download the free Christmas trivia
The **player file has two pages**, one twelve-question round on each. It contains writing lines and score fields, without marked answers or a source list that could reveal them. The **host file has four pages**: rules, round-one answers, round-two answers and linked references. Both paper sizes contain the same questions and numbering.
- [A4 player papers, 2 pages](/downloads/christmas-trivia-players-a4.pdf).
- [A4 private host pack, 4 pages](/downloads/christmas-trivia-host-a4.pdf).
- [US Letter player papers, 2 pages](/downloads/christmas-trivia-players-letter.pdf).
- [US Letter private host pack, 4 pages](/downloads/christmas-trivia-host-letter.pdf).
Print both player pages for **each entry**, plus one host pack. Six individual players use **16 single-sided sheets**: twelve player sheets and four host sheets. Six players in three pairs use ten sheets: six player sheets and four host sheets. These are handwriting worksheets, without an account or email requirement.
A direct render of page 1 of the actual US Letter player PDF. The answer key is in a separate host file.
## Keep host and player files separate
Print single-sided. Never put the host's answer page on the reverse of a player page. Check the page label before handing out papers, and keep the host pack in a closed folder until the reveal. The article photographs are styling concepts with blank paper; the linked PDFs contain the actual game.
Choose the file matching your printer paper and use Actual Size or 100%. Check one sheet for readable text and complete answer lines before making copies. Ordinary copy paper is sufficient. A guest can dictate to a partner, ask the host to read a question or simply watch. If people want conversation rather than competition, agree to remove both scoring and the timer before starting.
## Run two rounds with one marking rule
Give everyone the same writing allowance. **Eight minutes per round** is a suggested starting point; an untimed round is also fine if agreed beforehand. The host can read each question aloud without adding hints. Allow discussion inside a pair, but no phones, searches or outside answer help during a scored round.
Stop writing before the reveal. Award **one point** for the answer or an accepted alternative in the key. A clear spelling variation counts when it identifies the same person or term. Blank and incorrect answers score zero. There are no half points, speed bonuses or extra tiebreakers. If someone leaves several responses to one question, mark the first only.
Question 12 needs **both names** for its one point, and question 22 needs the rocket's **number** as well as its name. Add the two round scores for a total out of 24. Tied highest scores share the win. Use the conversation version if guests have already read the answers below; this keeps advance knowledge from becoming a competitive advantage.
## Round one: stories and traditions
1. Which author wrote *A Christmas Carol*?
2. In which year was *A Christmas Carol* first published?
3. Which department store gave children the original 1939 Rudolph story?
4. Who wrote the original 1939 story about Rudolph?
5. Which future V&A director commissioned its famous 1843 Christmas card?
6. What was the surname of the artist who illustrated that first Christmas card?
7. Which composer wrote the ballet score for *The Nutcracker*?
8. In the Royal Ballet's *Nutcracker* story, what is the young heroine's name?
9. Which London sweetshop owner developed the Christmas cracker?
10. Paper-wrapped French sweets inspired the cracker. What are they called?
11. Queen Charlotte's early Christmas tree was a fir or a yew?
12. Which royal couple appeared with their tree in an influential 1848 illustration?
## Round two: festive plants and winter surprises
13. Which U.S. president lit the first National Christmas Tree in 1923?
14. From which U.S. state did that 1923 National Christmas Tree come?
15. A poinsettia's large colourful parts are petals or modified leaves called bracts?
16. The RHS describes a poinsettia's small actual flowers as which colour?
17. The ginger used in gingerbread is a rhizome: a root or an underground stem?
18. Which spice shares ginger's botanical family: turmeric or saffron?
19. The familiar branched snow crystal has how many main arms?
20. What freezes onto an existing snow crystal to build its arms: vapour or sand?
21. Which space telescope launched on Christmas Day in 2021?
22. Which rocket carried that Christmas Day 2021 telescope launch?
23. Which hemisphere has its winter solstice in December?
24. In Australia, the December solstice starts astronomical summer or winter?
## Host answers and source links
Keep this section closed while playing. The private host PDFs include the same answers, accepted alternatives and clickable references.
