FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about Christmas Memories
Quiz about Christmas Memories

Christmas Memories Trivia Quiz


One of the joys of Christmas, especially as one grows older, is looking back on the Christmases of one's childhood and youth. Here we'll remember holidays from the 1950s, '60s and early '70s.

A multiple-choice quiz by spanishliz. Estimated time: 5 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. History Trivia
  6. »
  7. Nostalgia

Author
spanishliz
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
372,164
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
2626
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 70 (9/10), Guest 98 (7/10), Guest 38 (8/10).
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. A very early Christmas memory is attending parties that to a small child seemed to be attended by the entire town, and that always involved a visit from Santa Claus. Which of these gifts could Santa have brought me in 1957? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. A highlight of Christmas Day when I was a child was listening to, or watching the "Queen's Christmas Message". Was her first message as Queen Elizabeth II televised?


Question 3 of 10
3. One of my favourite singing groups from the late 1950s has continued to be popular into the 21st century. Their self-titled song, subtitled "Christmas Don't Be Late", spent four weeks at number one on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart in the final month of 1958. What group is this? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Even as a child I loved books, and finding new ones under the Christmas tree was sure to make me happy. I loved mysteries featuring Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden or the Hardy Boys or anything by Enid Blyton. There was also a series featuring boys named Bert and Freddie and girls named Nan and Flossie. How were these children known? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Animated Christmas TV specials became popular in the 1960s, and some continue to be shown every year. One of the first was a TV movie first shown in 1962, featuring a near-sighted old gentleman whose lack of vision got him into all sorts of trouble. What was it called? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. One of the most exciting things about Christmas in my childhood was the day the Christmas catalogue arrived. Living in a small town we seldom got to the stores these magical books represented and I remember wanting almost everything that was on offer. The Eaton's catalogue of 1962 offered something called a Flying Saucer for $3.98. Just what was that? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. One gift I could count on every year was a new pair of slippers from my Dad, though I was pretty certain that Mum had done the shopping and wrapping! Could these items be ordered from a catalogue?


Question 8 of 10
8. Throughout my childhood and high school years the news often involved the space race and the Christmas season of 1968 was one of those times. Apollo 8 had launched on 21 December that year and after becoming the first men to orbit the moon, the astronauts started homeward on Christmas Day. Who was *not* a member of that crew? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. When Canada's prime minister became a father for the first time on Christmas Day 1971, some jokes were made that he might start thinking he was even more powerful than he was. When his second son was born exactly two years later the jokes were heard again. Who was this charismatic politician, who in 1968 had a "mania" named for him? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. New Year's Eve always marked the end of the Christmas holidays, with a new school term to start in a few days time. For several years that night was marked by the showing of two movies about a movie pioneer, played by an actor named Larry Parks. Which entertainer, who told us "You ain't heard nothin' yet" did Parks portray? Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Most Recent Scores
Oct 06 2024 : Guest 70: 9/10
Oct 01 2024 : Guest 98: 7/10
Sep 30 2024 : Guest 38: 8/10
Sep 28 2024 : LancYorkYank: 10/10
Sep 23 2024 : Guest 92: 6/10
Sep 22 2024 : valn: 10/10
Sep 10 2024 : Peachie13: 10/10
Sep 04 2024 : Guest 63: 6/10
Aug 29 2024 : Guest 99: 10/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. A very early Christmas memory is attending parties that to a small child seemed to be attended by the entire town, and that always involved a visit from Santa Claus. Which of these gifts could Santa have brought me in 1957?

Answer: Silly Putty

In 1957 Silly Putty had already been around for nearly a decade, but that year saw the first advertisement for it on television. The ad was aired during "The Howdy Doody Show" reinforcing the idea that the plastic egg full of amusing goop was for children rather than adults. I always enjoyed using it to "lift" comics from the newspaper, after which I would stretch them into silly shapes.

The other choices all came on the market in the 1960s.
2. A highlight of Christmas Day when I was a child was listening to, or watching the "Queen's Christmas Message". Was her first message as Queen Elizabeth II televised?

Answer: No

Her first Christmas as Queen was 1952, and her message was broadcast to Britain and the Commonwealth over the radio. Not until 1957 did she appear on television, seated at a writing table and referring occasionally to written notes during a message lasting about seven minutes.

It is interesting to hear her speaking about the "new technology" (television) and how society was dealing with it.
3. One of my favourite singing groups from the late 1950s has continued to be popular into the 21st century. Their self-titled song, subtitled "Christmas Don't Be Late", spent four weeks at number one on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart in the final month of 1958. What group is this?

