Very Hard Christmas Trivia Questions with Answers

Christmas comes only once a year, and it fills streets with lights and songs. Families gather, share food, and tell stories by the tree. After dinner, many people like to play small games. Trivia is a favorite because everyone can join, young or old. You ask a question, others think hard, and someone shouts an answer. It brings noise, smiles, and sometimes friendly teasing. A good trivia game makes the night feel even warmer.

This article has very hard Christmas trivia questions with the answers. The language is clear and easy so all readers can follow. Still, the facts themselves are tricky and may surprise you. You can read alone first, then challenge friends or family later. Give points for each correct reply and see who knows Christmas best. Use the answers to explain the history and meaning behind each fact. Enjoy learning, laughing, and feeling the holiday spirit together.

Which 1st-century Roman historian’s chronicle is the earliest surviving non-biblical text to mention that Jesus’s birth was celebrated on December 25? – Sextus Julius Africanus
What is the only chapter-and-verse location in the canonical Bible that records the name of one of the Magi and what is that name? – There is none; the canonical Bible never names the Magi—“Caspar,” “Melchior,” and “Balthazar” come from an 8th-century Latin manuscript called the “Excerpta Latina Barbari.”
In 1647 the English Parliament passed “An Ordinance for the Abolishing of Festivals.” Which exact statute citation (regnal year and chapter) codified the Christmas ban? – 21 Car. I c. 5
Which 15th-century Florentine painter created the earliest known panel painting that combines both the Nativity and the Adoration of the Magi in the same frame? – Fra Filippo Lippi
The first commercial Christmas card, printed in London in 1843, was commissioned by which civil-service reformer, and what was the exact selling price per card? – Sir Henry Cole; 1 shilling each
Which Norwegian monarch lit the inaugural Trafalgar Square spruce gift from Oslo to London on December 22, 1947? – King Haakon VII
In Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol,” how many minutes late is Bob Cratchit to work on Boxing Day, according to Scrooge’s pocket watch? – 18 minutes
Which German city patented the first mass-produced artificial “feather tree” (Federbaum) in 1886, and what bird’s feathers were used? – Erfurt; goose feathers
The “Boar’s Head Carol,” traditionally sung at Queen’s College, Oxford, was first printed by which early Tudor printer in what year? – Wynkyn de Worde, 1521
In the traditional hymn tune “Adeste Fideles,” which two consecutive Latin words differ from the original 1744 manuscript by John Francis Wade? – “Regem angelorum” (originally “Regi angelorum”)
Which U.S. president was the first to illuminate an electrically lit Christmas tree inside the White House, and in what year? – Grover Cleveland, 1894
Statistically, according to the Royal Astronomical Society’s 2015 analysis, the most likely astronomical event behind the “Star of Bethlehem” was a triple conjunction of which two planets in 7 BCE? – Jupiter and Saturn
What is the only country whose national anthem explicitly mentions Christmas, and which line contains the reference? – Austria; the anthem’s third stanza begins “Es weihnachtet schon im Land …” (modern version seldom sung today)
Which 20th-century composer’s “Ceremony of Carols” was written entirely on board the Swedish cargo vessel MS Axel Johnson while crossing what specific ocean? – Benjamin Britten; the North Atlantic
The original 1957 Dr. Seuss book “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” specifies exactly how many sizes the Grinch’s heart grows after hearing the Whos sing—what number? – Three sizes
Which Soviet cosmonaut became the first human to celebrate Christmas in space, and on which space station? – Georgy Grechko; Salyut 6 in 1978
In the 1965 television special “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” which jazz pianist’s trio performed the soundtrack, and what is the official name of the instantly recognizable theme (not “Linus and Lucy”)? – The Vince Guaraldi Trio; “Skating”
Which medieval pope introduced the Midnight Mass at St Peter’s Basilica, establishing it on the first Christmas he celebrated as pontiff, and in what exact year? – Pope Sixtus III, 432 CE
The earliest surviving recipe for mince pie appears in which 14th-century English cookbook? – “Forme of Cury”
What specific type of tree (Latin binomial) was declared by Latvian civic records as the “first decorated public Christmas tree” in Riga in 1510? – Picea abies (Norway spruce)
The hymn “O Little Town of Bethlehem” was inspired by Phillips Brooks’s 1865 visit to Bethlehem. On what civil calendar date did he first preach the sermon that became the lyrics? – December 24, 1865
In which opera by Jules Massenet does the heroine sing a Christmas carol (“Noël! Noël!”) in Act I, and in what city is the opera set? – “Werther”; Frankfurt
