A Very Acrostic Christmas Trivia Quiz

Answer: Robert L. May

Illinois-born Robert Lewis May had always felt an outsider when he was growing up and found life tough, especially when he lived in Chicago during and after the Great Depression. It was when he took on a low-paid job as an advertising copywriter that he was asked to create a "cheery Christmas story" by his boss. His wife Evelyn had just died from cancer, and he was struggling to pay the debt from her medical bills, as well as bringing up his young four year old daughter, Barbara.

It was his daughter who loved to see the deer in Chicago zoo and this gave Robert May the inspiration to write about a reindeer with a shiny red nose; the story of a cute little underdog which reflected his own life story, and a story which brought much comfort to his still grieving daughter. The poem became an overnight success but it was ten years later when his songwriter brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, adapted the story to music.

Clement Clarke Moore wrote "A Visit from St. Nicholas", Chris Van Allsburg wrote "The Polar Express, and Dr. Seuss wrote "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", all of which have been classic children's stories.

Answer: To be born

Everybody is familiar with the story of the birth of Jesus Christ over 2,000 years ago as told in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke in the New Testament. A nativity scene evokes an atmosphere of warmth and new beginnings, but also serves as a reminder to Christians about the true meaning of Christmas as Mary and Joseph welcomed their child into the world.

Francis of Assisi was an Italian saint who is credited with staging the first live nativity scene in 1223 as a way of teaching the birth of Jesus to his followers. He prepared the scene using a manger, hay, and two real life animals; an ox and ass. The word "nativity" is taken from the Latin word "nasci" which means birth, or arisen by birth, or to be born.

A basic nativity scene today includes five basic pieces; a stable, manger, baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Additions have also been made which may or may not accurately reflect text from the bible. These include the star of Bethlehem, angels, shepherds, wise-men, camels, sheep, a plethora of different barn animals, and even characters from "Star Wars"!

Answer: Robins

Many Christmas traditions were Germanic and they became popular in Great Britain during the reign of Queen Victoria, especially after her marriage to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. These included Christmas trees and their decorations, gingerbread, roast dinners and skating on frozen lakes.

The first Christmas card was designed in 1843 at the request of Sir Henry Cole who had already helped to set up a newly created government department (later to become the Post Office). The first card depicted a family dinner scene with people helping the poor. Trailing ivy festooned the card, and this along with holly and mistletoe became a popular addition to the card design.

The new Post Office introduced bright red post boxes and had their postmen dressed smartly in red uniforms. People soon looked forward to receiving cards during the festive period and the postal workers were fondly nicknamed "robins" because of this. The small red-breasted bird became symbolic with Christmas from then on.

Answer: Animals

St Nicholas was the patron saint of Greece and Russia. He was also the patron saint for sailors, children, thieves, unmarried women, and anyone in need. Also known as Nicholas of Myra, he was an early Christian bishop who lived in Asia Minor which is now modern day Turkey. He was noted for his gifts of kindness to the poor and needy.

An old legend said that Nicholas heard about an impoverished man who could not afford a dowry for his three daughters to get married. During the night, Nicholas secretly threw a bag of gold coins into the house where the man lived. He was discovered, and the story of his generosity soon spread. It is believed he died on 6th December in either 345 or 352, and every year a special feast is held for him to commemorate his passing.

St Nicholas Day is celebrated on either 6th or 19th December in many European countries by gift giving, special feasts and mass services. He inspired other legends and is known elsewhere as Sinterklaas, Santa Claus, Father Christmas and Kris Kringle.

St. Francis of Assisi was the patron saint of animals.

Answer: L

Every time I open a Christmas cracker, I always remember the classic punny joke about the Christmas alphabet only having 25 letters because there is no "L" (Noel).

Noel is a word synonymous with Christmas. It comes from the French word "nael", which stems from the Latin "natalis", meaning "birth". Every year, people sing the popular Christmas carol, "The First Noel", a traditional English folk song from Cornwall sung by peddlers for a penny as they travelled the countryside. The lyrics to the original Cornish version included:

"O well, O well, the Angels did say
To shepherds there in the fields did lay;
Late in the night a-folding their sheep,
A winter's night, both cold and bleak.
O well, O well, O well, O well,
Born is the King of Israel."

The cracker was first invented in 1847 by Tom Smith, a London confectioner who initially gave the gift of sweets in a wrapper. Originally called "cosaques", he added the "bang" element by adding chemically impregnated strips of card which reacted when pulled apart. Later came the toys, riddles, jokes and paper hats.

My top five Christmas cracker jokes are:

Why did Santa's helper see the doctor?

Because he had a low "elf" esteem.

What is Santa's favourite pizza?
Deep-pan, crisp and even.

What did the fish say when it swam into a wall?
Dam!

What did the grape say when the elephant stepped on it?
Nothing, it just gave off a little wine.

What did Cinderella say when her photos didn't arrive on time?
One day my prints will come.

