How to Play Christmas Song Trivia
Christmas song trivia tests more than whether you know the chorus. The questions below cover the lyrics people sing wrong, who recorded the songs, and where the carols came from. Tap a question to see the answer, and let the room argue first.
Pick the format that fits your crowd. In a quick round, one person reads and everyone shouts the answer. For a bigger night, split into teams, read each question twice and give about 30 seconds to answer. A good host trick is to hum or sing the song until someone gets there, so the answer arrives with the melody.
Writing your own questions is part of the fun, so add a few about the songs your family sings every year. If you also want movies, food and traditions, our Christmas trivia questions and answers have 400+ more.
Finish the Christmas Lyric: Song Trivia Questions
Twenty-seven questions built on the words everyone half-remembers. Some are quick fill-in-the-blank, some ask who or what a line is about. The questions quote only a few words of each song.
Finish the lyric: “Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, right down ___.”
RevealSanta Claus Lane.
Finish the lyric: “All I want for Christmas is ___, then I could wish you ‘Merry Christmas.’”
RevealMy two front teeth.
In “Jingle Bells,” the “bells on Bob-tail ring.” According to the old joke, what is the horse’s name?
RevealBob.
In “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” where was Santa when she saw him?
RevealUnder the mistletoe.
In “Winter Wonderland,” what do the singers pretend the snowman is?
RevealBoth answers are right. The original verse says Parson Brown, and a later version says a circus clown.
Which carol asks, “Do you see what I see?”
Reveal“Do You Hear What I Hear?”
Finish the line from “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”: “All of the other reindeer used to ___.”
RevealLaugh and call him names.
Misheard-lyric joke: which line from “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” gives us “Olive, the other reindeer”?
Reveal“All of the other reindeer.”
In “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” who will “go down in history”? And in a different song, which snowman “is a fairy tale, they say”?
RevealRudolph, and Frosty the Snowman.
In “Away in a Manger,” what are the cattle doing when the baby wakes?
RevealLowing.
In “I Saw Three Ships,” when do the ships come sailing in?
RevealOn Christmas Day in the morning.
In “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” what is “met in thee tonight”?
RevealThe hopes and fears of all the years.
Which snowman danced around with a silk hat on his head?
RevealFrosty the Snowman.
Pun question: how big were the kings in “We Three Kings”?
RevealWee, as in “we three.”
In “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” which two things help make the season bright?
RevealSome turkey and some mistletoe.
In “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” who wants hopalong boots and a pistol that shoots?
RevealBarney and Ben.
Who still wants a hula hoop in the Chipmunks’ Christmas hit?
RevealAlvin, in “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late).”
In “The Little Drummer Boy,” who keeps time to the drum?
RevealThe ox and the lamb.
In “The Friendly Beasts,” which animal gives the hay for the baby’s pillow, and what color is it?
RevealThe cow, “all white and red.”
Which song says holding tight will keep you warm all the way home?
Reveal“Let It Snow.”
In “Jolly Old St. Nicholas,” what does Susie want?
RevealA dolly.
In “Here We Come A-Wassailing,” where do the carolers go a-wassailing?
RevealAmong the leaves so green.
Wordplay: what carol word is hinted when the alphabet runs ABCDEFGHIJK
MNOPQRSTUVWXYZ, with no L? RevealNoel.
Which song has Santa going “down through the chimney with lots of toys”?
Reveal“Up on the Housetop.”
Which song has Santa going “down the chimney broad and black”?
Reveal“Jolly Old St. Nicholas.”
Pun question: which carol has the line “Up on the housetop reindeer pause”?
Reveal“Up on the Housetop.” The “paws” sound just like “pause.”
In “Nuttin’ for Christmas,” how did the boy pay for his gum?
RevealWith a slug, a fake coin.
Who Sang It? Christmas Music Quiz with Answers
The artists, films and recordings behind the classics.
Which singer and actress recorded “Santa Baby” in 1953?
RevealEartha Kitt.
In “Santa Baby,” what kind of car does the singer ask for?
RevealA ’54 convertible, light blue.
Which singer introduced “White Christmas” to audiences in the 1942 film Holiday Inn?
RevealBing Crosby.
The Library of Congress calls which Bing Crosby song the most requested at Christmas USO shows in Europe and the Pacific in 1944?
Reveal“I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”
Which 1944 movie musical introduced “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”?
RevealMeet Me in St. Louis, where Judy Garland’s character sings it.
How many times did Nat King Cole record “The Christmas Song”?
