Adoration of the Shepherds
He who holds the universe together
Colossians 1:16-17
humbled Himself to be born as a man.
(By Italian Guido Reni, 1575–1642)
Somebody once declared that His words were so important that they would never disappear in the dim mists of history; in fact, they would even outlast heaven and earth (Mark 13:31). Today, over 2,000 years later, millions still read His words daily. And every year, most of the world stops work to celebrate His birth. This person, Jesus of Nazareth, is the most important person of history. No one else even comes close.
The sixth verse of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing succinctly explains why He left Heaven for Earth:
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Last week I posted my
2025 Christmas Quiz
consisting of 12 questions about Christmas. If you haven’t taken the quiz yet, click the quiz link above to try the quiz before you look at the answers below.
Here are the 12 original quiz questions followed by answers and explanations. Links to supporting Bible verses are included with each answer for the Bible questions.
Questions & Answers for 2025 Christmas Quiz
1. Who was the mother of John the Baptist, the one who prepared the way for Jesus Christ?
A. Mary
B. Elizabeth
C. Anna
D. Joanna
Answer: B. Elizabeth (Luke 1:57-64)
2. Following Jesus’ birth, which of these told others about the infant Christ?
A. Shepherds
B. Magi
C. Anna
D. Simeon
Answer: A,C,D. Shepherds, Anna, Simeon (Luke 2:15-18,25-38)
It is true that the Magi told Herod and Jerusalem about the One who has been born King of the Jews. But the Magi did not arrive till well after Jesus’ birth, when He was a child nearly two years old, not an infant. (Matthew 2:1-3,7-11,16)
3. What is the oldest Christmas carol still sung today?
A. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
B. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
C. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
D. We Three Kings of Orient Are
E. Silent Night
Answer: C. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
The Latin version of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel was sung in monasteries in the ninth century. A Christmas carol called The Angels’ Hymn was sung around AD 129, but no one sings it today, and the words and tune are unknown.
4. Where can you buy 500 different manger scenes from a company that gives an Advent witness on Google maps?
A. North Pole, Inc.
B. Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland
C. Christmas World
D. Amazon
Answer: B. Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland
Ninety minutes north of Detroit in Frankenmuth, MI, is Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland, the world’s largest Christmas store covering five-and-a-half football fields. Open year round, it offers a vast selection of nativity scenes with hundreds of different styles available for purchase, from life-size versions to miniature crèche ornaments. Owner Wally Bronner amassed a vast collection of hundreds of nativity scenes from cultures around the world, which are showcased in the store. The company’s motto is “Enjoy Christmas—It’s HIS birthday; Enjoy life—It’s HIS way.” Even on maps, the Savior’s name is in all caps.
5. How did the pregnant Mary get from Nazareth to Bethlehem?
A. She walked
B. She rode a donkey
C. She rode a camel
D. She rode in a cart
E. She rode in Joseph’s Ferrari
F. The Bible does not say
Answer: F. The Bible does not say
Almost every depiction in movies, magazines, and books of Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem shows Mary on a donkey. But the Bible does not indicate the mode of travel.
Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:4-7)
Nevertheless, from very early times, Christians had the image of Mary riding a donkey to Bethlehem. For example, the Protoevangelium of James, an apocryphal Gospel probably written about AD 145, says that Joseph used a donkey to bring Mary to Bethlehem. The travel distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem is about 90 miles, including some very rough terrain. It is improbable that a heavily pregnant Mary would walk this distance, so riding a donkey or in a donkey-drawn cart is very likely.
6. Which gift to the infant Messiah is beneficial for skin conditions, the digestive system, the immune system, and the nervous system?
A. Gold from the Magi
B. Frankincense from the Magi
C. Myrrh from the Magi
D. Linen swaddling cloths from Mary’s friends in Nazareth
E. Natural organic manger sawdust from the innkeeper
Answer: B. Frankincense from the Magi
Frankincense, also called olibanum, comes from the resin of Boswellia trees native to Somalia and Pakistan. This aromatic resin is transformed into incense, perfume, and frankincense essential oil, which is made via steam distillation of the dry resin. Frankincense contains compounds with anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic effects. Frankincense is antiseptic (kills infectious microorganisms), astringent (causes tissues to constrict), vulnerary (helps to heal wounds), and sedative (promotes calm and sleep).
7. Who served in obscurity for about six decades, fasting and praying, before meeting the infant Jesus and his parents in person?
A. Zebedee
B. Anna
C. Simeon
D. Jonah, Peter’s father
Answer: B. Anna (Luke 2:36-38)
Simeon Reverencing the Christ Child
8. Whom did the Holy Spirit assure that they would not die until they saw Jesus?
A. Zechariah
B. Elizabeth
C. Simeon
D. Anna
Answer: C. Simeon (Luke 2:25-26)
When Simeon saw the infant Jesus, he said these amazing things about Him:
“For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a Light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel. Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed — and a sword will pierce even your own soul — to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2:30-32, 34-35)
9. How many Christmas cookies do Americans eat every year?
A. 10 million
B. 500 million
C. 1 billion
D. 2 billion
E. 10 billion
Answer: D. 2 billion
Americans eat more than two billion Christmas cookies each year, according to The Cookie Elf, a cookie-baking blog.
