Splash's Yuletide Potpourri Trivia Quiz

Answer: Chestnuts

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Jack Frost nipping at your nose,
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like eskimos..."

Written as "The Christmas Song", this is more commonly known as "Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire". The first recording was by the Nat King Cole trio in 1946. It has been widely covered since.

Chestnuts are brown nuts that grow in a spiky shell on trees in forests and parks. Not all chestnuts are good eat, some are harmful. Most people buy the good kind from a shop. There are different ways of roasting them. One of the best is to wrap them in foil and put them in a medium hot fire for 15 minutes.

If you do not have an open fire, you can cook them in an oven, but be sure to pierce them with a small hole first or they could explode.

Answer: Heaven

The second verse of "Once In Royal David's City" tells us:
"He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall..."

It was written as a poem by the prolific Irish poet and hymn writer Cecil Frances Alexander. The melody is owed to Henry Gauntlet, an English composer and organist.

In November 2020, the Classic FM radio station in the UK put this at number 11 in a list of "The 30 greatest Christmas carols of all time."

Answer: Rudolf

Rudolf was not supposed to be one of the reindeer who pulled Santa's sleigh, but one Christmas Eve was so foggy that Rudolf was needed to use his shiny nose to light the way.

The first eight reindeer were named by Clement C. Moore in his poem "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" in 1873. They were Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder and Blitzen. Rudolf came on the scene in about 1939 as part of an advertising campaign.

Answer: Immanuel

The word Immanuel appears just three times in the Christian Bible. In Isaiah it appears twice with the Hebrew meaning "God is with us". In the Gospel according to Matthew, this is taken to be a prophecy of the coming of Jesus, the Messiah.

The King James version translated Immanuel as Emmanuel, however it appears as Immanuel in many other more modern versions.

Answer: St Nicholas

There are many stories of how 'Santa Claus' came about, but most of them tell of a person who liked to give presents at Christmas. Several countries had their own versions.

In the 20th Century, it was said that dressing Santa in red and white was created to promote Coca-Cola. That appears to be an urban myth, since previously rival beverage White Rock was using a red and white Santa in 1923.

Even before that, in 4th Century Greece, Saint Nicholas, a bishop, famously wore red robes while giving gifts to children and the poor.

Answer: Tamagotchi

With a Tamagotchi game, people could learn to keep a pet electronically. Invented in 1996, they became an instant sensation in Japan and took over the world the following year.

The game has remained popular, with many versions added over the years. Initially the games were on a small device the seize of a keyring, but in later years they developed into mobile and PC games. In 2007 the first movie version was released.

In a UK Channel 5 television feature of "The toys that made Christmas", Tamagotchi was placed in the top 10.

Answer: Mary

Saint Mary, the mother of Christ, is the patron saint of all humanity, and among that such diverse groups as blood donors.

Magnus is the patron saint of fish dealers and fishmongers: Martin of Tours is the patron saint of soldiers; and Martha is the Patron saint of dieticians.

Answer: Angels

"Long time ago in Bethlehem, so the Holy Bible said
Mary's boy child Jesus Christ was born on Christmas Day
Hark, now hear the angels sing, a king was born today
And man will live for evermore, because of Christmas Day..."


The melody was written for a Calypso song in 1956 and that was converted into a new Christmas song. The singer Harry Belafonte heard it sung by a choir, and was the first to release it as a record. It was a UK number one in 1957.

In 2015, it returned to the top of the UK carts when sung by the Germany group Bony M.

Answer: Shepherds

"Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds first saw the light!
Heard resounding clear and long,
Far and near the angels song
Christ the Redeemer is here.
Christ the Redeemer is here!"

"Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht" was composed in Salzburg, Austria, in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber for lyrics by a priest, Joseph Mohr. The English translation came from Stopford Augustus Brooke.

I have given a modern version of the verse that was originally:
"Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight!
Glories stream from heaven afar,
heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born,
Christ, the Saviour is born..."

Answer: Andy Williams

In its purist sense, "Christmas" is the celebration of the the birth of Jesus Christ. The timing in December picks up from many celebrations in other cultures. December 25th was chosen as the formal date by Pope Julius I.

It was not until the 19th Century that Christmas began to take on the commercialisation that we see today. The idea giving presents was an idea grafted in to other traditions.

"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" was written in 1963 for the "The Andy Williams Christmas Album."

The Andy Williams version has charted numerous times in numerous countries over the years. Apart from specialised 'holiday' charts, it was a Billboard Hot 100 number seven in 2019.