Spin Control: Time for some holiday cheer with the annual 12 Trivias of Christmas quiz
On this day before Christmas, Spin Control follows its normal tradition of staying away from polls, pols and punditry in the interest of peace and harmony.
It’s our suspicion that if the Prophet Isaiah were writing today, he wouldn’t call for wolves to graze with lambs or lions to lie with calves. Instead he might call for progressives to have a beer with MAGA conservatives and for donors to the Spokane Good Government Alliance to join hands with donors to Citizens for Liberty and Labor and sing a few carols around the big tree in River Park Square.
So we are filling up the column space with our annual 12 Trivias of Christmas quiz. As usual, some questions have a somewhat tangential link to government or politics, but most are just trivial. Answers and scoring at the end. No peeking.
1. According to the song, what is Frosty the Snowman’s nose made out of?
A. Carrot
B. Button
C. Corncob
D. Coal
2. Which of the following is not one of the traditional 12 Days of Christmas?
A. Christmas Eve
B. Boxing Day
C. New Year’s Eve
D. New Year’s Day
3. How many times is Santa Claus mentioned by name in the poem “ ’Twas the Night before Christmas?”
A. Once
B. Twice
C. Three times
D. He isn’t mentioned
4. The tradition of decorating evergreen trees for Christmas originated in what country?
A. England
B. Italy
C. Germany
D. United States
5. Which direction were the Magi traveling as they followed the star to Bethlehem?
A. North
B. South
C. East
D. West
6. General George Washington crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night 1776 and defeated the Hessians in what battle?
A. Ticonderoga
B. Trenton
C. Valley Forge
D. Saratoga
7. Which of Santa’s original eight reindeer named in “ ’Twas the Night Before Christmas” has had three full-length movies with its name in the title?
A. Dasher
B. Dancer
C. Prancer
D. Blitzen
8. Which first lady started the tradition of a theme for the official White House Christmas tree?
A. Eleanor Roosevelt
B. Mamie Eisenhower
C. Jackie Kennedy
D. Nancy Reagan
9. Frank Sinatra changed a line in which well-established Christmas song to make it more upbeat?
A. “I’ll be Home for Christmas”
B. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
C. “Baby It’s Cold Outside”
D. “The Little Drummer Boy”
10. The song “Silver Bells” was written for what movie?
A. The Lemon Drop Kid
B. Die Hard
C. The Bells of St. Mary’s
D. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
11. Who put up the first Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center in 1931?
A. The Rockettes, who did it to attract people to their holiday show
B. Construction workers, who were building the center
C. The National Christmas Tree Association, to promote sales in the city
D. New York Gov. Franklin Roosevelt, as a start of his 1932 presidential campaign
12. What member of the “Our Gang” series later appeared briefly in “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “White Christmas?”
A. Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer
B. George “Spanky” McFarland
C. Darla Hood
D. Jackie Cooper
Answers
1. B. The song describes him having “a corncob pipe and a button nose and two eyes made out of coal.” Carrot, a current favorite for snowman noses by kids and cartoonists, isn’t mentioned. It’s possible that when the song was written in 1950, memories of the Depression were fresh enough that no one wasted carrots on snowmen.
2. A. The traditional 12 days start on Dec. 25 and go until Jan. 5, the day before Epiphany.
3. D. The name Santa Claus does not appear in the poem. The jolly old elf is first called St. Nick, to rhyme with “quick” and later St. Nicholas.
4. C. Germans were decorating trees as far back as the Middle Ages. German immigrants brought the custom to the United States and Queen Victoria’s German husband Albert brought it to England.
5. D. If the Magi came from the East, as the Gospel of Matthew says, they traveled West to get to Israel. Matthew doesn’t say where they started – or even how many Magi came – but various traditions suggest Arabia, Persia or India.
6. B. Washington and the Continental Army surprised the German mercenary forces who had been making merry for Christmas.
7. C. Prancer is in the title of movies in 1989, 2002 and 2020, all of which involve an adorable child finding a reindeer, naming it after their favorite from the poem and trying to keep it safe.
8. C. Jackie Kennedy started the practice in 1961 with a Nutcracker Ballet theme.
9. B. Sinatra didn’t like the line “Until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow.” Although he had recorded a version with that line years earlier, he changed the line to “Hang a shining star upon the highest bough” when including the song in his “A Jolly Christmas” album. Some singers use the muddle through line, some the shining star line. 1
0. A. This Bob Hope comedy isn’t on most people’s lists of favorite Christmas movies, although the action supposedly takes place over the holiday and Hope dresses up as Santa at one point and rings a bell at a street kettle. “Silver Bells” was written for it and Hope sings it with Marilyn Maxwell.
11. B. Workers building the Rockefeller Center chipped in, bought a tree, erected it and their families strung popcorn and made other decorations for it. Over the years, the tree grew and the decorations got more elaborate.
12. A. Switzer appears in both movies, but only has a speaking part in “It’s a Wonderful Life” where he plays the annoying teen who gets mad when George Bailey sweeps Mary away from him at the high school dance. In “White Christmas” you have to look quickly because it’s his face in the picture of “Freckle-Faced Bennie Haynes, the dog-faced boy” shown by his sisters to Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye.
Scoring
0-2 Scrooge before visits from the ghosts
3-5 Charlie Brown looking for a tree for the Christmas pageant
6-8 Scrooge after spending time with the Ghost of Christmas Past
9-11 Linus explaining the true meaning of Christmas on the stage
12 The Grinch carving up the roast beast in Whoville
And whether you are muddling through somehow or hanging a star on the highest bow, have a Merry Christmas of the size most appropriate.