Reveal all 24 host answers and their sources
### Round one answers
| No. | Answer and accepted alternatives | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Charles Dickens; Dickens. | [Library of Congress](https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2015/12/highlighting-the-holidays-a-tale-of-two-publishings/) |
| 2 | 1843. | [Library of Congress](https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2015/12/highlighting-the-holidays-a-tale-of-two-publishings/) |
| 3 | Montgomery Ward; Montgomery Ward & Co.; Ward's. | [Chicago History Museum](https://www.chicagohistory.org/the-chicago-origins-of-rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer/) |
| 4 | Robert Lewis May; Robert May; Robert L. May; May. | [Chicago History Museum](https://www.chicagohistory.org/the-chicago-origins-of-rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer/) |
| 5 | Henry Cole; Sir Henry Cole; Cole. | [V&A card history](https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-first-christmas-card/) |
| 6 | Horsley; John Callcott Horsley; John Horsley; J. C. Horsley. | [V&A card history](https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-first-christmas-card/) |
| 7 | Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky; Tchaikovsky; Pyotr or Peter Tchaikovsky; Tschaikowsky. | [Royal Ballet and Opera](https://www.rbo.org.uk/ballet-essentials-the-nutcracker) |
| 8 | Clara. The question specifies the Royal Ballet's version, rather than every adaptation. | [Royal Ballet and Opera](https://www.rbo.org.uk/ballet-essentials-the-nutcracker) |
| 9 | Tom Smith; Thomas Smith; Smith. | [V&A Victorian traditions](https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/victorian-christmas-traditions) |
| 10 | Bonbons; bon bons; bon-bons; bonbon. | [V&A Victorian traditions](https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/victorian-christmas-traditions) |
| 11 | Yew; yew tree. | [Royal Collection Trust](https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/a-royal-christmas) |
| 12 | Queen Victoria and Prince Albert; Victoria and Albert, in either order. Both are needed. | [Royal Collection Trust](https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/a-royal-christmas) |
### Round two answers
| No. | Answer and accepted alternatives | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 13 | Calvin Coolidge; Coolidge. | [National Park Service](https://www.nps.gov/whho/learn/historyculture/1923-national-christmas-tree.htm) |
| 14 | Vermont; VT. | [National Park Service](https://www.nps.gov/whho/learn/historyculture/1923-national-christmas-tree.htm) |
| 15 | Modified leaves called bracts; bracts; modified leaves; leaves. | [Royal Horticultural Society](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/euphorbia/poinsettia) |
| 16 | Yellow. | [Royal Horticultural Society](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/euphorbia/poinsettia) |
| 17 | An underground stem; underground stem; stem. | [Kew Science](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:798372-1/general-information) |
| 18 | Turmeric. | [Kew Science](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:798372-1/general-information) |
| 19 | Six; 6. This refers to a branched crystal, rather than every visible clump of snow. | [NOAA](https://www.noaa.gov/stories/how-do-snowflakes-form-science-behind-snow) |
| 20 | Water vapour; water vapor; vapour; vapor. | [NOAA](https://www.noaa.gov/stories/how-do-snowflakes-form-science-behind-snow) |
| 21 | James Webb Space Telescope; James Webb; Webb; JWST. | [NASA launch record](https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/launch/) |
| 22 | Ariane 5; Ariane V. Ariane alone is too broad. | [NASA launch record](https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/launch/) |
| 23 | Northern Hemisphere; Northern; North. | [NASA solstice explanation](https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/watch-the-skies/2021/12/20/december-solstice-brings-winter-summer-seasons/) |
| 24 | Summer; astronomical summer. | [NASA solstice explanation](https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/watch-the-skies/2021/12/20/december-solstice-brings-winter-summer-seasons/) |
## Make it a small part of the evening
Clear meal plates before writing, or set up a separate comfortable surface. Give people time to finish what they are doing before announcing a round. Pairing can help when guests have different interests or would rather share the writing. Finishing only one round is a complete twelve-point game.
For a holiday gathering with gift swapping, the [favorite things party guide](/stories/favorite-things-party) covers the exchange itself. Keep that activity and the trivia optional, with a break between them. A [hot chocolate bar](/stories/hot-chocolate-bar-ideas) can sit nearby, with mugs and refills away from papers. The quiz needs only the printed pages, pencils and a host; prizes are optional.
## Images from this guide
Leave enough space to write and keep the host's folder closed. AI-created styling concept; the blank sheets are not printable previews.
Store the answer key separately from player papers. AI-created styling concept, not a photograph of the downloadable pages.
Pairs can discuss a guess and let one person write. AI-created gathering concept; this is not a photograph of a game trial.
## Sources and file checks
Fête & Fig independently worded these 24 questions from institution sources read on 9 October 2026. Question numbering, source references, answer separation, PDF dimensions and rendered layouts were checked digitally. No physical printer test or timed playtest has been performed; photographs are AI-created styling concepts.
- [Library of Congress: A Tale of Two Publishings](https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2015/12/highlighting-the-holidays-a-tale-of-two-publishings/): The author and first publication year of A Christmas Carol.
- [Chicago History Museum: The Chicago Origins of Rudolph](https://www.chicagohistory.org/the-chicago-origins-of-rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer/): Rudolph's original author and Montgomery Ward's 1939 giveaway.
- [V&A: The first Christmas card](https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-first-christmas-card/): Henry Cole's commission and John Callcott Horsley's illustration.
- [Royal Ballet and Opera: The Nutcracker](https://www.rbo.org.uk/ballet-essentials-the-nutcracker): Tchaikovsky's score and Clara in the specified Royal Ballet production.
- [Royal Collection Trust: A Royal Christmas](https://www.rct.uk/collection/stories/a-royal-christmas): Queen Charlotte's yew tree and the Victoria and Albert illustration.
- [National Park Service: 1923 National Christmas Tree](https://www.nps.gov/whho/learn/historyculture/1923-national-christmas-tree.htm): Calvin Coolidge's tree lighting and the tree's Vermont origin.
- [Kew Science: Ginger species profile](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:798372-1/general-information): Ginger as a rhizome and turmeric in the ginger family.
- [NASA Science: Webb launch](https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/launch/): The telescope and rocket launched on Christmas Day 2021.
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