60 December Trivia Questions and Answers (2026): Holidays, History and Fun Facts

Here are 60 December trivia questions and answers for 2026, in seven rounds: December basics, December holidays, history that happened in December, famous December birthdays, winter and the solstice, New Year's Eve, and a mixed bag of fun facts. Because December has Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Eve, these questions work for an office that celebrates many traditions, or none. In 2026, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Friday, December 4, the winter solstice is Monday, December 21, and Christmas falls on a Friday.

Want a full Christmas game instead? See our 100 Christmas trivia questions, with a free printable and answer key.

How to use these December trivia questions

• Office holiday party: rounds 2, 3 and 6, about 25 minutes, one point per answer.
• Daily stand-up: one question a day from December 1 to the last workday of the year.
• Classroom: rounds 1, 5 and 7 are the easiest.
• Inclusive workplaces: round 2 covers several December holidays, so no one tradition dominates.

Jump to a round

• Round 1: December basics (8 questions)
• Round 2: December holidays trivia (10 questions)
• Round 3: December history trivia (10 questions)
• Round 4: Famous December birthdays (8 questions)
• Round 5: Winter and the winter solstice (8 questions)
• Round 6: New Year's Eve trivia (8 questions)
• Round 7: Fun December facts (8 questions)

Round 1: December basics

Warm-up questions about the month itself.

1. How many days are in December?
   Answer: 31.

2. The name December comes from the Latin word for which number?
   Answer: Ten (decem). December was the tenth month of the early Roman calendar.

3. What are the birthstones for December?
   Answer: Turquoise, tanzanite and zircon.

4. What are the birth flowers for December?
   Answer: Narcissus (paperwhite) and holly.

5. Which two zodiac signs fall in December?
   Answer: Sagittarius (until about December 21) and Capricorn (from about December 22).

6. In the Northern Hemisphere, which season starts in December?
   Answer: Winter.

7. In the Southern Hemisphere, which season starts in December?
   Answer: Summer.

8. What day of the week does Christmas Day fall on in 2026?
   Answer: Friday.

Round 2: December holidays trivia

Many traditions, one month.

9. How many nights does Hanukkah last?
   Answer: Eight.

10. When does Hanukkah begin in 2026?
    Answer: At sundown on Friday, December 4. It ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12.

11. How many branches does a Hanukkah menorah (hanukkiah) have?
    Answer: Nine: eight for the nights plus the shamash, the helper candle used to light the others.

12. What fried foods are traditionally eaten at Hanukkah?
    Answer: Latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts), fried in oil to remember the oil that lasted eight days.

13. On what dates is Kwanzaa celebrated?
    Answer: December 26 to January 1.

14. Who created Kwanzaa, and in what year?
    Answer: Maulana Karenga, in 1966.

15. How many principles does Kwanzaa celebrate, one for each day?
    Answer: Seven, called the Nguzo Saba.

16. In which countries is December 26 known as Boxing Day?
    Answer: The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, among others.

17. Which Swedish festival of light is celebrated on December 13?
    Answer: St. Lucia's Day.

18. What is the Buddhist holiday on December 8 that marks the Buddha's enlightenment?
    Answer: Bodhi Day.

Round 3: December history trivia

Big moments that happened in the last month of the year.

19. On what date in 1773 did colonists dump tea into Boston Harbor?
    Answer: December 16.

20. On December 17, 1903, what happened at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina?
    Answer: The Wright brothers made the first powered airplane flight.

21. What happened on December 7, 1941?
    Answer: The attack on Pearl Harbor, which brought the United States into World War II.

22. Which document was ratified on December 15, 1791?
    Answer: The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

23. On December 1, 1955, who refused to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama?
    Answer: Rosa Parks.

24. Which spacecraft carried the first astronauts around the Moon, on Christmas Eve 1968?
    Answer: Apollo 8.

25. In December 1972, which mission made the last crewed Moon landing so far?
    Answer: Apollo 17.

26. On which date are the Nobel Prizes presented each year?
    Answer: December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death.

27. Which amendment, ratified in December 1865, abolished slavery in the United States?
    Answer: The 13th Amendment.

28. On Christmas night 1776, which river did George Washington cross to attack Trenton?
    Answer: The Delaware River.

Round 4: Famous December birthdays

Who was born in December?

