25 Fun Facts About Kids Christmas

Which reindeer is famous for a glowing red nose?

The red-nosed reindeer was invented in 1939 for a story handed out by an American retailer, and the song came a decade later.

What is the name of the boy accidentally left behind in Home Alone?

Macaulay Culkin plays the eight-year-old who defends the family house on his own.

Who wrote How the Grinch Stole Christmas!?

Theodor Geisel, writing as Dr. Seuss, published the rhyming story in 1957.

Which city does the McCallister family fly to at the start of Home Alone?

The family leaves for a Christmas holiday in France and only realises mid-flight that someone is missing.

What is the town where the Whos live called?

The Whos live in a small town below the mountain where their green neighbour sulks.

Which actor plays Buddy in the film Elf?

Will Ferrell plays the human raised by elves who goes to New York to find his father.

What is the name of the Grinch's dog?

Max is the long-suffering dog who ends up harnessed to the sleigh.

What do badly behaved children traditionally find in their stocking?

The custom holds that a child who misbehaves all year gets coal instead of presents.

In the song, what brings Frosty the Snowman to life?

Children put an old silk hat on the snowman's head and he begins to dance around.

In Home Alone, what are the two burglars called?

The pair had been robbing empty houses across the neighbourhood before picking the wrong one.

Boxing Day is celebrated on which date?

Boxing Day falls the day after Christmas Day and is a public holiday across much of the Commonwealth.

How many little doors does a standard Advent calendar have?

The usual design has one door for each day from 1 December up to Christmas Eve.

Decorated gingerbread houses are usually linked to which fairy tale?

The Brothers Grimm story of two children finding an edible house in the forest is credited with inspiring the tradition.

The film Elf came out in which year?

Elf reached cinemas in 2003 and became a fixture of the holiday rewatch season.

Who sang the best-known recording of "White Christmas"?

Bing Crosby's version became one of the biggest-selling records ever made.

Which poem opens with the line "Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house"?

The poem was first printed anonymously in a newspaper in 1823 and shaped how people picture Santa's visit.

In which country was the carol "Silent Night" first performed?

It was first sung on Christmas Eve 1818 in a village church near Salzburg.

The poinsettia, a common Christmas plant, grows wild in which country?

The plant is native to Mexico and Central America and only became a Christmas decoration after being brought north in the 1820s.

In which country did a 1970s advertising campaign turn fried chicken into a Christmas custom?

A hugely successful campaign made a bucket of fried chicken the standard Christmas meal for many families there.

Saint Nicholas, the figure behind Santa Claus, was a bishop in a city now part of which country?

Nicholas was bishop of Myra, in what is now Turkey, and his reputation for secret gift-giving grew into the Santa story.

Which royal couple helped make Christmas trees fashionable in Britain?

An 1846 sketch of the royal family gathered around a decorated tree turned the custom into a must-have at home.

Advent calendars were first used by Lutherans in which country?

German Lutherans began the practice, and it spread to other churches and then to chocolate makers.

Which American retailer first handed out the story of the red-nosed reindeer in 1939?

The story was written as a giveaway booklet for the retailer's Christmas shoppers before it became a song.

What was the song "Jingle Bells" originally called?

It was published under that longer title in 1857 and had no original link to Christmas at all.

In Alpine folklore, which horned figure deals with badly behaved children?

He turns up alongside Saint Nicholas in early December, carrying birch rods rather than presents.