Quiz template · Trivia
Christmas music quiz: 20 song questions and answers
20 Christmas music questions on Elton John, Kylie Minogue, the Pogues, Ariana Grande, Wizzard and the UK Christmas number ones, with answers.
Easy 20 questions 30 s each · about 15 min Checked against two sources
This Christmas song quiz is built for the office party, the pub quiz night and the family table once dinner is cleared: who sang it, which year, which film. It mixes US, UK and Australian hits from Elvis to Taylor Swift with the British Christmas number ones everyone argues about. Twenty questions take about 15 minutes.
How to run it
- Play it after the meal. Put the screen where the whole room can see it and let each team join from one phone with the PIN.
- Question 11 asks the original language of O Holy Night. If nobody gets it, give one hint: the composer also wrote the ballet Giselle.
- Question 20 is the tie-breaker on LadBaby's run of Christmas number ones. Keep it for last and let teams shout a number before you reveal it.
Questions and answers
1Which singer released Step Into Christmas in 1973?Easy
- ARod Stewart
- BElton John
- CDavid Bowie
- DTom Jones
Reveal answer
B. Elton John
Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote it, and it came out on 23 November 1973. It only reached number 24 that winter, but streaming carried it to number 7 in 2025.
2Wonderful Christmastime (1979) was a solo single by which former Beatle?Easy
- AJohn Lennon
- BGeorge Harrison
- CPaul McCartney
- DRingo Starr
Reveal answer
C. Paul McCartney
McCartney played and arranged every instrument himself. Wings appear in the video but not on the record, which reached number 6 in the UK and never made the Hot 100 until 2018.
3On Fairytale of New York, The Pogues sang with which singer?Medium
- AKirsty MacColl
- BEnya
- CAnnie Lennox
- DKate Bush
Reveal answer
A. Kirsty MacColl
Released in 1987, it was kept off the Christmas number one by the Pet Shop Boys' Always on My Mind. It has returned to the UK top 40 every December since 2005.
4Mistletoe, a 2011 Christmas single, was sung by which Canadian pop star?Easy
- AShawn Mendes
- BDrake
- CJustin Bieber
- DThe Weeknd
Reveal answer
C. Justin Bieber
It was the lead single from Under the Mistletoe, Bieber's first Christmas album, and set the record for the highest debut by a Christmas song on the Billboard Hot 100.
5Who sings Driving Home for Christmas, a UK top ten hit?Medium
- AChris de Burgh
- BPhil Collins
- CMark Knopfler
- DChris Rea
Reveal answer
D. Chris Rea
Rea wrote it in 1978, stuck in traffic on the way home to Middlesbrough in his wife's Mini. First a 1986 B-side, it took more than 30 years to reach the UK top ten.
6Which American composer wrote the orchestral piece Sleigh Ride?Hard
- ALeroy Anderson
- BAaron Copland
- CGeorge Gershwin
- DJohn Williams
Reveal answer
A. Leroy Anderson
Anderson finished it in 1948 and Arthur Fiedler's Boston Pops gave both the first performance and the first recording. Mitchell Parish added the words in 1950.
7Santa Tell Me (2014) is a Christmas single by which pop star?Easy
- ASelena Gomez
- BAriana Grande
- CKaty Perry
- DMiley Cyrus
Reveal answer
B. Ariana Grande
Grande co-wrote it with Savan Kotecha and producer Ilya. In 2024 it became the first holiday song written this century to reach the US top five.
8Who sang the original Jingle Bell Rock in 1957?Medium
- ABobby Helms
- BBuddy Holly
- CBill Haley
- DJerry Lee Lewis
Reveal answer
A. Bobby Helms
Helms, a country singer from Indiana, cut it for Decca in Nashville with Hank Garland on guitar. It took until 2019 to reach the US top ten, more than 60 years after it first charted.
9Which rock and roll star recorded Blue Christmas in 1957?Easy
- AChuck Berry
- BElvis Presley
- CLittle Richard
- DRoy Orbison
Reveal answer
B. Elvis Presley
Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson's song was first recorded by Doye O'Dell in 1948. Elvis cut it for Elvis' Christmas Album, but it was not released as a single until 1964.
10Which Australian pop star released a Christmas album in November 2015?Medium
- ADelta Goodrem
- BTina Arena
- CNatalie Imbruglia
- DKylie Minogue
Reveal answer
D. Kylie Minogue
Kylie Christmas, her first festive album, has Iggy Pop, James Corden and a duet with a Frank Sinatra recording. A reissue took it to number one on the UK album chart ten years later.
