Christmas Trivia
Once the Christmas dinner is cleared away and the massive array of desserts has been put out, have fun with these holiday trivia questions to test your knowledge of the most wonderful time of the year: 1 Xmas When was the term “Xmas” coined?
Answer: While you might think the shortened version of “Christmas” is a modern creation, it actually harkens back all the way to the mid-1500s and the Greek letter X, which is the first letter in the Greek word for Christ: Χριστός.
2 'Jingle Bells' True or false: “Jingle Bells” was always intended to be a Christmas song.
Answer: False. The now-classic holiday tune was written in the mid-19th century by James Pierpont, who was experiencing a bout of homesickness while living in Savannah, Georgia. Though debated, some believe it was actually written for the Thanksgiving program at his father’s church.
3 Christmas was once illegal.
Was Christmas ever outlawed in America?
Answer: Yes. From 1659-1681, the Puritans did not allow Christmas to be celebrated, going so far as to officially outlaw celebrating the date. Christmas wasn’t designated a national holiday until almost two centuries later, in 1870.
4 Eggnog True or false: George Washington loved eggnog.
Answer: True. The Founding Father supposedly even had his own boozy recipe with the instruction, “Taste frequently.” Do a quick Google search and you’ll find a bevy of recipes attributed to the nation’s first president, all of them heavy on the alcohol. Dec. 24 is National Eggnog Day.
5 The Colors What two things made red and green popular Christmas colors?
Answer: Holly and Coca-Cola. While the tradition of red and green holly dates back to Roman winter solstice celebrations, the Coca-Cola company also played a role. The soda makers popularized the plump and jolly redsuit- wearing Santa in an ad in 1931, according to Arielle Eckstut, the co-author of “Secret Language of Color.”
6 Christmas Meal Do more Americans eat ham or turkey as their main course on Christmas?
Answer: Both. Americans eat roughly the same amount of each (in total pounds consumed) during the holidays, according to Time magazine.