Answer: Natalie Wood and Mara Wilson

The heartwarming tale of "Miracle on 34th Street" is a Christmas classic which is popular with both young and old. Young Sara Walker had always been told by her mother that Father Christmas has never existed. On a visit to Macy's store one Christmas, Sara met Kris Kringle who was employed by the store to play Santa. He insisted that he was the real Father Christmas, but was deemed mentally ill and taken to court.

The 1947 version of the film saw Natalie Wood play Sara Walker and Edmund Gwenn as Kris Kringle. The updated version in 1994 gave us Mara Wilson as young Sara, and Richard Attenborough as the jolly old man in a red suit, who defended his name in court. "If this court finds that Mr. Kringle is not who he says he is, that there is no Santa, I ask the court to judge which is worse: A lie that draws a smile or a truth that draws a tear".

Answer: Dark-eyed junco

The dark-eyed junco is a familiar sight in Canada, but they travel south to North America during the winter months. Flocks of these small sparrows can be seen at the edge of woodland and in suburban back yards, foraging the forest floor and garden feeders for seeds and tasty morsels of food. They merrily hop along as they search for food while giving off a high pitched and repetitive "tew-tew-tew-tew". When disturbed, they take cover in trees and shrubs until the danger has passed. These small birds weigh approximately 19g and measure up to 16.5cm in length. The male bird is very distinctive with its grey head, back and wings, and with a white breast and white beak. They are called "snowbirds" because they seem to appear during the first snows of winter.

The song "Snowbird" was written in 1969 by Canadian songwriter, Gene MacLellan. It was made famous by pop-country crossover artist, Anne Murray, who took her version to the charts in the USA, UK and Australia. The song lyrics described the sadness of the singer, who simply wanted to escape his/her heartache by flying away.

"Spread your tiny wings and fly away
And take the snow back with you
Where it came from on that day
The one I love forever is untrue
And if I could you know that I would
Fly away with you".

Answer: It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

"It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" (also known as "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" or "The Angels Song") is a Christmas carol written in 1849 by a Mass­a­chu­setts born Unitarian pastor called Edmund Sears (1810 to 1876). He retired from active duties as a minister when he suffered from a breakdown and devoted the rest of his life to literature, writing theology books, poems and hymns. The melancholic "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" was written during a time following the aftermath of the Mexican War. He felt at the time that nobody was listening anymore to the "angel's songs of peace on the earth, goodwill to men".

"It came upon the midnight clear, that glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth, to touch their harps of gold:
"Peace on the earth, goodwill to men, from heaven's all-gracious King."
The world in solemn stillness lay, to hear the angels sing."

Answer: J. M. Barrie

J. M. Barrie is fondly remembered for his children's story, "Peter Pan", about the boy who wouldn't grow up. Scottish born James Matthew Barrie (1860-1937) started writing novels and also worked as a journalist. He had not long finished writing the stage play, "The Admirable Crichton", when he moved to London and met the five Llewelyn Davies brothers in Kensington Gardens who inspired his story about Peter Pan.

Barrie was elected to become Lord Rector at St. Andrew's University in Fife, Scotland. It was on On 3rd May, 1922, when he made an inaugural speech entitled "Courage". Speaking in front of a graduating class, his words caused them to reflect on their actions and what they should aspire to in life, giving them courage and inspiration to follow their dreams. It included the words:

"You have had many rectors here in St. Andrews who will continue in bloom long after the lowly ones such as I am are dead and rotten and forgotten. They are the roses in December; you remember someone said that God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December."

The popular author died in 1937 of pneumonia. His legacy was to donate the copyright of his Peter Pan work to the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. Very sick children are able themselves to benefit and gain courage from all the fundraising and charitable donations awarded to the hospital, as well as all the royalties from "Peter Pan".

Answer: 12 drummers drumming

Twelfth day - twelve drummers drumming
Eleventh day - eleven pipers piping
Tenth day - ten lords a-leaping
Ninth day - nine ladies dancing
Eighth day - eight maids a-milking
Seventh day - seven swans a-swimming
Sixth day - six geese a-laying
Fifth day - five golden rings
Fourth day - four calling birds
Third day - three French hens
Second day - two turtle doves
First day - a partridge in a pear tree.

The Feast of Epiphany, or Feasts of The Three Kings, is a day of celebration in the Christian calendar. It marks the time when Jesus Christ was baptised by John the Baptist, and also when the baby was visited by the Three Kings, or wise men, with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Epiphany is taken from the Greek verb meaning "to reveal".

The date on which Epiphany is celebrated by many religious people is 6th January, which is also known as the Twelfth Night, or the twelfth day after Christmas. "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is a traditional English song which dates back to the 17th century to mark the days between Christmas Day and Epiphany. It is unknown who wrote the lyrics, but is believed to have originated as a children's nursery rhyme.

In popular culture, the twelfth night is the time when people take down their Christmas decorations.