What are good Christmas music trivia questions?

Good Christmas music trivia questions ask about the songs, not the lyrics: who recorded “Santa Baby” (Eartha Kitt), which composer scored Home Alone (John Williams), or which carol is based on a Ukrainian folk chant (“Carol of the Bells”). This page has 60 of them in six rounds.

What is the best-selling Christmas song of all time?

“White Christmas,” as sung by Bing Crosby. Guinness World Records lists it as the best-selling single of all time, with an estimated 50 million copies.

What are some Christmas carol trivia questions and answers?

Try these: “O Holy Night” was first written in French. The tune of “Deck the Halls” comes from Wales. “Silent Night” was first sung in Austria. Isaac Watts wrote the words of “Joy to the World.”

How do you play Christmas song trivia at work?

Play in teams, read each question twice and score one point per right answer. Two short rounds and a lightning round of “which came first” questions fit in 20 minutes, and the run of show on this page lays it out.

Are there Christmas music trivia questions without lyrics?

Yes. Every question on this page is about titles, artists, songwriters, years, movies and chart records, so nobody needs to remember or sing a single line.

Can KraftyLab host Christmas trivia for our holiday party?

Yes. Christmas Trivia Party is an hour of hosted rounds on holiday movies, music and traditions, and Christmas Music Bingo Party has players mark songs on digital cards as the host plays them. Both run live on Zoom by default, or Teams, Google Meet or Webex. Book at least 2 weeks ahead.

60 Christmas song trivia questions and answers

Singers, songwriters, movie songs and chart records, with no lyrics to remember. Play a round of ten below, or read the full list with answers.

KraftyLab TeamUpdated Oct 20269 min read

SingersQuestion 1 of 10 · Score 0

Which brother-and-sister duo released “Merry Christmas Darling” in 1970?

Say your answer out loud, or write it down, then check it.

Coworkers in holiday sweaters laugh as one plays a song on his phone and another throws up her hands.

Christmas song trivia is the easiest round to add to a holiday party: everyone has heard these songs every December of their lives. These 60 Christmas music trivia questions and answers come in six rounds of 10, each marked easy, medium or hard, and every fact is checked: release years, writers, films and chart records. Every question uses song titles, never lyrics.

Want the whole party to play a game show? Our Christmas Jeopardy and Christmas Family Feud boards are free to run on a shared screen.

Who sang it? Christmas music trivia

Name the artist behind the record, from 1950s rock and roll to 2010s pop.

1. Which brother-and-sister duo released “Merry Christmas Darling” in 1970?Medium
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The Carpenters
2. Who first recorded “Jingle Bell Rock,” in 1957?Medium
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Bobby Helms
3. Which crooner first recorded “It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” for his 1963 Christmas album?Medium
Show the answer
Andy Williams
4. Which singer and actress recorded “Santa Baby” in 1953?Medium
Show the answer
Eartha Kitt
5. Which rock and roll pioneer released “Run Rudolph Run” in 1958?Medium
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Chuck Berry
6. Which band recorded “Fairytale of New York” with Kirsty MacColl in 1987?Medium
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The Pogues
7. Which singer released “Underneath the Tree” on her 2013 album Wrapped in Red?Easy
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Kelly Clarkson
8. Which California band released “Little Saint Nick” in 1963?Easy
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The Beach Boys
9. Which rock star sang “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” with Bing Crosby on a 1977 TV special?Medium
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David Bowie
10. Which piano rock star released “Step Into Christmas” in 1973?Easy
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Elton John

Who wrote it? Christmas song trivia questions and answers

The songwriters, and the odd places their holiday classics came from.