11O Holy Night was first written in which language?Hard
- ALatin
- BGerman
- CFrench
- DItalian
Reveal answer
C. French
Placide Cappeau wrote the poem Minuit, chrétiens in 1847 and Adolphe Adam, composer of the ballet Giselle, set it to music within days. The English words by John Sullivan Dwight came in 1855.
12Which pop star put out Christmas Tree Farm in December 2019?Easy
- ATaylor Swift
- BKaty Perry
- CLady Gaga
- DDua Lipa
Reveal answer
A. Taylor Swift
Swift wrote it on 1 December 2019 and released it five days later. She grew up on Pine Ridge Farm, a real Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania.
13Everyday Is Christmas (2017) is a holiday album by which singer?Medium
- AAdele
- BSia
- CLorde
- DBillie Eilish
Reveal answer
B. Sia
Sia wrote all ten songs with producer Greg Kurstin rather than covering the standards. It reached number 2 in Norway and Finland and number 3 on the US holiday album chart.
14Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas was first sung in which 1944 film?Hard
- AHoliday Inn
- BThe Wizard of Oz
- CIt's a Wonderful Life
- DMeet Me in St. Louis
Reveal answer
D. Meet Me in St. Louis
Judy Garland sings Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane's song to comfort her little sister in the film. Garland had the original gloomy words rewritten before the scene was shot.
15Who had the 1988 UK Christmas number one with Mistletoe and Wine?Medium
- AEngelbert Humperdinck
- BVal Doonican
- CCliff Richard
- DDaniel O'Donnell
Reveal answer
C. Cliff Richard
The song came from Scraps, a 1976 musical based on The Little Match Girl. Richard's version spent four weeks at number one and was the UK's best-selling single of 1988.
5 more questions in the full pack. Play all 20 live, free.
Get all 20 questions, ready to play live - free for 100 playersMade for a pub or party night. See how a trivia night works or read the guide to hosting one.
Questions about this template
Which Christmas songs are in the quiz?
Mostly pop hits from the US, UK and Australia: Elton John, Paul McCartney, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Kylie Minogue, Sia and the Pogues, plus British Christmas number ones from Shakin' Stevens to LadBaby. The four hard ones cover Wizzard, Sleigh Ride, O Holy Night and Meet Me in St. Louis. Every answer is checked against two sources.
Can I run this quiz live at a Christmas party?
Yes. Open the template, press Go live and put the PIN or QR code on the big screen. Players answer on their phones, the leaderboard updates after each question and quick answers earn a speed bonus. The Free plan takes up to 100 people in one session.
Does anyone need to install an app?
No. Guests scan the QR code or type the PIN into their browser, enter a name and play. There is no download and no account for players; only the host signs in to run the session.
Can I change the songs or add my own?
Yes. Use this template to make your own copy, then swap a question for a song your crowd knows, cut the hard ones or add a round about your own team. The Free plan holds 15 activities and 50 live sessions in total.
Sources
Every answer shown here was checked against two sources, listed below. Links last checked 4 November 2026.
- Step into Christmas - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- Official Singles Chart on 30/12/1973 | Official Chartsofficialcharts.com
- Wonderful Christmastime - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME - PAUL MCCARTNEY | Official Chartsofficialcharts.com
- Fairytale of New York - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK - POGUES FT KIRSTY MACCOLL | Official Chartsofficialcharts.com
- Mistletoe (Justin Bieber song) - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- MISTLETOE - JUSTIN BIEBER | Official Chartsofficialcharts.com
- Driving Home for Christmas - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- DRIVING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS - CHRIS REA | Official Chartsofficialcharts.com
- Sleigh Ride - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- britannica.combritannica.com
- Santa Tell Me - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- SANTA TELL ME - ARIANA GRANDE | Official Chartsofficialcharts.com
- Jingle Bell Rock - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- 'Jingle Bell Rock': Bobby Helms’ Rockin’ Christmas Classicudiscovermusic.com
- Blue Christmas (song) - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- Elvis' Christmas Album | Elvis Presley Official Siteelvisthemusic.com
- Kylie Christmas - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- KYLIE CHRISTMAS - KYLIE MINOGUE | Official Chartsofficialcharts.com
- O Holy Night - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- O Holy Night!pbs.org
- Christmas Tree Farm - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- CHRISTMAS TREE FARM - TAYLOR SWIFT | Official Chartsofficialcharts.com
- Everyday Is Christmas (album) - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- EVERYDAY IS CHRISTMAS - SIA | Official Chartsofficialcharts.com
- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- The (St. Louis) Story Behind “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” | Timelessblogs.loc.gov
- Mistletoe and Wine - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- Every Official Christmas Number 1 ever! | Official Chartsofficialcharts.com
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