50 Christmas Fact or Fiction Questions: Are They True?

Think you know your Christmas facts? Put your holiday knowledge to the test with this fun Christmas Fact or Fiction game!

From Santa Claus and his reindeer to Christmas traditions, food, music, movies, and celebrations around the world, these Christmas statements will have everyone guessing. Some are surprisingly interesting and tricky!

Simply read each statement and decide: Fact or Fiction?

This family-friendly Christmas trivia game is perfect for:

Christmas family game nights
Christmas parties
Classroom holiday parties
Youth groups
Office Christmas parties
Holiday gatherings
Christmas Eve
Road trips
Winter break

Be sure to grab the free printable PDF at the bottom of this post! It is the blue “download” button.

Christmas fact or fiction game questions

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Contents

How to Play Christmas Fact or Fiction

1. Read each Christmas statement aloud.

2. Players decide whether they think the statement is FACT or FICTION. Players can:

call out their answer
write it down
hold up a Fact or Fiction card
divide into teams
use the free printable below

3. Reveal the correct answer and award one point for each correct answer.

4. The player or team with the most points at the end wins!

Tip: Don’t reveal the answer too quickly! Some of these Christmas facts are trickier than they sound.

*Grab the free printable below! (It’s the blue download button)

Jump to the Printable

50 Christmas Fact or Fiction Questions

Test your Christmas knowledge with these fun fact or fiction questions. The answers are included!

1. Santa’s suit has always been red.

Answer: FICTION. Santa has been depicted wearing different colors throughout history, including green, brown, and other colors. The familiar red suit became especially popular in the 19th and 20th centuries.

2. Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas are the same person.

Answer: FICTION. Santa Claus developed from several traditions and figures, including Saint Nicholas, but the modern Santa is a legendary Christmas character.

3. Reindeer can run over 40 mph.

Answer: FACT. Reindeer are capable of reaching impressive speeds when running.

4. Santa has his own Canadian postal code which is HOH OHO.

Answer: FACT: The full mailing address is: Santa Claus, North Pole, HOH OHO, Canada

5. Christmas trees originated in Germany.

Answer: FACT. The modern Christmas tree tradition is strongly associated with German-speaking regions.

6. Tinsel was originally made from real silver.

Answer: FACT

7. Christmas is celebrated on December 25 in every country.

Answer: FICTION. Christmas traditions and dates vary around the world, and some Christian traditions celebrate Christmas on different dates.

8. In Japan, eating KFC has become a popular Christmas tradition.

Answer: FACT. A famous Christmas marketing campaign helped make fried chicken a popular Christmas meal tradition in Japan.

9. Arkansas was the first U.S. state to declare Christmas a bank holiday.

Answer: FICTION. Alabama was the first state.

10. Christmas takes place during summer in Australia.

Answer: FACT. December falls during the Australian summer, so Christmas celebrations can include beach trips and barbecues.

11. “Jingle Bells” was the first song to be broadcast in outer space.

Answer: FACT (Related: Christmas Song Trivia Quiz)

12. “Silent Night” has been translated into more than 300 languages.

Answer: FACT

13. The song “White Christmas” was written for the film White Christmas.

Answer: FICTION. It was written for the film Holiday Inn.

14. The Bible says Jesus was born on December 25.

Answer: FICTION. The Bible does not specify the exact date of Jesus’ birth. December 25 became the traditional date for celebrating Christmas.

15. Candy canes started as plain, solid white sugar sticks.

Answer: FACT. Red and white stripes and peppermint flavoring didn’t appear until the turn of the 20th century.

Related: Christmas Food Trivia Quiz

16. Mistletoe is a parasitic plant.

Answer: FACT. Most mistletoes are hemiparasites, meaning they have green leaves that perform photosynthesis to make some of their own food, but they steal water and mineral nutrients from a host tree.

17. The reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh are all female.

Answer: FACT. Both male and female reindeer grow antlers, but male reindeer shed their antlers before winter.

18. Kids in Sweden leave out coffee for Santa.

Answer: FACT. Swedish children traditionally leave out a bowl of warm rice porridge, while some add a cup of strong coffee to help Tomte stay awake on his rounds.

19. There are 350 total gifts given in the song of the 12 Days of Christmas.

Answer: FICTION. There are actually 364 total gifts.

20. “Jingle Bells” was always intended to be a Christmas song.

Answer: FICTION. It was written for Thanksgiving.

Related: The BEST Christmas Trivia

21. Artificial Christmas trees were once made from dyed goose feathers.

Answer: FACT. Some early artificial trees made in Germany used dyed goose feathers attached to wire branches.

22. The Christmas pickle is a centuries-old tradition followed by nearly every family in Germany.

Answer: FICTION. The Christmas pickle ornament is often marketed as a German tradition, but it is not widely established as a centuries-old custom in Germany. Its popularity is much stronger in the United States.