RevealFour times: twice in 1946, then in 1953 and 1961.
Which Latin line is sung in the chorus of “Angels We Have Heard on High”?
Reveal“Gloria in excelsis Deo.”
Which 1998 Trans-Siberian Orchestra song reimagines a popular wedding piece?
Reveal“Christmas Canon,” built on Pachelbel’s Canon in D.
Which song plays in Home Alone when Kevin stages a fake party with mannequins to make the burglars think people are home?
Reveal“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee.
Which pop star released “Santa Tell Me” in 2014?
RevealAriana Grande.
Which classically trained male singer included “Silent Night” and “The Little Drummer Boy” on his Christmas album Noel?
RevealJosh Groban.
Christmas Song History Questions
Where carols and holiday songs come from, from hymns of the 1700s to TV specials.
Written by Benjamin Hanby in 1864 and first titled “Santa Claus,” which carol is often called the first Christmas song to focus mainly on Santa?
Reveal“Up on the Housetop.”
Which hymn writer, a leader of the early Methodist movement, wrote the words to “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”?
RevealCharles Wesley, who published the lyrics in Hymns and Sacred Poems in 1739.
What is the German title of “O Christmas Tree”?
Reveal“O Tannenbaum.”
Which country does the melody of “Deck the Halls” come from?
RevealWales. It comes from a Welsh New Year’s Eve carol, “Nos Galan.”
In the 1969 TV special, how did “Frosty the Snowman” change the line “I’ll be back again someday”?
RevealIt became “I’ll be back on Christmas Day.”
Which instrument accompanied the first performance of “Silent Night” in 1818?
RevealThe guitar.
Which carol, dating back to the mid-19th century, has deep African-American spiritual roots?
Reveal“Go Tell It on the Mountain.”
Which carol traces back to a 15th-century French song and was originally written in Latin?
Reveal“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”
In AI Quiz mode, type a topic such as “Christmas songs” and everyone answers on their own phone, with scores counted for you.
Christmas Emoji Game: Guess the Christmas Song
Each puzzle below is a row of emoji standing in for a song title, and the number of words in the title is given as a hint. Read the emoji out loud, give the group a minute, then reveal the song. Some clues are literal, some are puns, so lean on the sound of the title.
Song, 2 words: 🙊🌙🕯
Reveal“Silent Night.”
Song, 3 words: 🏃♂️🦌🏃♂️
Reveal“Run Rudolph Run.”
Song, 6 words: 🎅👩❤️💋👨👀
Reveal“I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.”
Song, 5 words: 🎸🎄💃
Reveal“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
Song, 5 words: 👼🎵👼🎶
Reveal“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”
Song, 4 words: 👦🥁
Reveal“The Little Drummer Boy.”
Song, 3 words: ♦️♠️♥️♣️🏛
Reveal“Deck the Halls.”
Song, 2 words: 🔙🎄👩❤️👨⏭💔
Reveal“Last Christmas.”
Song, 2 words: 🥈🔔🔔
Reveal“Silver Bells.”
Song, 3 words: ✨🔔🎸
Reveal“Jingle Bell Rock.”
Song, 2 words: 🎅👶
Reveal“Santa Baby.”
Song, 3 words: ❄️⛄️❄️
Reveal“Frosty the Snowman.”
Song, 4 words: 😁🔛🌎
Reveal“Joy to the World.”
Song, 6 words: 📝👀👀
Reveal“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.”
Song, 3 words: 🙏❄️❄️
Reveal“Let It Snow.”
Song, 5 words: 💍💍💍💍💍
Reveal“The Twelve Days of Christmas.”
Song, 3 words: 🎅💬🙎♀️
Reveal“Santa Tell Me.”
Song, 5 words: 🩹
Reveal“Do They Know It’s Christmas?”
Song, 2 words: 🔔🔔🛷
Reveal“Jingle Bells.”
Song, 2 words: ⚪🎄
Reveal“White Christmas.”
Song, 2 words: ❄️🐇🎩
Reveal“Winter Wonderland.”
Song, 4 words: 👀🎅🛷
Reveal“Here Comes Santa Claus.”
Song, 7 words: 🙋♀️🎄👉😍
Reveal“All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
Song, 6 words: 👥✨😀🎄
Reveal“We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
Song, 7 words: 👵🦌💥
Reveal“Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.”
Song, 2 words: 🔵🎄
Reveal“Blue Christmas.”
Song, 5 words: 🏠🔜🎄
Reveal“I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”
Song, 3 words: 🙏✨🌃
Reveal“O Holy Night.”
