Know your reindeer Which of these names does NOT belong to one of Santa's reindeer?

1. Know your reindeer • Which of these names does NOT belong to one of Santa's reindeer? • A) CometB) PrancerC) BlitzenD) Klaxon

2. 2. Planting kisses under kissing plant At Christmas, it is traditional to exchange kisses beneath a sprig of which plant? A) IvyB) YewC) HollyD) Mistletoe

3. 3. A web not for browsing In the Ukraine, what does it mean if you find a spider web in the house on Christmas morning? A) Good luckB) Misfortune will strike in the coming yearC) The winter will be unusually coldD) Your house needs cleaning!

4. 4. The prize is in the pudding In many households, part of the fun of eating Christmas pudding is finding a trinket that predicts your fortune for the coming year. For instance, finding a coin means you will become wealthy. What will you be if you find a button? A) PoorB) FamousC) A bachelorD) Called away on a trip

5. 5. That's frumenty for you If you were given some frumenty at a Medieval Christmas party, what would you probably do with it? A) Eat itB) Burn itC) Put it in your sweetheart's hairD) Use it to polish your boots

6. 6. Second verse Many of us are quite familiar with the first verses of the traditional Christmas carols, but how well do you know the rest of the lyrics? For instance, what is the first line of the second verse of Angels from the Realms of Glory? A) "Christ by highest heav'n adorèd"B) "Shepherds in the fields abiding"C) "Shepherds why this jubilee?"D) "Don we now our gay apparel"

7. 7. No name for a king Which of the following names does NOT belong one of the Three Kings? A) CasparB) BalthazarC) TeleostD) Melchior

8. 8. Ho-ho-ho, Watson One of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes takes place during the Christmas season. Which of these does the tale hinge upon? A) A burglar disguised as Father ChristmasB) A blue diamond found in a gooseC) A cat trapped in an organ pipeD) A poisoned flask of Napoleon brandy

9. 9. Man of letters Which well-known author of fantasy fiction also created a book called The Father Christmas Letters? A) Lewis CarrollB) J.R.R. TolkienC) E. NesbitD) C.S. Lewis

10. 10. How to build a goat • In Sweden, a common Christmas decoration is the Julbukk, a small figurine of a goat. Of what material is it usually made? • A) CandyB) StrawC) UraniumD) Fir wood

11. 11. Feeding the wren What is the Irish custom of "feeding the wren" or "hunting the wren" on December 26? A) Taking one's in-laws out to dinnerB) Carrying a wren door to door, to collect money for charityC) Leaving a basket of cakes at the door for passers-byD) Putting out suet and seeds for the wild birds

12. 12.The Nutcracker's enemy In Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker", who is the nutcracker's main enemy? A) A girl called ClaraB) The King of the MiceC) Dr. AlmondD) Drosselmeyer the magician

13. A klaxon is actually a powerful electric horn. Its name comes from a German word meaning "shriek".

14. In ancient Scandinavia, mistletoe was associated with peace and friendship. That may account for the custom of "kissing beneath the mistletoe".

15. There once lived a woman so poor, says a Ukrainian folk tale, that she could not afford Christmas decorations for her family. One Christmas morning, she awoke to find that spiders had trimmed her children's tree with their webs. When the morning sun shone on them, the webs turned to silver and gold. An artificial spider and web are often included in the decorations on Ukrainian Christmas trees.

16. A button means you will be a bachelor. A ring means you will get married; while a thimble predicts spinsterhood. The idea of hiding something in the pudding comes from the tradition in the Middle Ages of hiding a bean in a cake that was served on Twelfth Night. Whoever found the bean became "king" for the rest of the night.

17. Frumenty was a spiced porridge, enjoyed by both rich and poor. It was a forerunner of modern Christmas puddings. It is linked in legend to the Celtic god Dagda, who stirred a porridge made up of all the good things of the earth.

18. “Shepards in the fields abiding”. The other suggested lines come from (a) Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, (c) Angels We Have Heard On High and (d) Deck the Halls. The words to Angels from the Realms of Glory were written by Scottish journalist and poet James Montgomery (1771-1854). Montgomery was a supporter of parliamentary reform and a prolific writer. About 100 of his hymns are still in use.

19. A teleost is actually a fish. The word refers to any member of the large group that includes eel, salmon and plaice. The names of the wise men, with their places of origin, their stations in life, and even their number, come from legend and story, not from strictly religious tradition. One historical source gives them the Persian names Hormizdah, Yazdegerd and Perozadh.

20. In "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" Holmes manages to recover the diamond from the goose but, in the spirit of the Christmas season, allows the repentant thief to go free - on the condition that he leave England for ever.

21. The Father Christmas Letters consists of letters written to the Tolkien children by Father Christmas. It was published in 1976. The illustrated letters describe adventures and events at the North Pole.

22. Scandinavian Christmas festivities feature a variety of straw decorations in the form of stars, angels, hearts and other shapes, as well as the Julbukk.

23. One explanation for this St. Stephen's day custom refers to a legend in which the saint was given away by a chattering wren while hiding from his enemies. Children cage the wren to help it do penance for this misdeed. Often the children carry a long pole with a holly bush at the top - which is supposed to hide a captured wren. An artificial wren may also be used.

24. The King of the Mice, usually represented with seven heads, leads his troops against the nutcracker's toy soldiers. He loses the battle when Clara, the heroine, stuns him with a shoe.