Christmas music is the one topic everyone at the party thinks they know. Below are 75 Christmas music quiz questions with answers, from easy warm-ups to hard trivia for music buffs, plus lyric rounds, emoji puzzles, film songs and a round on the UK Christmas charts.
Every question sits on its own card with the answer underneath, and the chart facts link to their sources. If you want players to hear the songs, the section on audio rounds explains how to do it legally. Hosting for younger players? Try our family Christmas quiz for kids.
Quick facts
At a glance4 quick answers
How many questions are there?
Answer75, all with answers
What rounds are included?
AnswerEasy, medium and hard trivia, finish the carol, name that song, carols and music history, emoji classics, songs in films and chart history
Can I play the music?
AnswerYes. See how to run an audio round without breaking copyright, below
Can I host it live?
AnswerYes, on AhaSlides with a join code and a live leaderboard. The Free plan covers a short round; all 75 questions in one deck need a paid plan
Easy Christmas song trivia questions with answers (multiple choice)
Warm up with ten questions most people can get, whether they grew up on carols or on Christmas pop.
Easy10 questions
1In which country was "Silent Night" first composed and performed, in 1818?
Answerc) Austria, in the village of Oberndorf, near Salzburg.
2Which artist released the Christmas album You Make It Feel Like Christmas in 2017?
Answerb) Gwen Stefani.
3Which duo released "Last Christmas" in 1984?
AnswerWham! (George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley).
4In which year was Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" released?
Answerb) 1994.
5Which act holds the record for the most UK Christmas No.1 singles?
Answerc) LadBaby, with five in a row from 2018 to 2022, one more than The Beatles (Official Charts).
6Which music legend had a UK hit with "Blue Christmas" in 1964?
AnswerElvis Presley. He recorded it in 1957; it charted in the UK in 1964.
7Who wrote and recorded "Wonderful Christmastime" (1979)?
AnswerPaul McCartney.
8Which 1970 José Feliciano hit mixes Spanish and English?
Answer"Feliz Navidad".
9Which Canadian singer released the Christmas album Under the Mistletoe in 2011?
AnswerJustin Bieber.
10Which band released the single "Christmas Lights" in 2010?
Answerb) Coldplay.
Medium Christmas music quiz questions and answers
A step up: albums, duets and a little chart history.
Medium10 questions
11What is Josh Groban's 2007 Christmas album called?
Answera) Noël.
12In which year was Elvis' Christmas Album released?
Answerb) 1957.
13Which singer duetted with Kylie Minogue on "Wonderful Christmastime" for her 2016 album?
Answerc) Mika, on Kylie Christmas: Snow Queen Edition.
14According to "A Holly Jolly Christmas", what kind of cup should you have?
Answera) A cup of cheer.
15Which song has been the UK Christmas No.1 twice, in 1975 and 1991?
Answer"Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen.
16"One More Sleep" (2013) was a Christmas single by which former X Factor winner?
AnswerLeona Lewis.
17Who joined Mariah Carey on a 2011 duet version of "All I Want for Christmas Is You"?
AnswerJustin Bieber, on his album Under the Mistletoe.
18Whose 1975 live recording of "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" became a radio staple?
AnswerBruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
19How old was Brenda Lee when she recorded "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" in 1958?
Answera) 13.
20Which two musicians wrote the 1984 Band Aid single "Do They Know It's Christmas?"?
AnswerBob Geldof and Midge Ure.
Hard Christmas music quiz questions and answers
For the music buffs. Expect groans.
Hard10 questions
21Which of these Christmas albums was not produced by David Foster?
Answerc) Mariah Carey's Merry Christmas (1994), produced by Carey with Walter Afanasieff.
22Who performed "Grown-Up Christmas List" on the 2003 American Idol Christmas special?
Answerd) Kelly Clarkson.
23In "Santa Baby", what year is the light-blue convertible on the wish list?
Answera) '54 (a 1954 model).
24What is the name of Sia's 2017 Christmas album?
Answera) Everyday Is Christmas.
25How many weeks did East 17's "Stay Another Day" spend at UK No.1?
AnswerFive weeks (December 1994 to January 1995).
26Who was at No.1 at the first Christmas of the UK singles chart, in 1952?
AnswerAl Martino, with "Here in My Heart".
27Who sings the opening line of the original 1984 Band Aid single?
AnswerPaul Young.
28Before LadBaby, which two acts had three UK Christmas No.1s in a row?
AnswerThe Beatles (1963 to 1965) and Spice Girls (1996 to 1998). LadBaby then managed five in a row (Official Charts).
29In which film musical did Judy Garland introduce "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"?
AnswerMeet Me in St. Louis (1944).
30On which singer's 2015 album is the song "Every Day's Like Christmas"?
AnswerKylie Minogue, on Kylie Christmas.
