Caregiving
Christmas Trivia Questions and Answers for Seniors (Free Printable)
These Christmas trivia questions and answers for seniors are made for reading out loud: at the kitchen table with Mom, on a visit to Grandpa in assisted living, or with a whole room at a holiday party. There are 25 multiple-choice questions below, each with four choices, and the answers are included at the end of the page, so nobody peeks by accident.
The first ten also come as a free large print printable, two quiz pages and an answer page, that you can print as many times as you like. All 25 questions come from our Christmas Puzzle Book, a large print book of Christmas word searches, crosswords and trivia.
Get the free printable quiz
The free quiz is A Christmas Carol: ten questions about Charles Dickens's story, from Scrooge's "Bah! Humbug!" to Bob Cratchit, Mr. Fezziwig and the prize turkey. It is three pages, US Letter, in color.
- Pages 1 and 2: the ten questions, with A, B, C and D choices to circle
- Page 3: the answer key, with a sentence or two about each answer to read aloud
Download the free Christmas trivia quiz (PDF, 3 pages)
On an iPhone or iPad, the PDF opens on screen. To keep it, tap the Share button, then Save to Files or Print.
The questions are set in Atkinson Hyperlegible, a typeface the Braille Institute designed to be easy to read for people with low vision. The print is large, there is plenty of space between questions, and there is room to circle an answer with a shaky hand.
How to read trivia aloud in a group
Trivia works in a group because nobody has to know the answer alone. A few things help it go well, whether there are four people at a table or twenty in an activity room.
- Face the group and slow down. Read each question twice, then read all four choices slowly, with a short pause between them. People who don't hear well follow your face as well as your voice.
- Give the letter and the words. "A, Cinderella. B, Little Red Riding Hood." Some people remember the letter, some remember the words.
- Let people answer any way they like. Calling out, raising a hand, holding up one to four fingers, or circling a letter on their own copy all work. Keep it relaxed.
- Read the little story after each answer. The answer key has a sentence or two about each one. That is often where the talking starts: who has seen which film of A Christmas Carol, who had an electric train around the tree.
- Skip the score unless the group wants one. Some rooms love teams and a tally. Others enjoy it more when every guess is welcome and nobody is keeping count.
- Stop while it is still fun. Ten questions is plenty for one sitting. Save the rest for another day. Our Christmas Puzzle Book has 15 quizzes of ten questions, so there is a new one for each visit.
Trivia on a one-to-one visit
On a visit with a parent or grandparent, trivia gives you something easy to do together. Hand them the printed page and let them read the questions to you, if they like to. Or read to them and let them be the expert. Many of these questions are about things they lived through: Christmas club accounts, ribbon candy, Norman Rockwell's magazine covers.
If an answer leads to a story, follow the story. The quiz will wait. Our Christmas conversation starters about Christmases past have more questions for that kind of afternoon.
A real page from the Christmas Puzzle Book
This is the Trivia Quiz: A Christmas Carol page from our Christmas Puzzle Book. Print it and do it with a pencil, as many copies as you like for your family.
Ten questions, four choices each. Circle the letter.
See all 170 pages25 Christmas trivia questions for seniors
Questions 1 to 10 are the free printable quiz. Questions 11 to 25 come from two other quizzes in the book. The answers are at the end of the page.
A Christmas Carol
1. Who wrote the classic story A Christmas Carol?
- A. Charles Dickens
- B. Mark Twain
- C. Washington Irving
- D. Louisa May Alcott
2. Which two-word expression is Ebenezer Scrooge famous for saying?
- A. Good grief!
- B. Bah! Humbug!
- C. Oh, bother!
- D. Hold on!
