A Merry Legal Christmas Trivia Quiz

Answer: Foolstide

Puritans found no scriptural reference to Christmas and considered it a pagan holiday. This belief was not unfounded, as pagan cultures had long celebrated the winter solstice as a time of gift-giving and celebration. Christians who immigrated to the New World and wanted Christmas Day off to relax were ostracized. Eventually this stigma wore off, but it was the prevailing idea for a long time in New England.

Answer: mince pie

Here the Puritans were at work again to rid the world of Christmas. Parliament under Cromwell was said to have banned many festive foods, decorations, and events. However, these laws did not stay in effect once Charles II was restored to the monarchy. In modern times, they are effectively unenforceable.

Answer: the singing of carols

The case of Florey v. Sioux Falls School District has been of special interest to the legal world due to it setting precedent for future cases of religion in public school. Roger Florey, an atheist parent, filed a lawsuit against the school, claiming that it was a violation of the separation of church and state if children were forced to sing religious Christmas carols.

The court held that the school's original policy was unconstitutional, but since the school district had revised its policy to include the songs of other religions as well as secular songs, the Christian religious songs were permitted as they were part of the school's broader curriculum.

Answer: alcoholic beverages

Bans on alcoholic beverages on Christmas Day may have seemed morally just in the past, but with the advent of Christmas traditions such as the drinking of eggnog and celebrating with office Christmas parties, these laws now have the dubious honor of seeming dated.

Answer: liability waiver

While most diners would be angry if a metal coin were found in their food, it it is meant to be a sign of good luck if you find it in your Christmas pudding. However, some restaurant owners have found it necessary to provide waivers to anyone who orders the pudding in case the diner isn't paying attention and bites into the coins.

Signing waivers in restaurants has become somewhat commonplace; some restaurants have waivers for specialized foods such as rare meats and extremely spicy sauces. While some of the appeal of having a waiver for such items is for novelty's sake, it also helps protect the restaurant owner for liability: a double bonus for owners.

Answer: county jails

Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been known to subject his inmates to unusual disciplinary actions such as wearing pink clothing as a punishment and allowing certain inmates only to eat bologna sandwiches. The inmates in his system considered the constant barrage of Christmas tunes to be more of the same.

Answer: The plaintiff was awarded over $300,000 (CAD).

Having suffered brain injuries from the alcohol-related accident that left her unable to gain willful employment, the plaintiff sought damages. The original judge in the case ruled that the receptionist was partially responsible, so the $300,000 sum was actually lowered from a larger amount.

While the original ruling was thrown out and the case settled out of court, this case is famous amongst lawyers as one where liability can be shared by both consumers of alcohol as well as providers. Law professionals will often advise that Christmas party hosts, even in their own home, should find a suitable means of transportation for every guest that is consuming alcohol.

Answer: Hallmark Productions

What was unusual in this type of lawsuit was that the filmmaker, Brad Wigor, had been in negotiation with Hallmark and was highly involved in the project until he had been forced out. Hallmark went ahead with the project, which had been the brainchild of Wigor. The film was meant to be titled "The Night Flyer".

Answer: False

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 was passed with the intention of phasing out incandescent light bulbs, which were considered inefficient. However, patio lighting and "specialized bulbs" such as Christmas lights were exempted from these energy efficiency standards.

Answer: Unlicensed street vendors can only sell Christmas trees in the month of December.

The 1938 law was actually passed in response to a blanket ban on Christmas tree sales by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, who espoused his own version of a "War on Christmas trees". The mayor banned the selling of Christmas trees by unlicensed vendors, who were at the time mostly immigrants. The licenses were then effectively impossible to attain.

The voice of "Christmas jeer" soon made itself heard when Christmas trees were noticeably absent from the streets of New York City. The city council quickly passed an exception: the Christmas trees could be sold without a license, but only in the month of December.

A spokeswoman for the 2014 Manhattan landlord has stated that the lawsuit could not be fulfilled in 2014 since the defendants had packed up and left, but that if they tried it again the next year, the landlord would certainly file another lawsuit.