For the first Sunday of Blogmas 2021, I wanted to do something different and fun! And being the historian that I am, I thought I would share some of my favourite holiday history facts in the process. This is my Christmas history quiz- there are 10 different questions testing your holiday history knowledge. Aside from one slight bit of murder (which is par for the course for Christmas…), this quiz should be appropriate for all ages. So, let’s dive into the An Historian About Town Christmas History Quiz!
There are 10 different questions here; some are multiple choice and some are open answer. You will find the 10 answers at the bottom of the post- don’t scroll through until you are ready for the answers!
Christmas History Quiz Questions
1. Which royal from history wrote a Christmas carol?
a) King Henry VIII of England
b) Mary, Queen of Scots
c) Tsar Nicholas II of Russia
b) King Louis XIV of France
2. The Nutcracker ballet features dancers as snowflakes; how many hours does it take to make a snowflake tutu on average?
3. Which English monarch had gingerbread cookies made in their likeness to give to courtiers as gifts?
4. Who starred as Ebeneezer Scrooge in The Muppet Christmas Carol?
a) Sean Connery
b) Anthony Hopkins
c) Statler and Waldorf
d) Michael Caine
5. Which European royal introduced Christmas trees to Britain?
a) Queen Charlotte of Mecklenberg-Strelitz
b) King Leopold I of Belgium
c) Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
d) Prince Francis of Teck
6. Which holiday-related saint brought back to life three pickled dead bodies?
7. Where was the first outdoor Christmas lights display?
a) New York City, NY
b) Paris, France
c) Altadena, CA
d) Toronto, ON
8. What does the Boy Bishop get to do?
9. How many candy canes are produced each year?
a) 1.76 billion
b) 1.5 million
c) 10 million
d) 5.1 billion
10. When was the first British royal Christmas message broadcast?
Looking for more holiday history? You can find some of my favourite posts here!
The History of Advent Calendars
Behind the Ballet: The Nutcracker
My Favourite History of Christmas Books
Ready for the answers now…?
Quiz Answers
1. c) Nicholas II of Russia- The last Tsar of Russia wrote a Christmas hymn, “Like the cypress”.
2. On average, it takes 50-60 hours to make a tutu for a Nutcracker snowflake!
3. Queen Elizabeth I- The last Tudor queen had her bakers make gingerbread in her image and gave them to her courtiers as gift. Soon after, gingerbread became a popular gift!
4. Michael Caine starred as the heartless Scrooge in the 1992 feature film, The Muppet Christmas Carol.
5. a) Queen Charlotte of Mecklenberg-Strelitz- Prince Albert is most often given credit but King George III’s wife first introduced the custom of Christmas trees to Britain!
6. Saint Nicholas reportedly saved three boys- a butcher had killed them and put their bodies in a pickling barrel, the Bishop brought the boys back to life.
7. The first outdoor Christmas light display was on Santa Rosa Avenue in Altadena, CA, and it was known as Christmas Tree Lane.
8. In this medieval tradition, a cathedral chorister was chosen to act as the bishop from Saint Nicholas’ Day (6 December) to Holy Innocents’ Day (28 December)! Like the Lord of Misrule tradition, the boy would take on the bishop’s role and would be in charge (but would not perform Mass).
9. 1.76 billion candy canes are made every year; originally the favourite holiday treat were entirely white instead of the red and white combination we now know.
10. King George V gave the first Christmas radio broadcast on 25 December 1932. (On 25 December 1957, Queen Elizabeth II gave the first televised royal Christmas broadcast.)
How did you fare in the Christmas History Quiz?
Cheers,
The Historian
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