Christmas words and characters
The same game works for things, places, characters and phrases. The label tells players what kind of answer to look for.
Thing: 🏠🍪
RevealA gingerbread house.
Thing: 🙏📝
RevealA wish list.
Place: 📍🏔🦌🤶
RevealThe North Pole.
Character: 👟🦌
RevealDasher.
Thing: 🤢🎄🧥
RevealAn ugly Christmas sweater.
Thing: 🥚🥛
RevealEggnog.
Character: 🚨🦌
RevealRudolph.
Character: 🔙👻
RevealThe Ghost of Christmas Past.
Phrase: 😊🆕📅
RevealHappy New Year.
To build your own round, borrow titles that work well as emoji: “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “What Child Is This?,” “Love Came Down at Christmas,” “Grown-up Christmas List,” “Merry Christmas Everyone,” “Santa Claus Is Back in Town,” “Christmas Time,” “We Three Kings,” “Mary’s Boy Child,” “Fairytale of New York” and “8 Days of Christmas.” Print the clues or put them on a shared screen, and keep an answer key for the host. The same game works for kids and adults at parties, in classrooms and at church events.
Christmas Movie Emoji Game: Emoji Movie Quiz
The same idea with movie titles. A nice twist is to give two answer choices, so players choose between the real title and a decoy, as in the first eight puzzles below. Cheer people on between questions to keep the pace up. The last ones have no choices, for players who want a challenge.
🧝🍝🍭 — A) Elf B) An Elf’s Story
RevealElf.
👹🎅 — A) Krampus B) The Nightmare Before Christmas
RevealKrampus.
👧🎅🗽 — A) Miracle on 34th Street B) The Santa Clause
RevealMiracle on 34th Street.
🤢🐶🏔🎄👧 — A) How the Grinch Stole Christmas B) Beethoven
RevealHow the Grinch Stole Christmas.
🥜🔨👑4️⃣ — A) The Nutcracker and the Four Realms B) Dancing Through the Snow
RevealThe Nutcracker and the Four Realms.
🔔🏃♂️🧸 — A) Jingle All the Way B) All I Want for Christmas
RevealJingle All the Way.
👼🔔 — A) It’s a Wonderful Life B) Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
RevealIt’s a Wonderful Life.
🔎🎅🐾 — A) The Search for Santa Paws B) Santa Buddies
RevealThe Search for Santa Paws.
🐸🐀👻🕯
RevealThe Muppet Christmas Carol.
🎃🌕🎄
RevealThe Nightmare Before Christmas.
🎄🚂🙎♂️
RevealThe Polar Express.
👻👻👻👴
RevealA Christmas Carol.
🏠😱
RevealHome Alone.
😈🎅🥃
RevealBad Santa.
💥🏢👮♂️
RevealDie Hard.
🚢🧳🤷♂️🙅♀️
RevealChristmas with the Kranks.
👦🐶🥜
RevealA Charlie Brown Christmas.
👸❄️⛄️
RevealFrozen.
Name the movie from the quote
For a round without emoji, read a line and ask which movie or special it comes from.
“Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.”
RevealIt’s a Wonderful Life.
“Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal.”
RevealHome Alone.
“You sit on a throne of lies.”
RevealElf.
“They’re not twinkling, Clark.”
RevealNational Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
“He puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore.”
RevealHow the Grinch Stole Christmas.
“You’re skipping Christmas! Isn’t that against the law?”
RevealChristmas with the Kranks.
“Bumbles bounce!”
RevealRudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the animated special.
“I wear the chain I forged in life.”
RevealA Christmas Carol.
“Christmas isn’t just a day, it’s a frame of mind.”
RevealMiracle on 34th Street.
“Christmas is a big commercial racket.”
RevealA Charlie Brown Christmas.
“How horrible our Christmas will be!”
RevealThe Nightmare Before Christmas.
“Santa is watching his saturated fats.”
RevealThe Santa Clause.
“Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.”
RevealThe Polar Express.
“I’ve been meaning to take off a little weight anyway.”
RevealFrosty the Snowman.
More Christmas Music Games to Play with the Questions
Guess the song from its initials
Write only the first letter of each word in a title and let teams decode it.
S C I C T T
Reveal“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.”
I S M K S C
Reveal“I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.”
J B
Reveal“Jingle Bells.”
I D O A W C
Reveal“I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas.”
R T R N R
Reveal“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
C R O A O F
Reveal“Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.”
D Y H W I H
Reveal“Do You Hear What I Hear?”
