Christmas Family Traditions
A family board about the Christmas calendar, Advent countdowns, decorated trees, poinsettias, and the hearth-log tradition.
The board
Swipe the board sideways · 5 categories
| Christmas Calendar | Advent Countdowns | Decorated Trees | Poinsettias | Hearth-Log History |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100Which annual festival is observed primarily on December 25? | 100What countdown is used in anticipation of Christmas? | 100What decorated evergreen is associated with the celebration? | 100Which holiday display plant has the scientific name Euphorbia pulcherrima? | 100What specially selected log is burned as a winter hearth tradition? |
| 200Give the primary date named for this religious and cultural celebration. | 200Supply the German word from which the countdown's English name comes. | 200Name any one conifer example in the source. | 200To which spurge family does the plant belong? | 200On which two continents does the source place the tradition? |
| 300Which season begins the source's account of preparation for the feast? | 300Which movable Sunday makes the liturgical start date vary? | 300Which two historical regions are singled out in the custom's Central European development? | 300Name both regions to which the plant is indigenous. | 300What year supplies the first solid evidence named by the source? |
| 400Name the twelve-day western season that follows Advent. | 400Put the source's possible Advent start dates in a range. | 400How did Moravian tree lighting change after electrification? | 400Connect its familiar display colors to its seasonal use. | 400Which older label preceded the late-17th-century use of Yule log? |
| 500A family timeline follows that twelve-day season to its culmination. Which night belongs at the endpoint? | 500A reusable wooden countdown needs a fixed opening date despite that variation. Which date does the source say many use? | 500A topper is meant to represent the Star of Bethlehem rather than Gabriel. Which shape should the family choose? | 500A museum label explains the common English name. Which diplomat and decade should it mention? | 500An English custom burns one portion each evening. Until which date and named night does it continue? |
Ages 9 and up · 25 of 25 clues written · final round · about 20 minutes
26 of 26 answers carry the sentence they were checked against
Play time assumes about 40 seconds a clue plus three minutes for the final round. Nothing is saved to a server and no account is needed. How answers are checked.
Player sheet
Christmas Family Traditions · Ages 9 and up · answers are on the host key
Christmas Calendar
- 100 Which annual festival is observed primarily on December 25?
- 200 Give the primary date named for this religious and cultural celebration.
- 300 Which season begins the source's account of preparation for the feast?
- 400 Name the twelve-day western season that follows Advent.
- 500 A family timeline follows that twelve-day season to its culmination. Which night belongs at the endpoint?
Advent Countdowns
- 100 What countdown is used in anticipation of Christmas?
- 200 Supply the German word from which the countdown's English name comes.
- 300 Which movable Sunday makes the liturgical start date vary?
- 400 Put the source's possible Advent start dates in a range.
- 500 A reusable wooden countdown needs a fixed opening date despite that variation. Which date does the source say many use?
Decorated Trees
- 100 What decorated evergreen is associated with the celebration?
- 200 Name any one conifer example in the source.
- 300 Which two historical regions are singled out in the custom's Central European development?
- 400 How did Moravian tree lighting change after electrification?
- 500 A topper is meant to represent the Star of Bethlehem rather than Gabriel. Which shape should the family choose?
Poinsettias
- 100 Which holiday display plant has the scientific name Euphorbia pulcherrima?
- 200 To which spurge family does the plant belong?
- 300 Name both regions to which the plant is indigenous.
- 400 Connect its familiar display colors to its seasonal use.
- 500 A museum label explains the common English name. Which diplomat and decade should it mention?
Hearth-Log History
- 100 What specially selected log is burned as a winter hearth tradition?
- 200 On which two continents does the source place the tradition?
- 300 What year supplies the first solid evidence named by the source?
- 400 Which older label preceded the late-17th-century use of Yule log?
- 500 An English custom burns one portion each evening. Until which date and named night does it continue?
Final round: Family Traditions
This specially selected hearth log became a winter tradition in regions of Europe and later North America.
Host key
Christmas Family Traditions · keep this sheet · it carries the answers
Christmas Calendar
- 100 Which annual festival is observed primarily on December 25? Response: ChristmasChecked against:
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christmas&oldid=1366046623 - 200 Give the primary date named for this religious and cultural celebration. Response: December 25Checked against:
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christmas&oldid=1366046623 - 300 Which season begins the source's account of preparation for the feast? Response: AdventChecked against:
A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Christmas preparation begins on the First Sunday of Advent.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christmas&oldid=1366046623 - 400 Name the twelve-day western season that follows Advent. Response: ChristmastideChecked against:
Advent is followed by Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christmas&oldid=1366046623 - 500 A family timeline follows that twelve-day season to its culmination. Which night belongs at the endpoint? Response: Twelfth NightChecked against:
Advent is followed by Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christmas&oldid=1366046623
Advent Countdowns
- 100 What countdown is used in anticipation of Christmas? Response: Advent calendarChecked against:
An Advent calendar, from the German word Adventskalender, is used to count the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Advent_calendar&oldid=1364070222 - 200 Supply the German word from which the countdown's English name comes. Response: AdventskalenderChecked against:
An Advent calendar, from the German word Adventskalender, is used to count the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Advent_calendar&oldid=1364070222 - 300 Which movable Sunday makes the liturgical start date vary? Response: First Sunday of AdventChecked against:
Since the date of the First Sunday of Advent varies, falling between November 27 and December 3 inclusive, many reusable Advent calendars made of paper or wood begin on December 1.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Advent_calendar&oldid=1364070222 - 400 Put the source's possible Advent start dates in a range. Response: November 27 through December 3Checked against:
Since the date of the First Sunday of Advent varies, falling between November 27 and December 3 inclusive, many reusable Advent calendars made of paper or wood begin on December 1.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Advent_calendar&oldid=1364070222 - 500 A reusable wooden countdown needs a fixed opening date despite that variation. Which date does the source say many use? Response: December 1Checked against:
Since the date of the First Sunday of Advent varies, falling between November 27 and December 3 inclusive, many reusable Advent calendars made of paper or wood begin on December 1.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Advent_calendar&oldid=1364070222
Decorated Trees
- 100 What decorated evergreen is associated with the celebration? Response: Christmas treeChecked against:
A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christmas_tree&oldid=1360640779 - 200 Name any one conifer example in the source. Response: spruce, pine, or firChecked against:
A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christmas_tree&oldid=1360640779 - 300 Which two historical regions are singled out in the custom's Central European development? Response: Germany and LivoniaChecked against:
The custom was developed in Central Europe, particularly Germany and Livonia (now Estonia and Latvia), where Protestant Christians brought decorated trees into their homes.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christmas_tree&oldid=1360640779 - 400 How did Moravian tree lighting change after electrification? Response: candles were often replaced by Christmas lightsChecked against:
Moravian Christians began to illuminate Christmas trees with candles, which were often replaced by Christmas lights after the advent of electrification.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christmas_tree&oldid=1360640779 - 500 A topper is meant to represent the Star of Bethlehem rather than Gabriel. Which shape should the family choose? Response: a starChecked against:
An angel or star might be placed at the top of the tree to represent the angel Gabriel or the Star of Bethlehem, respectively, from the Nativity.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christmas_tree&oldid=1360640779
Poinsettias
- 100 Which holiday display plant has the scientific name Euphorbia pulcherrima? Response: poinsettiaChecked against:
The poinsettia (; Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a commercially important flowering plant species of the diverse spurge family Euphorbiaceae.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Poinsettia&oldid=1365158900 - 200 To which spurge family does the plant belong? Response: EuphorbiaceaeChecked against:
The poinsettia (; Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a commercially important flowering plant species of the diverse spurge family Euphorbiaceae.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Poinsettia&oldid=1365158900 - 300 Name both regions to which the plant is indigenous. Response: Mexico and Central AmericaChecked against:
Indigenous to Mexico and Central America, the poinsettia was first described by Europeans in 1834.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Poinsettia&oldid=1365158900 - 400 Connect its familiar display colors to its seasonal use. Response: red and green foliage used in Christmas floral displaysChecked against:
It is particularly well known for its red and green foliage and is widely used in Christmas floral displays.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Poinsettia&oldid=1365158900 - 500 A museum label explains the common English name. Which diplomat and decade should it mention? Response: Joel Roberts Poinsett in the 1820sChecked against:
It derives its common English name from Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States minister to Mexico, who is credited with introducing the plant to the US in the 1820s; however, there have been recent efforts to rename the flower to its Nahuatl name, "cuetlaxōchitl", due to Poinsett's involvement in slavery and the Trail of Tears.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Poinsettia&oldid=1365158900
Hearth-Log History
- 100 What specially selected log is burned as a winter hearth tradition? Response: Yule logChecked against:
The Yule log is a specially selected log burnt on a hearth as a winter tradition in regions of Europe, and subsequently North America.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yule_log&oldid=1352217677 - 200 On which two continents does the source place the tradition? Response: Europe and North AmericaChecked against:
The Yule log is a specially selected log burnt on a hearth as a winter tradition in regions of Europe, and subsequently North America.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yule_log&oldid=1352217677 - 300 What year supplies the first solid evidence named by the source? Response: 1184 ADChecked against:
The first solid evidence for this tradition originates in 1184 AD as a Christmas eve tradition.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yule_log&oldid=1352217677 - 400 Which older label preceded the late-17th-century use of Yule log? Response: Christmas logChecked against:
The practice was originally known as the "Christmas log" (and still is in languages other than English), with "Yule log" first used in the late 17th century.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yule_log&oldid=1352217677 - 500 An English custom burns one portion each evening. Until which date and named night does it continue? Response: Twelfth Night, January 6Checked against:
The Christmas practice calls for burning a portion of the log each evening until Twelfth Night (January 6).
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yule_log&oldid=1352217677
Final round: Family Traditions
This specially selected hearth log became a winter tradition in regions of Europe and later North America. Response: Yule logChecked against: The Yule log is a specially selected log burnt on a hearth as a winter tradition in regions of Europe, and subsequently North America.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yule_log&oldid=1352217677
Every clue, every answer, and what it was checked against
This is what prints on the host key.
Christmas Calendar
Which annual festival is observed primarily on December 25? 100
ChristmasChecked against:
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world.
Source, pinned revisionGive the primary date named for this religious and cultural celebration. 200
December 25Checked against:
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world.
Source, pinned revisionWhich season begins the source's account of preparation for the feast? 300
AdventChecked against:
A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Christmas preparation begins on the First Sunday of Advent.
Source, pinned revisionName the twelve-day western season that follows Advent. 400
ChristmastideChecked against:
Advent is followed by Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night.
Source, pinned revisionA family timeline follows that twelve-day season to its culmination. Which night belongs at the endpoint? 500
Twelfth NightChecked against:
Advent is followed by Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night.
Source, pinned revision
Advent Countdowns
What countdown is used in anticipation of Christmas? 100
Advent calendarChecked against:
An Advent calendar, from the German word Adventskalender, is used to count the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas.
Source, pinned revisionSupply the German word from which the countdown's English name comes. 200
AdventskalenderChecked against:
An Advent calendar, from the German word Adventskalender, is used to count the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas.
Source, pinned revisionWhich movable Sunday makes the liturgical start date vary? 300
First Sunday of AdventChecked against:
Since the date of the First Sunday of Advent varies, falling between November 27 and December 3 inclusive, many reusable Advent calendars made of paper or wood begin on December 1.
Source, pinned revisionPut the source's possible Advent start dates in a range. 400
November 27 through December 3Checked against:
Since the date of the First Sunday of Advent varies, falling between November 27 and December 3 inclusive, many reusable Advent calendars made of paper or wood begin on December 1.
