CHRISTMAS DAY CHALLENGE 2022

Turn off the TV, put another log on the fire and gather your nearest and dearest – it’s time to step up to NorthernLife’s Christmas Challenge…

1920s

1. When was it usual to put your decorations up in this decade?
2. Would households have had artificial trees in the 1920s?
3. What was the most popular bird to eat at Christmas dinner? Turkey or Goose?
4. What was the name of the Little Match Girl in the 1928 French featurette film?
5. What was the name of the must-have stuffed toy dog with a sad face?
6. Who introduced the first clockwork trainset?
7. What board game with ladders would people play on Christmas Eve?
8. Who was prime minister on Christmas Day 1920?
9. What was the 1920s also known as?
10. What kind of lighting was used to illuminate the tree?

1930s

11. What fruit pudding was popular as a dessert in the 1930s?
12. Which company released the Vintage Christmas first bristle-style artificial tree in the UK in the 1930s?
13. Which royal released the first Christmas message in 1932?
14. How many people listened to the first Christmas message?
15. What was the 1930s also known as?
16. The biggest Christmas pudding of all time was made in the 1930s, how many horses did it take to carry it? One, four or ten?
17. What kind of alcoholic butter was made available?
18. What kind of mixed drink did the wealthy use to celebrate?
19. Were electric fairy lights available yet?
20. How much was the most expensive toy in Woolworths?

1940s

21. What year was the film It’s a Wonderful Life released?
22. What did they use for Christmas lights in the early 1940s?
23. What was the most popular present?
24. Had turkey become a Christmas favourite?
25. Who was prime minister on Christmas day 1941?
26. Which underground space did many Brits spend their Christmas in 1940?
27. What did the picture on the front of the King’s Christmas card show in 1940?
28. What conical fruit was dipped in salt and used as a decoration?
29. What important Christmas supply was banned?
30. Did people work on Boxing Day in 1940?

1950s

31. What year was Queen Elizabeth’s first Christmas message?
32. What year was the message first televised?
33. What paper handmaid decoration became popular in the 1950s?
34. What year was the film White Christmas released?
35. What toy brick went on sale in 1955?
36. In 1950, what day was football usually played over Christmas?
37. What year did Granada Television first begin broadcasting in the North of England in time for Christmas television?
38. What puppet show was popular entertainment for children on Christmas in 1950s?
39. Which party was in power in the first half of 1950?
40. What time did programming start on Christmas Eve on television?

 

1960s

41. What doll became a popular toy in the UK in the 1960s?
42. What fruit was usually included in a 1960s Christmas stocking?
43. What new drawing toy was a favourite present for children in
this decade?
44. What event occurred in 1964 that added more choices for Christmas TV?
45. Which television soap could homes in the north enjoy over Christmas in 1960?
46. The Beatles rose to fame in 1963 with which song?
47. What year did Concorde first take off from Britain, breaking the sound barrier to jet passengers off home for Christmas?
48. Who sang Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree?
49. What was the green Christmas-hating creature called in a film of the same name?
50. What year did Doctor Who premiere?

 

1970s

51. What year was Christmas in the Winter of Discontent?
52. What enormously popular film franchise set in space was released in 1977?
53. Lonely this Christmas, released in 1975, was by who?
54. Which comedy sketch Christmas specials were the nation tuning into in the 1970s?
55. Who was prime minister on Christmas Day 1979?
56. What type of show at theatres did children go to at Christmastime?
57. What multi-coloured cube was a popular present this decade?
58. What song was Christmas number one in 1970 by Dave Edmunds?
59. What was a popular sparkling perry brand in this decade?
60. What year was it a white Christmas?

1980s

61. What pony toy was popular for Christmas presents in the 1980s?
62. The family film E.T. was released in what year in the UK?
63. What year was the original Band Aid charity event?
64. What long shiny foil was used in addition to tinsel on Christmas trees?
65. Wham’s Last Christmas video ends with what?
66. What year could viewers first tune in to Channel 4 for Christmas?
67. What classic film about a snowman was released in 1982?
68. Which seaside town did the boys from Only Fools and Horses visit on the episode released on Christmas day 1989?
69. What chocolates that came in little black pockets were popular at Christmas in the 1980s?
70. Which teenage turtles became popular in the 1980s?

1990s

71. What was the most popular Christmas toy in 1998?
72. Without streaming services, which chain provided people with their favourite Christmas movies?
73. Which 1990 Christmas movie starred Macauley Culkin?
74. What fast food joint’s name, which also means cowardly, could you enjoy after your last-minute shopping?
75. Celebrations were a selection box staple, but which two chocolates were in the box in the 1990s but aren’t anymore?
76. Tamagotchis were a must-have toy in the late 90s, but often died when children forgot to look after them – what did the screen show at the time of the death in the UK?
77. Instead of looking online for Christmas gifts, how did nineties kids consider their purchases?
78. When was the PlayStation One released?
79. What toy was popular at Christmas following the 1996 release of Toy Story?
80. Who was the pink spotty man who won Christmas number one in 1993?

2000s

81. Who played Buddy the Elf in the 2003 Christmas classic?
82. What song did Rage Against the Machine win Christmas number one in 2009 with?
83. Harry Potter toys were popular Christmas treats in the 2000s but what was the name of Harry Potter’s smart curly-haired friend?
84. What brand of doll took on Barbie and became a must-have Christmas toy?
85. What gadget was on the Christmas lists of music lovers in 2001?
86. What was the Christmas song performed by the Plastics in the film Mean Girls?
87. What new console was the must-have present at Christmas 2006?
88. How does Mark declare his love in Love Actually?
89. In the 2006 movie the Holiday who plays Kate Winslet’s love interest?
90. Which famous actor voiced numerous roles in the 2004 film The Polar Express?

2010s

91. What new Apple gadget was on Christmas lists in 2010?
92. What shopping day took off in the UK during the 2010s?
93. What updated 90s toy became a must-have in 2013?
94. Frozen fever swept the nation in 2013, but what was the name of the main character?
95. What Star Wars film was released Christmastime 2015?
96. Who sang the 2011 version of It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas?
97. The 2015 movie The Night Before is set in which city?
98. Who was prime minister at Christmas 2010?
99. In the 2011 Christmas special of Downton Abbey who is Mr Bates accused of murdering?
100. The Royal Family television show aired for the last time at Christmas 2012. What was the title of the episode?

NorthernLife Nov/Dec 2022