Christmas song lyrics quiz questions and answers
Two lyric rounds. First, finish the line: every one of these is a traditional carol that is out of copyright, so you can print them, project them or sing them without a second thought. In AhaSlides you can run this as a Fill in the Blanks slide, where players type the missing word, or as a Pick Answer slide like the one below.
Finish the carol (fill in the blanks)
Finish the carol10 questions
31"Deck the halls with boughs of ___"
Answerholly.
32"Dashing through the snow, in a one-horse open ___"
Answersleigh ("Jingle Bells", 1857).
33"O come, all ye ___"
Answerfaithful.
34"Hark! The herald angels ___"
Answersing.
35"We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy ___"
AnswerNew Year.
36"Silent night, holy ___"
Answernight.
37"God rest ye merry, ___"
Answergentlemen.
38"Joy to the world, the Lord is ___"
Answercome.
39"Away in a manger, no crib for a ___"
Answerbed.
40"On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me a partridge in a ___"
Answerpear tree.
Name that song (from the clue)
Second, name the song from a clue. No lyrics needed, which makes this round easy to read aloud and hard to cheat on.
Name that song10 questions
41The 1984 charity single whose first line is sung by Paul Young.
Answer"Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid.
42The 1987 duet by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, set in New York.
Answer"Fairytale of New York".
43Slade's 1973 Christmas No.1, still shouted at every office party.
Answer"Merry Xmas Everybody".
44A snowman comes to life when a magic hat is put on his head.
Answer"Frosty the Snowman".
45Written in 1934 by Haven Gillespie and J. Fred Coots, it warns that Santa is making a list.
Answer"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town".
46Bobby Helms's 1957 rock-and-roll twist on sleigh bells.
Answer"Jingle Bell Rock".
47Wizzard's 1973 hit wishing the festive season lasted all year.
Answer"I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday".
48The Irving Berlin song that gave Bing Crosby the best-selling single of all time.
Answer"White Christmas".
49The song from the 1982 animated film The Snowman, sung while flying over the snow.
Answer"Walking in the Air", written by Howard Blake.
50Chris Rea's song about sitting in traffic on the way back to his family.
Answer"Driving Home for Christmas".
Christmas music trivia rounds
Four themed rounds for a quiz night. Round 1 mixes carol history with two ordering questions, which work well as Correct Order and Match Pairs slides.
Round 1: Carols and music history
Carols and music history8 questions
51In which year did "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" first appear?
Answerb) 1739, by Charles Wesley.
52About how long did J. Fred Coots take to come up with the outline of the melody for "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town"?
Answera) About ten minutes: Coots came up with the outline of the melody in just ten minutes when lyricist Haven Gillespie brought him the lyrics (American Symphony Orchestra).
53"Do You Hear What I Hear?" (1962) was written in response to which event?
Answerb) The Cuban Missile Crisis.
54What is the name of the tune most often paired with "O Little Town of Bethlehem" in the United States?
Answera) St. Louis, by Lewis Redner.
55The words of "Away in a Manger" are often wrongly credited to whom?
Answerc) Martin Luther.
56Which of these carols has words written by Isaac Watts and published in 1719?
Answera) "Joy to the World", with words by Isaac Watts (1719), according to Hymnary.org.
57Put these songs in order, oldest first: "All I Want for Christmas Is You", "Last Christmas", "Fairytale of New York", "Run Rudolph Run".
Answer"Run Rudolph Run" (1958), "Last Christmas" (1984), "Fairytale of New York" (1987), "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (1994).
58Match each song to its year: "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)", "Wonderful Christmastime". The years are 1971, 1979 and 1984.
Answer"Do They Know It's Christmas?" 1984; "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" 1971; "Wonderful Christmastime" 1979.
Round 2: Emoji classics (funny Christmas music quiz questions for adults)
Show the emojis, and players name the song. Build it as a Pick Answer or Short Answer slide. Want a whole round of pictures? Try our Christmas picture quiz.
Emoji classics5 questions
59❄️ ❄️ ❄️
Answer"Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!".
60🥁 👦
Answer"The Little Drummer Boy".
61🦌 🔴 👃
Answer"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer".
62🛷 🔔
Answer"Sleigh Ride".
63👁️ 👩 💋 🎅
Answer"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus".
Round 3: Music from the films
Name the film each song appears in. For a full film round, see our Christmas movie quiz.
Christmas songs in films5 questions
64"Put a Little Love in Your Heart", sung by Annie Lennox and Al Green, closes which 1988 Bill Murray comedy?
Answera) Scrooged.
65George and Mary sing "Buffalo Gals" on their walk home in which 1946 film?
Answerd) It's a Wonderful Life.
66Which film features the song "What's This?"
Answerc) The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).
67Chuck Berry's "Run Rudolph Run" plays in which 1990 film?
Answera) Home Alone.
68Match the song to the film: "Baby, It's Cold Outside", "Marley and Marley", "Christmas Is All Around", "Where Are You Christmas?"
