Mitchell & Nemitz, PA

As you ring in the holiday season, why not have some fun? Test your knowledge of the hidden stories behind holiday giving with our annual holiday quiz. Enjoy!

• Question 1: While wrapping gifts finds its origins in 2nd century China, the popularity of wrapping holiday gifts in colorful paper is attributed to what reason?

  A. When printers had leftover wallpaper to sell
  B. When department stores wanted to cover unsightly boxes
  C. When artists created more color in the dreary winter
  D. When a company sold out of the normal brown and uni-color tissue paper

• Answer: D
  Modern-day gift wrapping is attributed to the Hall brothers in 1917. Their holiday rush sold out of the normal brown and dull tissue paper covering for gifts. As a solution, one of the brothers decided to sell colorful envelope liners they had in their plant from their card business. This clever pivot not only helped popularize modern gift wrapping but also helped set the brothers on the path to growing what became the Hallmark Company we know today.
• Question 2: Why did bows begin topping presents in the first place?

  A. Sailors used them as good-luck knots before long voyages
  B. Hat makers used leftover ribbons to make packages fancy
  C. Merchants wanted an easy way to signal a gift was ready for pick up
  D. Superstition. The bow helps keep wandering spirits away from gifts.

• Answer: B
  In the late 1800s, milliners (hat makers) were swimming in ribbon scraps after trimming hats for the fashionable crowds of the day. Rather than toss the leftovers, clever shopkeepers began tying those bright little pieces onto wrapped parcels. It caught on as an easy way to make a gift feel a little more special.
• Question 3: What sparked the tradition of slipping small gifts into stockings?

  A. A story of secret coins tumbling down a chimney
  B. A tax break for sock-based generosity
  C. A superstition that dried wool boosts winter prosperity
  D. An inventor who insisted socks were portable treasure pouches

• Answer: A
  One old story from the 1800s tells of Santa dropping small gold spheres down a chimney, where they landed neatly in stockings left to dry by the fire. The image stuck, and the idea of finding little treasures in a sock quickly grew into a lasting holiday tradition.
• Question 4: Why do some cultures exchange fruit, especially oranges, as holiday gifts?

  A. The citrus scent was believed to lighten the closed in winter smells of the day
  B. Sea faring sailors popularized the tradition to help fight off scurvy in their families
  C. They were rare winter luxuries symbolizing warmth and wealth
  D. It became an easy gift to carolers, a popular activity in early Europe.

• Answer: C
  Long ago, fresh oranges were rare in winter, so giving one felt like sharing a bit of sunshine during the coldest stretch of the year. Over time, the orange also became linked to the old story of Santa’s gold spheres.
• Question 5: Chestnuts roasting on an open fire is known by most as a holiday tradition. What happened to it...why did it fall out of favor?

  A. