Christmas Holiday Skills

Think you know everything about the holidays? Test your knowledge on movies, music and more of the season.

Popular Christmas songs

1. What holiday song has sold the most copies (in single and album form) since 1940?

‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’

2. In the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas," how many lords a-leaping are there?

Santa’s reindeers

3. Which of Santa's nine reindeer shares his name with a former presidential candidate?

‘A Christmas Carol’

4. Name the four ghosts in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."

‘Frosty the Snowman’

5. In the original version of the song "Frosty the Snowman," recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950, what was Frosty's nose made of?

‘It's a Wonderful Life’

6. In the 1946 film "It's a Wonderful Life," what is the name of the character played by James Stewart, and what town does he live in?

Eggnog drink recipes

7. According to the International Bartenders Association, what should be mixed with eggnog?

Santa’s flight on Christmas Eve

8. Taking into account time-zone changes, how many hours does Santa Claus have to deliver his gifts all the way around the world?

‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’

9. In Dr. Seuss' 1957 children's book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," where does the Grinch live?

The Nutcracker ballet

10. In Peter Tchaikovsky's fantasy-ballet "The Nutcracker," the heroine Clara helps the Nutcracker by throwing what at the Mouse King?

Santa Claus

11. There are two towns in the United States named Santa Claus. Where are they?

Hanukkah toys

12. In the popular song "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel," what is the namesake four-sided Hanukkah toy made of?

‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’

13. What happens between God and sinners in "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"?

Grandma and reindeers

14. Under what circumstances did Grandma get run over by a reindeer?

‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’

15. In "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," the singers declare, "We won't go until we get some." Some what?

‘Here Comes Santa Claus’

16. Fill in the blank in this lyric from "Here Comes Santa Claus": "Hang your stockings and....'cause Santa Claus comes tonight."

'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'

17. How was Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer originated?

Pop Christmas songs

18. Fill in the blank: "Santa baby, slip a ________ under the tree for me."

‘Silent Night’

19. In the second verse of "Silent Night," what do the heavenly hosts sing?

Traditional Christmas songs

20. What did the little lamb say to the shepherd boy in a 1962 Christmas favorite?

Read more »

Christmas Holiday Skills

Think you know everything about the holidays? Test your knowledge on movies, music and more of the season.

Popular Christmas songs

1. What holiday song has sold the most copies (in single and album form) since 1940?

‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’

2. In the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas," how many lords a-leaping are there?

Santa’s reindeers

3. Which of Santa's nine reindeer shares his name with a former presidential candidate?

‘A Christmas Carol’

4. Name the four ghosts in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."

‘Frosty the Snowman’

5. In the original version of the song "Frosty the Snowman," recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950, what was Frosty's nose made of?

‘It's a Wonderful Life’

6. In the 1946 film "It's a Wonderful Life," what is the name of the character played by James Stewart, and what town does he live in?

Eggnog drink recipes

7. According to the International Bartenders Association, what should be mixed with eggnog?

Santa’s flight on Christmas Eve

8. Taking into account time-zone changes, how many hours does Santa Claus have to deliver his gifts all the way around the world?

‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’

9. In Dr. Seuss' 1957 children's book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," where does the Grinch live?

The Nutcracker ballet

10. In Peter Tchaikovsky's fantasy-ballet "The Nutcracker," the heroine Clara helps the Nutcracker by throwing what at the Mouse King?

Santa Claus

11. There are two towns in the United States named Santa Claus. Where are they?

Hanukkah toys

12. In the popular song "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel," what is the namesake four-sided Hanukkah toy made of?

‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’

13. What happens between God and sinners in "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"?

Grandma and reindeers

14. Under what circumstances did Grandma get run over by a reindeer?

‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’

15. In "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," the singers declare, "We won't go until we get some." Some what?

‘Here Comes Santa Claus’

16. Fill in the blank in this lyric from "Here Comes Santa Claus": "Hang your stockings and....'cause Santa Claus comes tonight."

'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'

17. How was Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer originated?

Pop Christmas songs

18. Fill in the blank: "Santa baby, slip a ________ under the tree for me."

‘Silent Night’

19. In the second verse of "Silent Night," what do the heavenly hosts sing?

Traditional Christmas songs

20. What did the little lamb say to the shepherd boy in a 1962 Christmas favorite?

Read more »

Most Wanted Tech Gifts

These items will surely brighten any gadget lover's Christmas this season.

CNET editors, among others, have picked the top tech for this year's holiday season. From laptops and tablets to cameras, TVs and more, here are some ideas that might please your favorite geek.

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Ultra-portable

Editors’ take: Even with its slightly low USB 3.0 performance, the GoFlex Ultra makes an excellent portable external hard drive for people who need more storage.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W350

Editors’ take: A sweet, little wide-angle compact, the Sony Cyber-shot should make a lot of snapshooters happy.

Xbox Kinect 360

Editors’ take: With its impressive body tracking and unusual, controller-free experience, Kinect is great for casual gaming parties and workouts -- assuming you have enough room to play it.


Panasonic HDC-SD60s

Editors’ take: Panasonic's entry-level HD camcorders -- the HDC-HS60, TM60, TM55 and SD60 -- deliver a nice manual feature set and good performance, plus solid video quality for their class.

Sony PlayStation 3 Slim (160GB)

Editors’ take: With a smaller design, more energy-efficient operation, lower price tag and built-in Blu-ray and multimedia capabilities, the PS3 Slim delivers a compelling package for a reasonable price.

Roku XDS

Editors’ take: If you don't need compatibility with iTunes, you’ll likely find Roku's trio of affordable video boxes offers a wider range of streaming video and audio providers than Apple TV does.

Xbox 360 Slim (black, 250GB)

Editors’ take: If you don’t own an Xbox 360 with an HDMI-out port and hard drive, you might consider the new Xbox 360 because it addresses most of the concerns editors have had with previous versions.

Panasonic Viera TC-P50VT20

Editors’ take: With 2D and 3D sources, Panasonic's flagship TC-PVT20/25 series delivers outstanding overall picture quality.

iPod Touch 2010

Editors’ take: The iPod Touch is the best iPod yet, offering all the fun of the iPhone experience without a carrier contract or monthly bill.

T-Mobile G2

Editors’ take: Some minor issues aside, the T-Mobile G2 is one of the carrier's top Android smart phones, offering an excellent QWERTY keyboard, speed and plenty of features.


Amazon Kindle

Editors’ take: The third-generation Kindle's upgrades ― including an improved screen, better battery life, lighter weight and lower price ― send it to the top of the e-book reader category.

Apple MacBook Air

Editors’ take: The MacBook Air is smaller and less expensive, creating an excellent ultraportable but leaving out a few features along the way.

Apple iMac

Editors’ take: The new iMac comes with a faster CPU and a new graphics card, helping this 27-inch all-in-one desktop stay as competitive in performance as it was in screen size.

Garmin Nuvi 3790T

Editors’ take: The Garmin Nuvi 3790T combines a super-slim form, a smart phone-worthy touch screen and Garmin's GPS software into one fine navigator.

Read more »