It’s a holiday tradition: Spin Control’s 12 Trivias of Christmas quiz

Christmas can be a tough time for political columnists. Not only do readers tend to skip heavy political news that could shake them out of the holiday spirit, but it’s almost impossible to track down political sources in the week before Dec. 25 who aren’t so full of eggnog that they can’t say anything more intelligible than, “Ho, ho, ho!”

To keep this from delaying the trip to our own Christmas celebrations, Spin Control offers its annual 12 Trivias of Xmas Quiz. Answers at the bottom (but only a Grinch would peek).

1. What traditional carol is mentioned in the more contemporary Christmas song, “Baby, Please Come Home”?

A. White Christmas

B. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town

C. Deck the Halls

D. I’ll Be Home for Christmas

2. Who gets the “Hopalong Boots and a pistol that shoots” mentioned in “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas”?

A. Bobby and Bill

B. Barney and Ben

C. Johnny and Jack

D. Timmy and Tom

3. What did Scrooge send the Cratchits for the Christmas dinner in A Christmas Carol?

A. A goose

B. A turkey

C. A fruitcake

D. A pumpkin pie

4. What is the longest-running Christmas TV special in history?

A. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

B. A Charlie Brown Christmas

C. Frosty the Snowman

D. Amahl and the Night Visitors

5. A traditional crèche or Nativity scene usually joins separate elements of the birth of Jesus found in which two books of the Bible?

A. Mark and Matthew

B. Matthew and Luke

C. Luke and John

D. John and Mark

6. An American government official to what Latin American country brought the tradition of poinsettias at Christmas to the United States?

A. Costa Rica

B. Honduras

C. Mexico

D. Cuba

7. Why do some ungulate experts argue that Santa’s sled is pulled by female reindeer?

A. They’d be faster

B. They’d be smaller

C. They’d be smarter

D. They have antlers

8. In what movie did Bing Crosby first sing “White Christmas?”

A. White Christmas (duh)

B. The Bells of St. Mary’s

C. Holiday Inn

D. The Road to the North Pole

9. Who was crowned king of England on Christmas Day 1066?

A. Arthur

B. William I

C. Henry VIII

D. Nicholas I

10. Which of the following is not one of the traditional 12 Days of Christmas?

A. St. Nicholas Day

B. Boxing Day

C. New Year’s Eve

D. New Year’s Day

11. How often 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.

12. According to the original version of the song, what color should the birds be that were given on the Fourth Day of Christmas?

A. White, like a dove

B. Blue, like a jay

C. Red, like a cardinal

D. Black, like a crow

Answers

1. C. One line says “They’re singing ‘Deck the Halls’/But it’s not like Christmas at all…”

2. B. Rhymes with “Janice and Jen” and “school to start again.”

3. B. They had a very small goose. Scrooge gave the boy outside his window money to buy a turkey “almost as big as me.”

4. A. It has run every year since 1964. Amahl premiered in 1951 but hasn’t run continuously.

5. B. The angels, shepherds and manger come from Luke and the Magi from Matthew.

6. C. Joel Roberts Poinsett was the first U.S. minister to Mexico.

7. D. All renderings of the reindeer back to the original printing of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” show them with antlers. Male reindeer shed their antlers in the fall, while female reindeer keep theirs until the spring.

8. C. The song first appeared in “Holiday Inn,” for which Irving Berlin also wrote songs for Valentine’s Day, Washington and Abraham’s birthdays, Easter and Thanksgiving.

9. B. William I, also known as William the Conqueror after winning the Battle of Hastings forced his coronation after taking London.

10. A. St. Nicholas Day is Dec. 6. The 12 Days of Christmas start Dec. 25

11. D. The poem uses St. Nicholas and St. Nick, but not Santa Claus.

12. D. In the original version, it’s “four colly birds” although that’s been adapted to “calling birds” or “collie birds” in more modern versions. Colly birds are black birds or crows.

Scoring

0-2 Scrooge before the visit of Marley’s ghost

2-4 Charlie Brown before becoming director of the play

5-7 Buddy the Elf after meeting his dad

8-10 Scrooge after meeting all the ghosts

11-12 Linus explaining the meaning of Christmas

Eidtior’s note: The original version of this quiz had an incorrect answer for question nine.

Jim Camden can be reached at jim-camden@outlook.com or (509) 879-7461.