11. Which singer wrote “The Christmas Song” with Bob Wells in 1945?Hard
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Mel Tormé (Nat King Cole had the hit with it in 1946)
12. “Sleigh Ride” began as an orchestra piece by which American composer?Hard
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Leroy Anderson (Mitchell Parish added the words later)
13. Which composer of The Music Man also wrote “It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas”?Medium
Show the answer
Meredith Willson
14. Songwriter Johnny Marks was the brother-in-law of the man who created which famous reindeer?Easy
Show the answer
Rudolph (Robert L. May created him; Marks wrote the song)
15. Taylor Swift wrote “Christmas Tree Farm” about the farm she grew up on. In which state is it?Medium
Show the answer
Pennsylvania
16. Gene Autry got the idea for “Here Comes Santa Claus” while riding in which city's Christmas parade?Medium
Show the answer
Hollywood (the Santa Claus Lane Parade in Los Angeles)
17. “Do You Hear What I Hear?” was written in October 1962, during which world crisis?Medium
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The Cuban Missile Crisis
18. What was “The Little Drummer Boy” called when Katherine K. Davis wrote it in 1941?Hard
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Carol of the Drum
19. Which American poet's 1863 poem became the carol “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”?Medium
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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
20. Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne wrote “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” during what kind of weather?Easy
Show the answer
A heat wave (in Los Angeles, in July 1945)

Christmas songs from movies and TV

The holiday films and specials that gave us the songs, or gave old songs a second life.

21. Judy Garland introduced “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in which 1944 film?Medium
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Meet Me in St. Louis
22. Josh Groban sings “Believe” in which animated Christmas film?Easy
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The Polar Express
23. Which composer scored Home Alone, including the song “Somewhere in My Memory”?Medium
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John Williams
24. Which songwriter, a co-writer of “Rainbow Connection,” wrote the songs for The Muppet Christmas Carol?Hard
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Paul Williams
25. Which hip-hop group's “Christmas in Hollis” plays in the movie Die Hard?Medium
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Run-DMC
26. Which duet does Zooey Deschanel's character sing in the shower in Elf?Medium
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Baby, It's Cold Outside
27. In Love Actually, aging rocker Billy Mack turns which 1960s hit into “Christmas Is All Around”?Medium
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Love Is All Around (first a hit for The Troggs in 1967)
28. Who wrote the songs for The Nightmare Before Christmas and sang Jack Skellington's parts?Medium
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Danny Elfman
29. The uncredited singer of “You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” in the 1966 cartoon also voiced which cereal mascot?Hard
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Tony the Tiger (the singer was Thurl Ravenscroft)
30. Which jazz pianist's trio played the music for A Charlie Brown Christmas?Medium
Show the answer
Vince Guaraldi

A woman in a red cardigan writes an answer as two coworkers watch at a garland-lined table.

Christmas chart toppers, records and firsts

Best sellers, late No. 1s and one song that left the planet.

31. According to Guinness World Records, which Christmas song is the best-selling single of all time?Easy
Show the answer
White Christmas (Bing Crosby's recording, an estimated 50 million copies)
32. Mariah Carey's biggest holiday hit first reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in which year?Medium
Show the answer
2019 (25 years after it came out)
33. Which 1958 Christmas song finally reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 2023?Medium
Show the answer
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (Brenda Lee, then 78)
34. Which 1958 novelty record was the first Christmas song to top the Billboard Hot 100?Medium
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The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)
35. Which 1984 charity single was the UK's best-selling single until Elton John's 1997 tribute to Princess Diana?Medium
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Do They Know It's Christmas? (by Band Aid)
36. Which band's 1978 cover of “Please Come Home for Christmas” reached No. 18 on the Hot 100?Medium
Show the answer
The Eagles
37. On Gemini 6 in 1965, astronauts played which song on a harmonica and bells, the first song performed in space?Easy
Show the answer
Jingle Bells (Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford)
38. Whose 1957 holiday album is the best-selling Christmas album of all time in the US?Medium
Show the answer
Elvis Presley (Elvis' Christmas Album)
39. Who sang “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” on Letterman's Late Show nearly every December from 1994 to 2014?Hard
Show the answer
Darlene Love
40. In 2021, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” became the first holiday single to earn which RIAA certification?Medium
Show the answer
Diamond (10 million units in the US)

Christmas carol trivia questions and answers

Where the old carols came from: the countries, the languages and the hymn writers.