3. Which character, Scrooge's old business partner, is the first spirit to visit him, wrapped in a heavy chain?
- A. Bob Cratchit
- B. Mr. Fezziwig
- C. Tiny Tim
- D. Jacob Marley
4. According to the ghost of his old business partner, how many more spirits will visit Scrooge?
- A. Two
- B. Four
- C. Five
- D. Three
5. What is the name of Scrooge's hardworking clerk?
- A. Fred Tucker
- B. Tom Sawyer
- C. Bob Cratchit
- D. Jacob Little
6. What is the name of Scrooge's cheerful nephew, who invites him to Christmas dinner every year?
- A. George
- B. Edward
- C. Albert
- D. Fred
7. Which of Scrooge's former employers threw a merry Christmas Eve party with music and dancing?
- A. Mr. Pickwick
- B. Mr. Micawber
- C. Mr. Fezziwig
- D. Mr. Bumble
8. On Christmas morning, what does the changed Scrooge send to the Cratchit family?
- A. A wool blanket
- B. A pair of skates
- C. A prize turkey
- D. A basket of apples
9. Which spirit appears as a jolly giant surrounded by a great holiday feast?
- A. The Ghost of Christmas Present
- B. The Ghost of Christmas Past
- C. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
- D. The ghost of Jacob Marley
10. In which city is A Christmas Carol set?
- A. London
- B. Paris
- C. Boston
- D. Edinburgh
Gifts and Stockings
11. Which fruit was a traditional treat tucked into the toe of a Christmas stocking?
- A. A banana
- B. An orange
- C. A pear
- D. A peach
12. What did old tradition say naughty children might find in their stockings?
- A. A lump of coal
- B. A pinecone
- C. A seashell
- D. A rock
13. The first commercial Christmas card was made in 1843 in which country?
- A. France
- B. Germany
- C. Canada
- D. England
14. Which printer is often called the father of the American Christmas card?
- A. Benjamin Franklin
- B. Paul Revere
- C. Louis Prang
- D. Noah Webster
15. What was a "Christmas club" account at a bank?
- A. A club for bank workers
- B. A savings account for holiday shopping
- C. A loan for buying a tree
- D. A free calendar program
16. Which thin, glossy, wavy candy was often found in candy dishes at Christmastime?
- A. Ribbon candy
- B. Taffy
- C. Licorice
- D. Fudge
17. What toy often circled the base of the Christmas tree in mid-century American homes?
- A. A rocking horse
- B. A kite
- C. A jump rope
- D. An electric train set
18. How do children use a homemade paper chain to count down to Christmas?
- A. They add a link each week
- B. They paint one link each day
- C. They hang it on the door on Christmas Day
- D. They tear off one link each day
Christmas in American History
19. Which president signed the 1870 law making Christmas a federal holiday?
- A. Abraham Lincoln
- B. Ulysses S. Grant
- C. Andrew Johnson
- D. Rutherford B. Hayes
20. Which colonial group once outlawed Christmas celebrations in Massachusetts?
- A. The Quakers
- B. The Dutch
- C. The Puritans
- D. The Spanish
21. Which president lit the first National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C., in 1923?
- A. Herbert Hoover
- B. Calvin Coolidge
- C. Warren G. Harding
- D. Woodrow Wilson
22. Where in New York City does a giant Christmas tree stand above a famous ice-skating rink?
- A. Rockefeller Center
- B. Central Park
- C. Times Square
- D. Grand Central Terminal
23. The famous 1897 editorial "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" was printed in which newspaper?
- A. The Boston Globe
- B. The Chicago Tribune
- C. The Philadelphia Inquirer
- D. The New York Sun
24. Which U.S. and Canadian military command famously "tracks" Santa's flight each Christmas Eve?
- A. NASA
- B. The Coast Guard
- C. The National Weather Service
- D. NORAD
25. Which American illustrator painted many cozy Christmas covers for The Saturday Evening Post?
- A. Norman Rockwell
- B. Grandma Moses
- C. Andrew Wyeth
- D. Grant Wood
Answers
Each answer comes with the note printed in the book's answer key. They are short enough to read aloud. In the free printable, answers 1 to 10 are on page 3, on their own, so the reader can keep them out of sight.
- A. Charles Dickens. Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol. It was first published in London in December 1843 and has been loved ever since.
- B. Bah! Humbug!. Scrooge grumbles "Bah! Humbug!" when people wish him a merry Christmas. The phrase is still used today to describe a grumpy attitude.
- D. Jacob Marley. The ghost of Jacob Marley visits Scrooge first. His chain is made of cash boxes, keys and ledgers, a warning about a life spent only on money.
- D. Three. Marley's ghost tells Scrooge that three spirits will come. They are the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come.
- C. Bob Cratchit. Bob Cratchit is Scrooge's loyal clerk. He works in a chilly office for low wages but keeps a cheerful heart.
