This Christmas trivia quiz wraps up holiday history, traditions from around the world and a little winter science. Learn where the Christmas tree custom began, why snowflakes have six sides, what makes reindeer unique among deer and how a misdialed phone number launched a famous Santa tracker. It's festive fun for the whole family, whether you're by the fire or stuck in holiday traffic.
Many Christmas customs Americans take for granted are younger than they seem. The first commercial Christmas card was commissioned by Sir Henry Cole in London in 1843, with 2,050 copies printed. Cards caught on in the United States after printer Louis Prang began selling them in 1874, and within a decade his firm was turning out millions a year. Santa Claus got much of his modern look from a poem first published anonymously in a Troy, New York, newspaper on December 23, 1823, which gave him a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer.
Winter celebrations are much older, of course. The Romans held Saturnalia starting on December 17, a festival of feasting, gambling and small gifts, and over the centuries many cultures blended their own midwinter traditions into the holiday season.
Christmas trivia is fun because it mixes history, science, nature and customs from around the world. When a question surprises you, think about where a tradition might have started and how it could have spread, often through travel, trade and storytelling. It's a great quiz to play with family while the cocoa is warm.