HOLIDA AR YT FUN
CHRISTMAS SONG TRIVIA
By Aaron R. Fodiman
Don’t grade yourself on these questions. Some will know the
answers to most of them, while others will be left scratching
their heads, saying, “I didn’t know that.” Enjoy these snippets
of useless information as the holidays come into view.
QUESTIONS
In “The Twelve Days of Christmas” song, what are the other items after the partridge in a pear tree?
Answer: Turtle doves, French hens, calling birds, gold rings, geese-a-laying, swans-a-swimming, maids-a-milking,
ladies dancing, lords-a-leaping, pipers piping and drummers drumming. The 12 days of Christmas are from the 25th of
December until January 7th (Epiphany). Epiphany is the time of the Biblical story of the Magi when the Three Wise Men
appeared with gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense. The gifts are code for other things, according to most authorities.
What is considered the all-time most popular Christmas song and who wrote it?
Answer: Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” sung by Bing Crosby, is the best selling single record in the world. The
song appeared in the movie Holiday, winning an Oscar in 1943 for Best Original Song. Crosby first sang the song on
Christmas 1941 on the radio show that he hosted. Berlin, who was Jewish, had a personal connection with the holiday
since his 3-week-old son died in 1928 on Christmas Day.
In Mel Tormé’s “ The Christmas Song, “ what is roasting on an open fire?
Answer: Chestnuts were what Mel Tormé and Robert Wells thought of in 1945, while writing this song in 45 minutes.
It began with a few phrases Wells had written down to make him feel cooler during a summer heat wave. But it was
singer Nat King Cole who made the tune famous in 1946.
What is the most popular holiday song in the United States?
Answer: Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You,” which was released in 1994,
seems to get increasingly more popular with every passing year. It raked in more than
80.6 million on-demand streams in 2016 alone.
What is the origin of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?
Answer: In 1939, Robert May wrote the story for the Montgomery Ward retail company,
which gave the booklet away in their stores at Christmas time.
Who wrote the song about Rudolph, and when was it written?
Answer: In 1949, May’s brother-in-law Johnny Marks adapted the story into a
song and got “The Singing Cowboy” Gene Autry to sing it. The record hit
No. 1 on the Billboard pop singles chart that year by selling 2.5 million copies.
Assuming that Rudolph was the ninth reindeer after Dasher,
Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen,
what was the name of the 10th reindeer?
Answer: Olive, like in the song about Rudolph, “All of (Olive), the other
reindeer, used to laugh and call him names.” 9
142 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020