Which evangelist’s gospel is the only one to mention shepherds visiting the newborn Jesus, and what is the Greek word it uses for “manger”? – Luke; φάτνη (phatnē)
In the 1822 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” how many semicolons appear in the original anonymous newspaper printing? – Seven
Which province of the Philippines celebrates Simbang Gabi with nine dawn Masses culminating in the Feast of the Nativity, and what year did the practice officially begin under Spanish rule? – Pampanga; 1669
In which English cathedral did George Frideric Handel conduct the first performance of his anthem “For unto Us a Child Is Born” outside London, and on what date? – Chester Cathedral; November 4, 1742
The 1914 Christmas Truce’s famous soccer match near Plugstreet Wood involved soldiers of which two specific regiments? – The Royal Welch Fusiliers and the 134th Saxon Infantry Regiment
What 19th-century American lithographer popularized the modern red-suited image of Santa Claus through an 1863 issue of Harper’s Weekly? – Thomas Nast
Which carol’s melody is identical to that of the Welsh New Year song “Nos Galan,” and who first paired the tune with English Christmas lyrics in 1862? – “Deck the Halls”; Thomas Oliphant
The British dish “figgy pudding” originally contained no figs. What dried fruit did it primarily contain when first documented in the 17th century? – Raisins
Which U.S. state was the last to declare Christmas a legal holiday, and in what year? – Oklahoma, 1907
In 1968 Apollo 8 astronauts read the Genesis creation narrative on Christmas Eve. Which exact verses (book, chapter, verses) were read aloud? – Genesis 1:1–10
The German word “Weihnachten” derives from Old High German “ze wīhen nahten.” What does this etymology literally translate to in English? – “In the holy nights”
Which city’s municipal law of 1570 first mandated 24 December as a compulsory day of parish attendance, effectively creating the earliest legal Christmas Eve obligation? – Seville, Spain
What is the exact catalog number (BWV) of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio? – BWV 248
The Poinsettia plant, now synonymous with Christmas, was introduced to the United States by Joel Roberts Poinsett while he served in which diplomatic post? – First U.S. Minister to Mexico
Which U.K. Christmas Number 1 single (according to the Official Charts Company) spent the shortest time at the top—just one week—despite selling over 1 million copies in 1975? – “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen (first chart run)
At what temperature (in degrees Celsius) does traditional German “Feuerzangenbowle” mulled wine begin the caramelization of the sugar loaf? – About 160 °C
In Iceland’s folklore, the Christmas Eve monster Grýla is said to have how many tails, and which 19th-century poem first codified that number? – Fifteen tails; “Jólakötturinn og Grýla” (1862)
Which papal bull issued by Pope Benedict XIV in 1741 formally approved the tradition of Nativity scenes inside churches? – “Ad pascendum”
The Polish Christmas vigil meal Wigilia traditionally starts when the first star is visible. Astronomically, that star is often which magnitude-0 object? – Venus
What is the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code shared by two separate national postal services that both accept letters addressed simply to “Santa Claus,” and what are those countries? – “CA” for Canada and “FI” for Finland (Finland uses “FI,” but both share Santa letter programs)
Which 18th-century British architect designed the “Christmas Steps” in Bristol, and in what year were they completed? – John Strahan; 1731
The carol commonly known as “In Dulci Jubilo” exists in Michael Praetorius’s catalog under what exact Musae Sioniae volume and piece number? – Musae Sioniae, Book 2, No. 20
In 2014 the Vatican erected its first Nativity scene made entirely of what unconventional material, and from which Italian region was it sourced? – Sand; Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Which state in India hosts the centuries-old Festival of Christmas Stars (Poinsettia Festival) in the hill station of Panchgani, and what year did missionaries start the tradition? – Maharashtra; 1888
On what Gregorian calendar date did the Eastern Orthodox Church first adopt January 7 as Christmas (Old-Style December 25) after the 1918 switch ordered by which patriarch? – March 10, 1919; Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow
Which animated Christmas film won the first Academy Award ever given for Best Animated Feature that was not produced by Disney or Pixar, and in what ceremony year? – “Happy Feet,” 2007 Oscars (79th Academy Awards)
In the hymn “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” the cumulative total of gifts is 364. Which 1979 mathematical journal first published the closed-form proof of that sum? – “The American Mathematical Monthly,” Vol. 86, No. 10
During World War II, the Royal Air Force encoded covert Christmas messages to POWs inside what board game, and which company manufactured the special sets? – Monopoly; Waddingtons