Christmas movie quiz: 20 questions and answers

How to run it

1. Put the film titles on the screen as the host reads each question. Players answer on their own phones, so nobody has to shout over the music.
2. Question 4 asks who directed The Nightmare Before Christmas. Expect the room to pick Tim Burton, then enjoy the groan when the answer shows.
3. Question 20 is a closest-year question on A Christmas Story. Use it to settle a tie if two teams finish level on the leaderboard.

Questions and answers

1. 1Which child actor stars as Kevin in Home Alone (1990)?Easy

   • AHaley Joel Osment
   • BMacaulay Culkin
   • CElijah Wood
   • DJonathan Lipnicki
   Reveal answer

   B. Macaulay Culkin

   Culkin was ten when the film opened. Home Alone was the top-grossing film of 1990 in North America and took more than $470 million worldwide.

2. 2Who plays the conductor in The Polar Express?Easy

   • ATom Hanks
   • BRobin Williams
   • CTom Cruise
   • DSteve Martin
   Reveal answer

   A. Tom Hanks

   Hanks plays six parts through motion capture, among them the boy's father, the hobo and Santa. Robert Zemeckis directed the film in 2004.

3. 3In Gremlins, what must you never do to a mogwai after midnight?Easy

   • AWake it
   • BFeed it
   • CSing to it
   • DLet it outside
   Reveal answer

   B. Feed it

   The other two rules are to keep it out of bright light and away from water. Joe Dante directed the film, which opened in June 1984 but is set at Christmas.

4. 4Who directed the 1993 stop-motion film The Nightmare Before Christmas?Hard

   • ATim Burton
   • BHenry Selick
   • CWes Anderson
   • DGuillermo del Toro
   Reveal answer

   B. Henry Selick

   Tim Burton wrote the story and produced, but Henry Selick directed. Selick went on to make James and the Giant Peach and Coraline.

5. 5Which animation studio made Arthur Christmas (2011)?Medium

   • AAardman
   • BPixar
   • CIllumination
   • DDreamWorks
   Reveal answer

   A. Aardman

   Aardman, the Bristol studio behind Wallace and Gromit, made it with Sony Pictures Animation. James McAvoy voices Arthur, Santa's clumsy younger son.

6. 6In The Muppet Christmas Carol, which character does Kermit play?Easy

   • ABob Cratchit
   • BJacob Marley
   • CTiny Tim
   • DFezziwig
   Reveal answer

   A. Bob Cratchit

   Kermit is Scrooge's clerk Bob Cratchit, with Miss Piggy as his wife Emily. Michael Caine plays Scrooge in the 1992 film.

7. 7In The Holiday (2006), Iris's cottage is in which English county?Medium

   • AKent
   • BDevon
   • CSurrey
   • DCornwall
   Reveal answer

   C. Surrey

   The cottage was a set built near the village of Shere in Surrey and taken down after filming. Kate Winslet plays Iris and Cameron Diaz plays Amanda, who swaps homes with her.

8. 8Nativity! (2009) was filmed in which English city?Medium

   • ABristol
   • BLeeds
   • CNorwich
   • DCoventry
   Reveal answer

   D. Coventry

   Debbie Isitt shot it around her home city, with scenes at Coventry Cathedral and on Spon Street. Martin Freeman plays the teacher, Paul Maddens.

9. 9Bing Crosby first sang White Christmas on screen in which 1942 film?Hard

   • AGoing My Way
   • BHoliday Inn
   • CThe Bells of St. Mary's
   • DBlue Skies
   Reveal answer

   B. Holiday Inn

   Irving Berlin wrote it for Holiday Inn, though Crosby had already sung it on his radio show on Christmas Day 1941. It won the Oscar for best original song.

10. 10Who plays TV executive Frank Cross in Scrooged (1988)?Medium

    • AChevy Chase
    • BDan Aykroyd
    • CBill Murray
    • DRick Moranis
    Reveal answer

    C. Bill Murray

    Scrooged moves A Christmas Carol to a New York television network at Christmas. Richard Donner, who also made Superman and Lethal Weapon, directed it.

11. 11Which actor stars in The Santa Clause (1994)?Easy

    • AJohn Goodman
    • BBilly Crystal
    • CDanny DeVito
    • DTim Allen
    Reveal answer

    D. Tim Allen

    Allen plays Scott Calvin, a divorced dad who has to take over as Santa after the real one falls off his roof. He played Scott again in two sequels.

12. 12In It's a Wonderful Life, what is the guardian angel's name?Medium

    • AGabriel
    • BWalter
    • CErnest
    • DClarence
    Reveal answer

    D. Clarence

    Clarence Odbody, an angel second class, earns his wings by showing George what Bedford Falls would be like without him. Henry Travers plays him in the 1946 film.

13. 13Which streaming service released the animated film Klaus in 2019?Medium

    • ANetflix
    • BDisney+
    • CAmazon Prime Video
    • DApple TV+
    Reveal answer

    A. Netflix

    Klaus won the BAFTA for best animated film and seven Annie awards, and was nominated for an Oscar. Sergio Pablos directed it.

14. 14In Home Alone, what do burglars Harry and Marv call themselves?Easy

    • AThe Chimney Gang
    • BThe Snow Crooks
    • CThe Night Owls
    • DThe Wet Bandits
    Reveal answer

    D. The Wet Bandits

    Marv floods every house they rob by leaving the taps running, which earns them the name. In Home Alone 2 they call themselves the Sticky Bandits.

15. 15The Snowman (1982) was first broadcast by which UK broadcaster?Hard

    • ABBC One
    • BITV
    • CChannel 4
    • DBBC Two
    Reveal answer

    C. Channel 4

    Channel 4 had been on air for less than two months when it first showed The Snowman on 26 December 1982. Raymond Briggs wrote the book four years earlier.

Made for a pub or party night. See how a trivia night works or read the guide to hosting one.

Questions about this template

Sources

Every answer shown here was checked against two sources, listed below. Links last checked 4 November 2026.

1. Home Alone - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
2. AFI|Catalogcatalog.afi.com
3. The Polar Express (film) - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
4. AFI|Catalogcatalog.afi.com
5. Gremlins - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
6. Gremlins (1984) - About the Movie | Amblinamblin.com
7. The Nightmare Before Christmas - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
8. The Nightmare Before Christmas | Disney Moviesmovies.disney.com
9. Arthur Christmas - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
10. Arthur Christmas | Aardmanaardman.com
11. The Muppet Christmas Carol - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
12. The Muppet Christmas Carol | Disney Moviesmovies.disney.com
13. The Holiday - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
14. Made in Surrey - Surrey County Councilsurreycc.gov.uk
15. Nativity! - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
16. Film Tourism in Coventry | English Tourism Week 2026visitcoventry.co.uk
17. White Christmas (song) - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
18. Trending: A White Christmas | Timelessblogs.loc.gov
19. Scrooged - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
20. AFI|Catalogcatalog.afi.com
21. The Santa Clause - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
22. The Santa Clause | Disney Moviesmovies.disney.com
23. It's a Wonderful Life - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
24. AFI|Catalogcatalog.afi.com
25. Klaus (film) - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
26. Watch Klaus | Netflix Official Sitenetflix.com
27. The Snowman - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
28. Return of The Snowman | Channel 4channel4.com