41. “Carol of the Bells” is based on a folk chant from which country?Medium
Show the answer
Ukraine (Mykola Leontovych's “Shchedryk”)
42. In which language was “O Holy Night” first written?Medium
Show the answer
French
43. The tune of “Deck the Halls” comes from which country?Medium
Show the answer
Wales
44. In which country was “Silent Night” first sung?Medium
Show the answer
Austria (in the village of Oberndorf, near Salzburg)
45. What kind of tree is the German carol “O Tannenbaum” about?Medium
Show the answer
A fir tree
46. “O Come, All Ye Faithful” is also sung in Latin under what title?Medium
Show the answer
Adeste Fideles
47. Which English hymn writer wrote the words of “Joy to the World”?Hard
Show the answer
Isaac Watts
48. “Mele Kalikimaka” is a Christmas greeting in which language?Easy
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Hawaiian
49. The “Hallelujah” chorus comes from which oratorio by George Frideric Handel?Medium
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Messiah
50. Which carol does a boy start singing at Scrooge's keyhole in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol?Hard
Show the answer
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

Which came first? A Christmas music quiz with answers

Two songs, one question: which is older? The years are in the answers.

51. Which came first: “Silent Night” or “Jingle Bells”?Medium
Show the answer
Silent Night (1818, against 1857)
52. Which came first: “Joy to the World” or “O Holy Night”?Medium
Show the answer
Joy to the World (Isaac Watts's words date to 1719; “O Holy Night” to 1847)
53. Which came first: “Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town” or “White Christmas”?Medium
Show the answer
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1934, against 1942)
54. Which came first: “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” or “Frosty the Snowman”?Medium
Show the answer
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Gene Autry recorded Rudolph in 1949 and Frosty in 1950)
55. Which came first: “Here Comes Santa Claus” or “Mele Kalikimaka”?Hard
Show the answer
Here Comes Santa Claus (Gene Autry's 1947 record, against Bing Crosby's 1950 one)
56. Which came first: “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” or “Wonderful Christmastime”?Medium
Show the answer
Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1971; Paul McCartney in 1979)
57. Which came first: “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” or “Christmas in Hollis”?Medium
Show the answer
Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (Elmo & Patsy in 1979; Run-DMC in 1987)
58. Which came first: “Feliz Navidad” or “Last Christmas”?Easy
Show the answer
Feliz Navidad (1970, against 1984)
59. Which came first: Ariana Grande's “Santa Tell Me” or Taylor Swift's “Christmas Tree Farm”?Easy
Show the answer
Santa Tell Me (2014, against 2019)
60. Which aired first on TV: A Charlie Brown Christmas or the stop-motion Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer special?Hard
Show the answer
The Rudolph special (December 1964, a year before Charlie Brown)

How to run Christmas music trivia at the office party

Twenty minutes, a reader, a scorekeeper and teams of four to six. Here's the plan.

Minutes 0 to 2: tables become teams. Split into tables or teams of four to six. Each team names itself after a Christmas song and picks one person to write.
Minutes 2 to 8: two rounds of five. Read five questions from the singers round and five from the movies round, twice each. Say the song titles clearly; they carry most of the clue.
Minutes 8 to 10: answers. Read the answers and the short notes. The notes are where the groans and the “no way” moments happen.
Minutes 10 to 16: lightning round. Ten “which came first” questions, ten seconds each. Teams hold up one hand for the first song, two for the second.
Minutes 16 to 20: final question and winner. Pick one hard question from the records round, worth five points, then crown the winning team.

Tips for the host

No singing required: every question is about titles, artists, years and charts.
For a mixed group, lean on the singers, movies and records rounds. The carols round is mostly hymns.
Accept close titles, like “Rockin' Around the Tree.” It's a party, not a spelling test.
On a video call, give each team a breakout room and collect answers by private chat.

Need a warm-up round first? Start with our easy trivia questions. For more games, see our holiday party games for work, and for a party that includes everyone, our inclusive holiday party ideas.

Want a host to run Christmas trivia for you?

A live host brings the rounds, the slides, the scoring and the holiday banter, so the organizer gets to play too. Christmas Trivia Party is an hour of team rounds on holiday movies, music and traditions. Christmas Music Bingo Party has everyone marking songs on digital cards. Both run on Zoom by default, or Teams, Google Meet or Webex, and the office can join together while remote staff dial in. Book at least 2 weeks ahead. See every virtual holiday party idea, all our virtual trivia nights, or get a free quote.

Hosted Christmas games: live on your video call, with today's prices.