Source, pinned revisionA reusable wooden countdown needs a fixed opening date despite that variation. Which date does the source say many use? 500
December 1Checked against:
Since the date of the First Sunday of Advent varies, falling between November 27 and December 3 inclusive, many reusable Advent calendars made of paper or wood begin on December 1.
Source, pinned revision
Decorated Trees
What decorated evergreen is associated with the celebration? 100
Christmas treeChecked against:
A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas.
Source, pinned revisionName any one conifer example in the source. 200
spruce, pine, or firChecked against:
A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas.
Source, pinned revisionWhich two historical regions are singled out in the custom's Central European development? 300
Germany and LivoniaChecked against:
The custom was developed in Central Europe, particularly Germany and Livonia (now Estonia and Latvia), where Protestant Christians brought decorated trees into their homes.
Source, pinned revisionHow did Moravian tree lighting change after electrification? 400
candles were often replaced by Christmas lightsChecked against:
Moravian Christians began to illuminate Christmas trees with candles, which were often replaced by Christmas lights after the advent of electrification.
Source, pinned revisionA topper is meant to represent the Star of Bethlehem rather than Gabriel. Which shape should the family choose? 500
a starChecked against:
An angel or star might be placed at the top of the tree to represent the angel Gabriel or the Star of Bethlehem, respectively, from the Nativity.
Source, pinned revision
Poinsettias
Which holiday display plant has the scientific name Euphorbia pulcherrima? 100
poinsettiaChecked against:
The poinsettia (; Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a commercially important flowering plant species of the diverse spurge family Euphorbiaceae.
Source, pinned revisionTo which spurge family does the plant belong? 200
EuphorbiaceaeChecked against:
The poinsettia (; Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a commercially important flowering plant species of the diverse spurge family Euphorbiaceae.
Source, pinned revisionName both regions to which the plant is indigenous. 300
Mexico and Central AmericaChecked against:
Indigenous to Mexico and Central America, the poinsettia was first described by Europeans in 1834.
Source, pinned revisionConnect its familiar display colors to its seasonal use. 400
red and green foliage used in Christmas floral displaysChecked against:
It is particularly well known for its red and green foliage and is widely used in Christmas floral displays.
Source, pinned revisionA museum label explains the common English name. Which diplomat and decade should it mention? 500
Joel Roberts Poinsett in the 1820sChecked against:
It derives its common English name from Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States minister to Mexico, who is credited with introducing the plant to the US in the 1820s; however, there have been recent efforts to rename the flower to its Nahuatl name, "cuetlaxōchitl", due to Poinsett's involvement in slavery and the Trail of Tears.
Source, pinned revision
Hearth-Log History
What specially selected log is burned as a winter hearth tradition? 100
Yule logChecked against:
The Yule log is a specially selected log burnt on a hearth as a winter tradition in regions of Europe, and subsequently North America.
Source, pinned revisionOn which two continents does the source place the tradition? 200
Europe and North AmericaChecked against:
The Yule log is a specially selected log burnt on a hearth as a winter tradition in regions of Europe, and subsequently North America.
Source, pinned revisionWhat year supplies the first solid evidence named by the source? 300
1184 ADChecked against:
The first solid evidence for this tradition originates in 1184 AD as a Christmas eve tradition.
Source, pinned revisionWhich older label preceded the late-17th-century use of Yule log? 400
Christmas logChecked against:
The practice was originally known as the "Christmas log" (and still is in languages other than English), with "Yule log" first used in the late 17th century.
Source, pinned revisionAn English custom burns one portion each evening. Until which date and named night does it continue? 500
Twelfth Night, January 6Checked against:
The Christmas practice calls for burning a portion of the log each evening until Twelfth Night (January 6).
Source, pinned revision
Final round
This specially selected hearth log became a winter tradition in regions of Europe and later North America.
Yule logChecked against:
The Yule log is a specially selected log burnt on a hearth as a winter tradition in regions of Europe, and subsequently North America.
Source, pinned revision
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