23. Fried Caterpillars is a traditional dish in South Africa.

Answer: FACT

24. Clark Griswold puts 25,000 lights on his house in Christmas Vacation.

Answer: FACT

25. Three wise men came to visit the baby Jesus on the night of his birth.

Answer: FICTION. The Bible does not state how many wise men (Magi) came. Tradition assumes there were three only because they brought three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They did not visit Jesus in a manger or stable on the night of His birth. According to the Gospel of Matthew, they arrived later and found Mary and Jesus living in a house.

Related: Left Right Nativity Story Game

26. There are 144 “la’s” in the song “Deck The Halls”.

Answer: FICTION. There are 96.

27. Pepsi popularized the image of Santa as we now know it.

Answer: FICTION. It was Coca Cola.

28. “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” was written during a blizzard.

Answer: FICTION. It was written during a heat wave in California.

29. “Jingle Bells” is the bestselling Christmas song of all time.

Answer: FICTION. “White Christmas” is the bestselling Christmas song of all time.

30. The Who’s in Whoville eat turkey for their main Christmas course.

Answer: FICTION. They eat roast beast.

31. Eggnog originated from England.

Answer: FACT.

32. In older days, women in England who wanted to find a husband ate a Gingerbread man for good luck.

Answer: FACT.

33. Tree skirts were invented to catch dripping candle wax from Christmas trees.

Answer: FACT. They first appeared in the 1870s.

34. Baby Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

Answer: FACT. According to Gospel accounts, Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea.

35. Christmas used to be illegal to celebrate.

Answer: FACT. It was illegal to celebrate from 1659 to 1681.

36. There are approximately 20,000 songs with ‘Christmas’ in the title.

Answer: FICTION. There are approximately 10,000.

37. The movie It’s a Wonderful Life, was investigated by the FBI under suspicion of Communist propaganda.

Answer: FACT

38. In Home Alone, the picture of Buzz’s girlfriend was actually of a boy wearing a wig.

Answer: FACT

Related: Home Alone Movie Quiz

39. The alleged tomb of Saint Nicholas is in France.

Answer: FICTION. Saint Nicholas served as the Bishop of Myra in the Antalya province of Turkey. After his death, he was originally entombed in Demre, Turkey.

Christmas fact or fiction; fable; trivia

40. Fruitcakes have been known to remain edible for decades.

Answer: FACT

41. Ukrainians decorate their Christmas trees with traditional glass ornaments.

Answer: FICTION. In Ukraine, families adorn their Christmas trees with spider webs instead of traditional decorations. This custom comes from a folktale about a poor widow who couldn’t afford decorations, and on Christmas morning, her children found their tree covered in beautiful webs spun by sympathetic spiders. This is believed to bring good luck for the coming year.

42. Norwegians hide their brooms from witches and evil spirits on Christmas Eve.

Answer: FACT. According to Norwegian folklore, Christmas Eve is a time when witches and evil spirits wake up and roam the dark winter nights looking for brooms and mops to steal for flight.

43. The first commercial Christmas card featured a family drinking wine.

Answer: FACT. The first Christmas card was sent in 1843, and it featured a family drinking wine together (the whole family, kids and all!).

44. Reindeer actually “click” when they walk because of their hooves hitting the ground.

Answer: FICTION. The click is caused by tendons slipping over the bones in their feet.

45. In the original 1823 poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, the final two reindeer were named Donner and Blitzen.

Answer: FICTION. They were given the Dutch names Dunder and Blixem, which translate literally to “Thunder and Lightning”.

46. Rudolph is one of Santa’s original reindeer.

Answer: FICTION. He was invented in 1939 for the Montgomery Ward department store.

47. The United States government officially recognizes Santa Claus as a pilot.

Answer: FACT. In 1927, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics formally issued Santa his official pilot’s license, along with airway maps and a promise to keep the runway lights burning on Christmas Eve.

48. The Rockefeller Center tree is found in Washington D.C.

Answer: FICTION. It is found in New York City.

49. Brenda Lee was 13 when she recorded “I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas”.

Answer: FICTION. Brenda Lee was 13 years old when she recorded “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree”.

50. Santa’s sleigh is powered by 9 reindeer.

Answer: FACT. While the famous 1823 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” originally established a team of eight reindeer, a ninth was officially added to the lineup in 1939 with the introduction of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Free Christmas Fact or Fiction Printable Game

Want an easy way to play?

Grab our free Christmas Fact or Fiction printable! Simply download the PDF, print the questions, and you’re ready to play.

Players can mark FACT or FICTION for each statement before you reveal the answers. It’s an easy Christmas game to bring to a party, classroom, family gathering, or Christmas Eve celebration.