A I A M
Reveal“Away in a Manger.”
F T S
Reveal“Frosty the Snowman.”
O C A Y F
Reveal“O Come, All Ye Faithful.”
I C U A M C
Reveal“It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.”
O L T O B
Reveal“O Little Town of Bethlehem.”
J T T W
Reveal“Joy to the World.”
S N
Reveal“Silent Night.”
L I S
Reveal“Let It Snow.”
W C I T
Reveal“What Child Is This?”
T T D O C
Reveal“The Twelve Days of Christmas.”
G R Y M G
Reveal“God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen.”
H T H A S
Reveal“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”
W W Y A M C
Reveal“We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
Christmas song story with blanks
Write a short story, or read one aloud, with gaps where Christmas song titles belong. Give players a list of titles and have them fill every gap, using each title only once. Several titles can fit a gap, which is part of the puzzle. For a hard version, cover the list and fill the blanks from memory. A list of 20 titles to draw on: “O Christmas Tree,” “Up on the Housetop,” “Blue Christmas,” “All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Jolly Old St. Nicholas,” “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” “Let It Snow,” “Silent Night,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire,” “Here We Come A-Wassailing,” “What Child Is This?,” “White Christmas,” “Do You Hear What I Hear?” and “Deck the Halls.”
Here is a short example. Fill each gap with a title from the list.
“Snow started falling at dusk, and we told the sky to ___ ___ ___. Mom said it was ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___, so we hung the lights and began to ___ ___ ___. At midnight the house went quiet, and we hummed ___ ___ until we fell asleep.”
Show the filled-in story
Reveal“Snow started falling at dusk, and we told the sky to Let It Snow. Mom said it was It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, so we hung the lights and began to Deck the Halls. At midnight the house went quiet, and we hummed Silent Night until we fell asleep.”
Name that tune
For a round you can hear, try our Name That Tune game: short clips, guesses on every phone.
Christmas song charades
Put song titles in a bowl or hat and split into two teams. A player takes a card and acts out the title for their team within a set time, with no speaking, spelling or mouthing words. If the team guesses the song, it scores a point. Teams take turns, a new player acts each time, and the game goes on until the cards run out. The team with the most points wins. Give each turn 90 seconds to 3 minutes, depending on the group, and prepare a few blank cards for songs of your own.
Easy and medium picks: “Sleigh Ride,” “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” “Do They Know It’s Christmas?,” “Here Comes Santa Claus,” “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Carol of the Bells,” “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas,” “Little Saint Nick” and “Blue Christmas.”
Extra tricky picks: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Mele Kalikimaka,” “Coventry Carol,” “Feliz Navidad,” “Auld Lang Syne,” “In Dulci Jubilo” and “In the Bleak Midwinter.”
Players hear a short clip and race to pick the right song from their phones. A ready-made music round for the party.
Holiday Trivia Questions for Work and Adults
Song trivia is an easy fit for the office party, since nobody needs to be an expert to join in. These questions work for adults at work, with family or among friends. For a mixed team, keep the round office-safe and skip the religious carols if you are unsure. Use the lyric and artist rounds above, or run them in RoomPlay Quiz so every player answers on a phone. Here are four more office-friendly questions to round it out.
Which Mariah Carey song became a diamond-certified holiday single?
Reveal“All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
Who co-wrote and sang “Here Comes Santa Claus”?
RevealGene Autry.
In “Jingle Bell Rock,” what are people doing in the frosty air?
RevealDancing and prancing in Jingle Bell Square.
Which song includes the words “pa rum pum pum pum”?
Reveal“The Little Drummer Boy.”
Keep it short. This format suits an office party of 10 to 60 people. For a quick icebreaker, 15 to 20 questions is plenty. A full trivia night runs about an hour with 40 to 60 questions in six rounds. Run the trivia early in the party, then move on to food or another activity while everyone still has energy.
Use teams. Teams of four to six with festive names work well. Read each question twice, give about 30 seconds, collect the answer sheets after each round, score one point per answer and post the scores between rounds. Give double points for a hard round, and save the hardest round for the end.
Play to the crowd. The movie and music rounds get the most laughs, so open with the lyric round to let everyone score early.
Run it remotely. Send each team to a breakout room for each round, have one person type the answers in the chat and keep each round under five minutes.
More ideas are in our guides to holiday party games for work and Christmas party games for office parties.
Open a room, share the link or QR code, and pick a topic in AI Quiz mode. Players join from their phones, in person or on a call.