AnswerElf; The Muppet Christmas Carol; Love Actually; How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000).
Round 4: Christmas chart history, true or false
Seven statements about the UK Christmas charts. Run them as a True or False slide and watch the room split. All facts are from Official Charts.
Chart history: true or false7 questions
69"All I Want for Christmas Is You" reached UK No.1 in the year it came out.
AnswerFalse. It first reached No.1 in December 2020, 26 years after release (Official Charts).
70"Last Christmas" was a UK No.1 in 1984.
AnswerFalse. Band Aid kept it at No.2. It finally reached No.1 on 1 January 2021 (Official Charts).
71"Last Christmas" was the Christmas No.1 in both 2023 and 2024.
AnswerTrue. It was the first song to be Christmas No.1 two years running (Official Charts).
72All five of LadBaby's Christmas No.1s raised money for the Trussell Trust.
AnswerTrue. LadBaby's five Christmas No.1s each raised money for the Trussell Trust (Official Charts).
73Kylie Minogue's "XMAS" was the UK Christmas No.1 in 2025.
AnswerTrue. It made her the first female artist with UK No.1 singles in four different decades (Official Charts).
74"Fairytale of New York" has been a UK Christmas No.1.
AnswerFalse. It peaked at No.2 in 1987, behind Pet Shop Boys' "Always on My Mind".
75Cliff Richard's "Mistletoe and Wine" was the UK Christmas No.1 in 1988.
AnswerTrue.
How to run an audio round without breaking copyright
Hearing the first few notes of a song is the best part of a music quiz. The catch is that almost every Christmas pop song, and most recordings of the old carols, are still in copyright, so downloading tracks and passing them around is not the way to do it. These options are safe.
- Play the official video. Use the artist's own YouTube upload and play only the intro. On AhaSlides, an Embed slide can play a YouTube video between set seconds: add
start=andend=to the link (how to use the Embed slide). The music plays through YouTube, so nothing is copied. - Record your own carols. Out-of-copyright carols such as "Deck the Halls", "Jingle Bells" and "O Come, All Ye Faithful" are free to perform. Hum or play ten seconds on a piano, save it as an mp3 and add it to the slide as slide audio.
- Use your own music account. Play intros from Spotify or another streaming service through your speakers, and let players answer on AhaSlides.
- Go audio-free. "Hum it" rounds (one player hums, the rest guess), the emoji round, a Draw Answer slide where players sketch a song title, and the clue and chart rounds above all work without a single note of recorded music.
Here is what the Embed-slide route looks like: the first ten seconds of Wham!'s official "Last Christmas" video, and nothing more.
How AhaSlides handles audio: you can add audio to interactive slides and to Content slides, and play it from the presenter's computer or on players' phones. Uploads are mp3 files of up to 15 MB. Audio cannot be added to Spinner Wheel, YouTube, Google Slides or QR Code slides. Slide and presentation audio need a paid plan; sound effects work on every plan.
One more thing: playing recorded music at a public or workplace event may need a music licence (in the UK, TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS). That is the host's responsibility, and this is not legal advice. For more ways to play, see our guess the song games.
Free Christmas songs quiz template
Rather than typing the questions in yourself, start from the free "Are you a fan of Christmas Songs?" template. It has three rounds (pick the answer, yes or no, and fill in the missing words) with fun facts and a leaderboard after each question. Swap in any questions from this page and delete the ones you don't need.
AhaSlides is free to try: the Free plan hosts up to 50 participants with up to 5 quiz questions per presentation, and slide audio needs a paid plan. For the full 75-question quiz in one deck, with music, see the pricing page.
Make it interactive with AhaSlides
Reading questions aloud works around the dinner table. For an office party or a video call, run it live: everyone joins with a code on their phone, no app needed, and the scores add themselves up.
- Match the slide type to the round. Pick Answer for multiple choice, Fill in the Blanks for finish the carol, Correct Order for the oldest-first question, Match Pairs for songs and films, and True or False for the chart round.
- Give everyone a turn. Spin a Spinner Wheel to pick who hums the next song.
- Show the leaderboard between rounds. It keeps the competition going to the last question.
Keeping the party going into January? Our New Year music quiz picks up where this one ends, and the 90s songs quiz suits any time of year.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular Christmas song?
By UK chart performance, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and "Last Christmas" lead the way: both reached No.1 for the first time decades after release, and "Last Christmas" was Christmas No.1 in 2023 and 2024. By sales, Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" is the best-selling single of all time.
Who has the most UK Christmas No.1s?
LadBaby, with five in a row from 2018 to 2022, one more than The Beatles.
How many questions should a Christmas music quiz have?
For a party, 30 to 40 questions in four rounds takes about 45 minutes. Mix one easy round, one lyric round, one picture or emoji round and one harder round so everyone gets a few right.
