The Festive Season Deserves a Good Quiz
The holiday season is the perfect time to gather around a screen and put your seasonal knowledge to the test. Whether you're looking for a family activity during the holidays, a fun challenge for a work party, or just a way to settle that perennial debate about which Christmas song is actually the best, these quizzes have you covered.
From the origins of holiday traditions to festive pop culture, the quizzes below span trivia, music, and personality - because the holidays are different things to different people.
Holiday Quizzes to Try This Season
Holiday Traditions Trivia - Do you know why we hang stockings by the fireplace, where Boxing Day comes from, or what the Twelve Days of Christmas actually refer to? This quiz tests your knowledge of holiday traditions from around the world, separating well-meaning guesses from genuine seasonal expertise.
90s Music Trivia Quiz - Christmas music playlists are overwhelmingly dominated by songs from the 80s and 90s, so what better time to brush up on your 90s music knowledge? This trivia quiz covers the iconic hits, artists, and moments that defined the decade - consider it pre-training for the inevitable holiday playlist debate.
Classic Movies Trivia Quiz - The holidays are the season of classic films: It's a Wonderful Life, Home Alone, Die Hard (yes, it counts), and more. Our classic movies trivia quiz covers iconic scenes, memorable quotes, and film history across the decades.
What Music Genre Are You? - If you've ever wondered why you gravitate toward certain types of holiday music - whether it's the sweeping orchestral arrangements, the intimate acoustic covers, or the retro big-band numbers - this personality quiz maps your listening preferences to a broader music genre identity.
Party Idea
Turn the Holiday Traditions Trivia quiz into a team competition at your next holiday party. Read the questions aloud, have teams write their answers, and award points. The trivia facts in this article make excellent tie-breaker questions.
Festive Trivia Facts
Christmas trees were popularized by a German prince, not a Victorian queen. While Queen Victoria and Prince Albert are often credited with introducing the Christmas tree tradition to Britain after a popular illustration in 1848, the tradition of decorating fir trees at Christmas was already well-established in German-speaking regions for at least a century prior. Prince Albert, who was German, brought the custom to the British royal household - and the illustration made it fashionable across social classes.
Boxing Day has nothing to do with the sport. Despite the name, Boxing Day (December 26, observed in the UK, Canada, Australia, and other Commonwealth countries) originated as a day when servants and tradespeople received a 'Christmas box' - a gift or bonus from their employers. The tradition dates to the Middle Ages and is linked to the practice of almsboxes in churches being opened on December 26 to distribute donations to the poor.
Hanukkah is not traditionally a major Jewish holiday. In the ranking of Jewish religious observances, Hanukkah is considered a minor festival. Its elevated cultural prominence in North America and Europe is largely a result of its proximity to Christmas and the broader commercialization of the holiday season in the 20th century. The holiday commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BCE and the miracle of a small amount of oil burning for eight days.
Santa Claus's appearance was not invented by Coca-Cola. The popular belief that Coca-Cola's 1930s advertising campaigns created the modern image of Santa Claus - red suit, white beard, jolly figure - is a persistent myth. The rotund, red-suited Santa was already established in American culture well before Coca-Cola's campaigns, with artist Haddon Sundblom's iconic illustrations for the brand reinforcing rather than inventing that image. The modern Santa's visual origins trace back further, to 19th-century artists like Thomas Nast.
Bring the Quizzes to Your Holiday Gathering
The holidays are one of the few times of year when people of wildly different ages, interests, and screen-time tolerances end up in the same room. A well-chosen trivia quiz is one of the best icebreakers in that situation - low stakes, genuinely surprising, and a natural conversation starter.
Start with the Holiday Traditions Trivia for the most universally relevant seasonal knowledge, then follow up with whichever personality or pop culture quiz fits your crowd best.