29. Which singer was born on December 13, 1989?
    Answer: Taylor Swift.

30. Which animation pioneer, born December 5, 1901, created Mickey Mouse with Ub Iwerks?
    Answer: Walt Disney.

31. Which author of Pride and Prejudice was born on December 16, 1775?
    Answer: Jane Austen.

32. Which composer of the "Moonlight" Sonata was baptized on December 17, 1770?
    Answer: Ludwig van Beethoven.

33. Which singer known as "Ol' Blue Eyes" was born on December 12, 1915?
    Answer: Frank Sinatra.

34. Which director of Jaws and E.T. was born on December 18, 1946?
    Answer: Steven Spielberg.

35. Which scientist who described the laws of motion was born on December 25, 1642 (by the old calendar)?
    Answer: Isaac Newton.

36. Which pop star known for "Toxic" was born on December 2, 1981?
    Answer: Britney Spears.

Round 5: Winter and the winter solstice

Snow, short days and the science behind them.

37. What is the winter solstice?
    Answer: The day with the fewest hours of daylight, when the North Pole is tilted farthest from the Sun.

38. When is the winter solstice in 2026?
    Answer: Monday, December 21, 2026, at 3:50 p.m. Eastern time.

39. How many sides does a snowflake have?
    Answer: Six.

40. After the winter solstice, do days get longer or shorter in the Northern Hemisphere?
    Answer: Longer.

41. Which ancient monument in England lines up with the sunset on the winter solstice?
    Answer: Stonehenge.

42. What is the ancient midwinter festival that gave us the word "Yuletide"?
    Answer: Yule.

43. Which U.S. state usually records the coldest temperatures in December?
    Answer: Alaska.

44. What is the longest day of the year called, the opposite of the winter solstice?
    Answer: The summer solstice, in June.

Round 6: New Year's Eve trivia

How the world says goodbye to the year.

45. Since what year has a ball dropped in Times Square on New Year's Eve?
    Answer: 1907.

46. Which Scottish poet wrote the words to "Auld Lang Syne"?
    Answer: Robert Burns.

47. What does "auld lang syne" roughly mean?
    Answer: "Old long since," or "for old times' sake."

48. In Spain, how many grapes do people eat at midnight on New Year's Eve?
    Answer: Twelve, one for each stroke of the clock.

49. Which country is among the first to welcome the new year?
    Answer: Kiribati, in the Pacific Ocean.

50. What is the Scottish name for the New Year's Eve celebration?
    Answer: Hogmanay.

51. What does "first-footing" mean in Scottish New Year tradition?
    Answer: The first person to cross the threshold after midnight, who is supposed to bring luck for the year.

52. In Brazil, what color do many people wear on New Year's Eve for peace and luck?
    Answer: White.

Round 7: Fun December facts

Quick tiebreakers.

53. Which December song by the Four Seasons begins "Oh, what a night"?
    Answer: "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)."

54. Which Taylor Swift song is called "Back to ___"?
    Answer: "Back to December."

55. What kind of tree is the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree usually?
    Answer: A Norway spruce.

56. Which Tchaikovsky ballet do companies around the world perform every December?
    Answer: The Nutcracker.

57. What do people call the promises they make for the coming year on New Year's Eve?
    Answer: New Year's resolutions.

58. Which December 26 shopping day is famous in the UK for big sales?
    Answer: Boxing Day.

59. A poinsettia's red "petals" are not petals at all. What are they?
    Answer: Leaves, called bracts.

60. How many shopping weekends are there between Thanksgiving and Christmas in 2026?
    Answer: Four: Thanksgiving is November 26 and Christmas is Friday, December 25.

December trivia for the office

December trivia works well at work because it is not tied to one holiday. A few formats that keep it light:

1. Question of the day: post one question in your team chat each morning and reveal the answer at lunch.
2. Holiday party warm-up: three rounds, 25 minutes, then move on to food or an activity.
3. Year-end wrap: add a round of questions about your own team's year.

Planning the end-of-year party? See our holiday party alternatives in NYC and our virtual workshops for remote teams.

Frequently asked questions

What are good December trivia questions?

Questions that cover the whole month work best: the December holidays (Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year's Eve), December history like the Wright brothers' first flight, and famous December birthdays like Taylor Swift and Walt Disney.

When is Hanukkah in 2026?

Hanukkah 2026 begins at sundown on Friday, December 4, and ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12.

When is the winter solstice in 2026?

Monday, December 21, 2026, at 3:50 p.m. Eastern time.

What are the December birthstones?

Turquoise, tanzanite and zircon.

Is December trivia good for an inclusive office party?

Yes. Round 2 covers several December holidays and rounds 3 to 7 are not tied to any holiday, so everyone can play.

More holiday trivia: 100 Christmas trivia questions, Christmas movie trivia and Christmas trivia for kids.