Christmas Quiz

1. Ulysses S. Grant and Congress made Christmas a federal holiday in 1870. Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25th?

It is the date of Jesus’s birth.
Roman Emperor Constantine set it.
It is the date of the Winter Solstice.
The U.S. Constitution declares it.

2. Few Americans know the Bible story of Jesus's birth; do you? Answer this True or False question.

The Bible tells of three kings, Melchoir, Caspar, and Balthasar, who traveled through the desert on camels following a star which led them to the stable where Mary had just given birth to Jesus. The kings kneeled in the straw among the animals and joined the angels above in praising the baby before presenting him with gifts.

True, except the kings didn’t ride camels.
True, except the Bible doesn't mention a stable.
True, except the Bible doesn’t name the kings.
False. Little of this is mentioned in the Bible.

3. The American Christmas has become highly commercialized. Who is credited for creating the first Nativity Scene to bring the emphasis back to the significance of Jesus’s birth instead of secular gift-giving at Christmas?

Paul the Apostle in the year 67
Saint Francis of Assisi in 1223
Martin Luther in 1502
George Washington in 1785

4. Which illiterate American artist, who also created the well-known icons of a donkey and elephant to represent the Democratic and Republican political parties, invented the modern version of Santa Claus, the elves, and the North Pole?

Thomas Nast for Harpers Weekly
Norman Rockwell for The Saturday Evening Post
Haddon Sunblom for Coca-Cola
Grandma Moses for the World's Fair

5. Which American writer inspired Charles Dickens’ vision of Christmas in “A Christmas Carol” and almost single handedly crafted the traditions we know today of the American family Christmas?

Nathaniel Hawthorne
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Washington Irving

6. Which groups opposed the celebration of Christmas during America’s early history?

America’s first Puritan settlers
American Revolutionaries
Baptist, Presbyterians and Quakers
All of the above
None of the above

7. America's Founding Fathers were heavily influenced by Greek and Roman history. Which popular Roman celebration started two hundred years before the birth of Jesus and included gift-giving, decorating evergreen trees, merry making … and was the inspiration for Father Christmas in England?