Christmas History Quiz

On what date does the Bible say Jesus was born?

1. December 25
2. January 6
3. March 25
4. It gives no date

Which American colony passed a law in 1659 that fined anyone who celebrated Christmas?

1. Virginia
2. Massachusetts Bay
3. Pennsylvania
4. New Netherland

Where was “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (“’Twas the night before Christmas”) first published, in 1823?

1. In Harper's Weekly
2. In a New York newspaper, the Troy Sentinel
3. In the Illustrated London News
4. In a book signed by Clement Clarke Moore

Who commissioned the first commercial Christmas card, in 1843?

1. Charles Dickens
2. Prince Albert
3. Henry Cole
4. Thomas Nast

In 1848, a picture of which royal family around a decorated tree made Christmas trees popular in Britain?

1. Henry VIII's
2. Charles II's
3. George III's
4. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's

Thomas Nast's 1863 drawing “Santa Claus in Camp” shows Santa handing out gifts to soldiers in which war?

1. The War of 1812
2. The American Civil War
3. The Spanish–American War
4. World War I

Which president signed the 1870 law that made Christmas a federal holiday?

1. Abraham Lincoln
2. Ulysses S. Grant
3. Theodore Roosevelt
4. Franklin D. Roosevelt

In the 1914 Christmas truce, what did German soldiers set up on top of their trench parapets?

1. White flags of surrender
2. Football goalposts
3. Christmas trees
4. Turnip lanterns

What did two astronauts play on a harmonica and sleigh bells aboard Gemini 6 in December 1965?

1. “Silent Night”
2. “Jingle Bells”
3. “Deck the Halls”
4. “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”

What is the X in “Xmas”?

1. The Roman numeral for ten
2. The Greek letter chi, the first letter of “Christ” in Greek
3. The x of algebra, meaning something unknown
4. A shortcut invented by 20th-century advertisers

January 6, which marks the visit of the Magi, is the Feast of the ____.

In 1647, England's ____ passed an ordinance abolishing Christmas, Easter and Whitsun as festivals.

The 1659 Massachusetts law fined anyone caught keeping Christmas five ____.

On Christmas Eve 1818, “Silent Night” was first sung in Oberndorf, Austria, accompanied by a ____.

Clement Clarke ____ claimed “A Visit from St. Nicholas” as his own in 1844.

In 1863, the cartoonist Thomas ____ drew “Santa Claus in Camp” for Harper's Weekly.

In 1882, Edward H. Johnson, a friend and business partner of Thomas ____, lit his Christmas tree with 80 electric bulbs.

The 1914 Christmas truce happened along parts of the ____ Front.

On Christmas Eve 1923, President Calvin ____ lit the first National Christmas Tree.

The Santa tracker began in 1955 after a wrong number; since 1958 it has been run by ____.