10. Bells are prevalent in songs and decor at Christmas time. What type of bells are mentioned in the Bible?
A. Angel bells
B. Bethlehem bells
C. Ringing the bells of Heaven
D. Silver bells
E. Gold Bells
F. Bells are not mentioned in the Bible
Answer: E. Gold Bells (Exodus 28:31-35; 39:25-26)
Bells of pure gold alternated with pomegranates on the hem of the high priest’s robe.
Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim
from Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
painted by Jessie Willcox Smith
11. A Christmas Carol is the fanciful story of cruel miser Ebenezer Scrooge who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. As a result, Scrooge is changed into a kind, generous man. What Scripture is found in this story by Charles Dickens, first published in 1843?
A. Verses from Isaiah 53
B. Verses from Psalm 91
C. John 3:16
D. Mark 9:36
E. Luke 2:7
Answer: D. Mark 9:36
In Dickens’ book, Mark 9:36 is quoted when the miser Ebenezer Scrooge has a vision of Tiny Tim’s death: The noisy little Cratchits were as still as statues in one corner, and sat looking up at Peter, who had a book before him, reading, And He took a child, and set him in the midst of them. (Mark 9:36)
If you answered Psalm 91, that is understandable, since it occurred in the 1951 film version titled Scrooge. During the section Christmas Yet to Come, Peter Cratchit, played by John Charlesworth, reads,
Because thou hast made the Lord, which is thy refuge, even the Most High thy habitation. There shall be no evil before thee, neither shall any plague come by thy dwelling. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him. (Psalm 91:9-10,15)
As Charles Dickens’ character Tiny Tim said, “God Bless us all, everyone!”
There is none righteous, not even one;
There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
All have turned aside,
together they have become useless;
There is none who does good,
There is not even one. (Romans 3:10-12)
12. If Santa used the Great Creator’s Ten Commandments as his standard for “naughty or nice,” would you rate as Naughty or Nice?
A. Nice, I’ve never lied or stolen anything. (Exodus 20:15-16)
B. Nice, I’ve never used God’s name in vain. (Exodus 20:7)
C. Nice, I’ve never disrespected or disobeyed my parents.
(Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:1-3)
D. Nice, I’ve never lusted or sinned sexually. (Exodus 20:14,17; Matthew 5:27-28)
E. Naughty! I sin every day in thought, word, or deed. (Romans 3:10-23)
Answer: E. Naughty! I sin every day in thought, word, or deed.
It does not matter what Santa thinks, whether he decides you are “naughty” or “nice.” What matters is how you do on Judgment Day. Will you be innocent or guilty of breaking God’s law? What does your conscience say? Innocent or Guilty?
Estimating a minimum of only three sins of thought, word, deed, or omission per day, gives about 1,100 sins every year and 77,000 sins in a 70-year lifetime. That is a lot of sin!
Thus we humans deserve the Great Creator’s righteous judgment. All who have broken God’s Law are guilty and justly deserve Hell.
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)
All of us are in dire need of mercy from the Great Judge of the universe.
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
And my sin is ever before me.
Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned,
And done what is evil in Thy sight. (Psalm 51:1-4)
Happily, there is a way to avoid the Guilty verdict and punishment from the Judge.
The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works. (Psalm 145:8-9)
God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
(2 Corinthians 5:19)
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
Permission to Use
In the past, some readers have asked permission to use my quizzes with Sunday Schools, Bible study groups, or other applications. I give permission for such use provided the source website is included. For this quiz, please credit the quiz to the Bible-Science Guy Blog at 2025 Christmas Quiz.
Click Bible-Science Guy Quizzes for a complete list of links to all my quizzes.
See my Christmas Events Harmonization for a harmonization of the Gospel passages reporting the birth of Jesus Christ.
Questions to Ponder
1. Since “Christmas” is being mentioned everywhere, what words of honor to the Great Creator can you sprinkle into friendly conversations to remind people of the reason for the season?
2. How many quiz questions did you get right? Which question did you find hardest? Which was the most interesting?
Share your thoughts on these questions in the comments below. It could encourage or help another reader.
For Christ and His Kingdom.
Alere Flammam Veritatis.
Soli Deo Gloria.
Read the prequels:
2019 Christmas Quiz
2020 Christmas Quiz
2021 Christmas Quiz
2022 Christmas Quiz
2023 Christmas Quiz
2024 Christmas Quiz
Read the sequel:
2026 Christmas Quiz (coming December 2026)
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©William T. Pelletier, Ph.D.
“contending earnestly for the faith”
“destroying speculations against the knowledge of God”
“for the defense of the gospel”
(Jude 1:3; 2 Cor 10:5; Phil 1:16)
Wednesday, December 17, 2025 A.D.
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” (Luke 2:13-14)
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