Answer: The Chipmunks

Nearly fifty years later, Alvin, Theodore and Simon and "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" were back in Billboard's Hot 100 following the success of the 2007 film "Alvin and the Chipmunks".

I remember that it used to be great fun to make almost any singer sound like a Chipmunk, by selecting 78 rpm on one's record player then putting on a record meant to be played at a slower speed.
4. Even as a child I loved books, and finding new ones under the Christmas tree was sure to make me happy. I loved mysteries featuring Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden or the Hardy Boys or anything by Enid Blyton. There was also a series featuring boys named Bert and Freddie and girls named Nan and Flossie. How were these children known?

Answer: The Bobbsey Twins

There were two sets of twins in the family, Bert and Nan being about six years older than Flossie and Freddie. Published under the pseudonym Laura Lee Hope, the original series of 72 books was released between 1904 and 1979. I most remember one with a colourful cover picture of the twins having fun on their sleds on a snowy hill.
5. Animated Christmas TV specials became popular in the 1960s, and some continue to be shown every year. One of the first was a TV movie first shown in 1962, featuring a near-sighted old gentleman whose lack of vision got him into all sorts of trouble. What was it called?

Answer: Mr Magoo's Christmas Carol

Quincy Magoo was the old chap who in this case took on the role of Ebenezer Scrooge to comic effect. Jim Backus provided his voice, and musical numbers included "We're Despicable" and "Ringle Ringle". Mr Magoo's antics always made me laugh, and this show was no exception.
6. One of the most exciting things about Christmas in my childhood was the day the Christmas catalogue arrived. Living in a small town we seldom got to the stores these magical books represented and I remember wanting almost everything that was on offer. The Eaton's catalogue of 1962 offered something called a Flying Saucer for $3.98. Just what was that?

Answer: A circular sliding device

The picture shows a small child wrapped up in a snowsuit sitting on what appears to be a garbage can lid with two straps for hand holds. I never had one of these, but believe my toboggan to have been superior, and definitely safer!
7. One gift I could count on every year was a new pair of slippers from my Dad, though I was pretty certain that Mum had done the shopping and wrapping! Could these items be ordered from a catalogue?

Answer: Yes

Catalogues carried a variety of children's slippers, featuring various cartoon characters or cute animals, as well as more subtle designs. It was also possible to buy slippers direct from five and dime stores or dedicated shoe stores, of course.
8. Throughout my childhood and high school years the news often involved the space race and the Christmas season of 1968 was one of those times. Apollo 8 had launched on 21 December that year and after becoming the first men to orbit the moon, the astronauts started homeward on Christmas Day. Who was *not* a member of that crew?

Answer: Neil Armstrong

Armstrong made his trip to the moon in July of the following year, becoming the first person to set foot on the lunar surface. Borman was mission commander of Apollo 8. Lovell, who was command module pilot in this instance was in command of 1970's ill-fated Apollo 13.
9. When Canada's prime minister became a father for the first time on Christmas Day 1971, some jokes were made that he might start thinking he was even more powerful than he was. When his second son was born exactly two years later the jokes were heard again. Who was this charismatic politician, who in 1968 had a "mania" named for him?

Answer: Pierre Trudeau

Trudeaumania swept Canada during the Liberal leadership and federal election campaigns of 1968. When Pierre Trudeau's first two sons, Justin and Sacha, were born on Christmas Day it seemed that he might be angling for an even higher position than PM. Justin became leader of the Liberal Party of Canada in 2013, following in his father's footsteps.
10. New Year's Eve always marked the end of the Christmas holidays, with a new school term to start in a few days time. For several years that night was marked by the showing of two movies about a movie pioneer, played by an actor named Larry Parks. Which entertainer, who told us "You ain't heard nothin' yet" did Parks portray?

Answer: Al Jolson

The movies were "The Jolson Story" (1946) and "Jolson Sings Again" (1949) and I remember being allowed to stay up to watch them on more than one New Year's Eve. The soundtracks featured Jolson's voice singing many of his most famous songs.
Source: Author spanishliz

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Related Quizzes
This quiz is part of series A Series of Oldies:

This is an occasional series of quizzes mostly in the field of entertainment, in which most, if not all, questions deal with the years before 1980.

  1. An Oldies 'Who Played Who'? Average
  2. Another Oldies 'Who Played Who?' Average
  3. Who Played that Role? Easier
  4. Who Was That Foreign Actor? Average
  5. Fractured Hitchcock Average
  6. They Wanted to Speak... Average
  7. British War Films Average
  8. Christmas Memories Average
  9. Three (or More) Decades of French Cinema Easier
  10. Anthony Hopkins - Early Days Tough

10/7/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us