- D. Fred. Scrooge's nephew Fred never stops inviting his uncle to Christmas dinner. At the end of the story, Scrooge finally accepts.
- C. Mr. Fezziwig. The Ghost of Christmas Past shows Scrooge the jolly party given by Mr. Fezziwig. It reminds Scrooge how much a kind employer can mean.
- C. A prize turkey. Scrooge sends the Cratchits a huge prize turkey from the poulterer's shop. He even pays for a cab to deliver it.
- A. The Ghost of Christmas Present. The Ghost of Christmas Present is a cheerful giant in a green robe. He sits among heaps of turkeys, puddings, fruit and other good things.
- A. London. The story takes place in London, where Dickens lived. His vivid scenes of its busy streets helped shape the picture of a Victorian Christmas.
- B. An orange. An orange in the stocking was a special treat, especially when fresh fruit was rare in winter. Many families still keep the custom.
- A. A lump of coal. Children were told that naughty boys and girls might get a lump of coal. It was a gentle warning to be good.
- D. England. Sir Henry Cole had the first commercial Christmas card printed in England in 1843. It showed a family raising a toast.
- C. Louis Prang. Louis Prang, a German-born printer in Boston, made colorful Christmas cards popular in America in the late 1800s.
- B. A savings account for holiday shopping. People put a little money into a Christmas club account each week. Near the holidays, they had savings ready for gifts.
- A. Ribbon candy. Ribbon candy is made by folding thin strips of hard candy into wavy loops. It was a colorful holiday favorite in many homes.
- D. An electric train set. Electric train sets were a beloved gift in the 1940s and 1950s. Many families set up the tracks around the tree.
- D. They tear off one link each day. Each link stands for one day left until Christmas. Children remove a link every day, and the chain gets shorter as the big day nears.
- B. Ulysses S. Grant. President Ulysses S. Grant signed the law in 1870. It made Christmas a holiday for federal workers.
- C. The Puritans. The Puritans felt Christmas celebrations were too rowdy and not found in the Bible. Massachusetts banned them for over twenty years in the 1600s.
- B. Calvin Coolidge. Calvin Coolidge lit the first National Christmas Tree in 1923. The lighting has become a yearly tradition near the White House.
- A. Rockefeller Center. The Rockefeller Center tree has been a New York tradition since the 1930s. Its lighting draws crowds every year.
- D. The New York Sun. Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote to The Sun in New York. Editor Francis Church's kind reply became one of the most reprinted editorials ever.
- D. NORAD. The tradition began in 1955 when a newspaper ad printed a wrong phone number and children called the air defense center. The officer on duty kindly gave them Santa's location.
- A. Norman Rockwell. Norman Rockwell's Christmas covers showed warm scenes of family life and Santa Claus. They are still loved by many Americans.
Printing tips
- Print on plain US Letter paper. In the print window, choose Actual size or 100%, so the type stays as large as it was made.
- The quiz is in color. To save ink, choose Grayscale or Black and white in the print window. The questions read just as well. The book comes with a black-and-white ink-saver edition for the same reason.
- For a group, print one copy for each person who likes to follow along, and a copy of the answer page for the reader only.
- A clipboard helps anyone who is answering from an armchair or a wheelchair.
You are welcome to print the free quiz for your family, a church group or a room full of residents. It is a gift from us.
More Christmas trivia in the large print book
The full Christmas Puzzle Book has 15 trivia quizzes of ten questions each, 150 questions in all, on The Night Before Christmas, Christmas cookies, carols, the first Christmas, Christmas around the world, the Christmas dinner table and more. Every quiz has its own answer key at the back, with a note on each answer like the ones above.
It also has 30 word searches, 15 crosswords, 12 conversation pages and 10 finish-the-saying pages, 170 pages in all, in the same large print. It is a printable PDF for $7.99, with a color edition and an ink-saver black-and-white edition in the same download. Print a few pages at a time for visits, or the whole book as part of a gift. If you'd like a word search too, here is a free large print Christmas word search from the same book, and our list of Christmas activities for seniors has more ideas for the season.
See inside the Christmas Puzzle Book
The free quiz and the book are puzzles and activities for fun at home and on visits. They are not a medical or therapy product.