Jingle All the Way! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Fir Tree

The Christmas song "O Tannenbaum" was composed by Ernst Anschütz in 1824. Although now considered a holiday song, it was written with a different meaning. The tannenbaum or fir tree was a symbol of fidelity in those days so it was written as a chastisement for an unfaithful maiden.

The custom of decorating a fir tree is believed to have started in Germany in the 19th century and spread through out the world. Sometimes you will hear it with the German "O Tannenbaum"; other times you may hear it "O Christmas Tree", the anglicized version.

Answer: Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton is at his nastiest as he gives each kid a firm bounce from his lap. The purpose, of course, is to scope out the store to carry away as much loot as possible. They pick a different department store each year in a different part of the country and live off the proceeds for a year. Lauren Graham from "The Gilmore Girls" plays a sort of love interest.

The Coen brothers did not direct but were the producers. There is a strong supporting cast including Bernie Mac, Alex Borstein, and John Ritter in his last big screen performance. You might spot Cloris Leachman in an uncredited role. Brett Kelly plays 'the kid' who leads Thornton to the real meaning of Christmas, if you want to believe that.

Answer: Eartha Kitt

Eartha Kitt had a break-through hit with "C'est Si Bon" and followed up that year with "Santa Baby". This lead to new opportunities in television (Catwoman), films, personal appearances, and many media events. "Santa Baby" was written by Joan Javits (niece of Senator Jacob K. Javits) and Philip Springer.

Through the years many artists have recorded "Santa Baby" including Madonna, Taylor Swift, LeAnn Rimes, Maria Muldaur, Lynn Anderson, and, of course, RuPaul, among many others.

Kitt lost public favor when at a White House affair when she told Ladybird Johnson:
"You send the best of this country off to be shot and maimed. No wonder the kids rebel and take pot. The children of America are not rebelling for no reason. They are not hippies for no reason at all. We don't have what we have on Sunset Blvd. for no reason. They are rebelling against something. There are so many things burning the people of this country, particularly mothers. They feel they are going to raise sons - and I know what it's like, and you have children of your own, Mrs. Johnson - we raise children and send them to war."
Mrs. Johnson broke down in tears.

Given the bad press she incurred at that time, she spent much of her career in Europe. Here are a few verses of "Santa Baby":

"Santa Baby, slip a sable under the tree, For me.
been an awful good girl, Santa baby,
so hurry down the chimney tonight.

Santa baby, a 54 convertible too,
Light blue.
I'll wait up for you dear,
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight.

Think of all the fun I've missed,
Think of all the fellas that I haven't kissed,
Next year I could be just as good,
If you'll check off my Christmas list,

Santa baby, I wanna yacht,
And really that's not a lot,
Been an angel all year,
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight."

Answer: Montgomery Ward

Some might be surprised to learn that in the original poem there are only eight reindeer. In 1939, Robert L. May was given an assignment to create a coloring book for Montgomery Ward that it planned to give out free to children as a promotion. That year over two million Rudolph coloring books were distributed.

In 1949, Gene Autry's recording of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" established Rudolph as a Christmas icon. Autry's recording has sold 25 million records since 1949. Rudolph as found his way into countless books, television, cartoons, and films.

Answer: Christmas

Bing Crosby recorded "White Christmas" in 1942. On World War Two tours for the USO, Bing could bring tears to the service men. Guinness Book of World Records cites "White Christmas" as selling the most records with over 50 million copies sold.

Ernest Tubb, Hugo Winterhalter, and Russ Morgan all had success with "Blue Christmas" before Elvis made the defining recording in 1957 but not released as a single until 1964.

Answer: A hollow tube

A Christmas cracker is a hollow tube in which is a small wrapped gift. Crackers may be inexpensive or very expensive depending on the size, decoration, and materials used. The gift may be a small toy, a handkerchief, or a candy treat. It might also contain a ring or other jewelry. Paper crowns from crackers may be worn at Christmas Dinner.

The custom of the Christmas cracker never caught on in the United States.

Answer: 364

I looked this up. Glad someone had the time to make this count. The key is that all the presents are given each day. For instance, day one=one gift, day two=two gifts plus day one = three gifts and so on.

Answer: Oklahoma

Pope Julius I declared Christmas a holiday in 350 AD. It was for centuries thought of as a Catholic holiday so non-Catholic churches were reluctant to accept it. In the United States Alabama was the first to declare it a holiday in 1830.

During Oliver Cromwell's rule in England all Christmas celebrations were banned except for sermons.

Answer: X is the Greek symbol of Christ

Since 'X' is the Greek symbol for Christ, 'mas' is added for mass thus Xmas. It is true that many Christians believe that use of the term diminishes the importance of Christ in Christmas and is a means by which agnostics and atheists work to undermine and secularize the holiday.

Many modern media sources use the Xmas in their publications and style guidelines such as the New York Times, The Times, The Guardian, and BBC. However, it is generally understood that the term is for informal use and not in formal usage.

Answer: Australia

Christmas Island lies in the Indian Ocean and is about 135 square kilometers in size and is home to about 1500 people, most of Chinese extraction. In 1890, its phosphate mine became its prime industry. Australia purchased it from Singapore in 1957. Its stamps are collectors items. Because of the island's relative isolation, it might be compared to the Galapagos Island as aspects of its flora and fauna are unique.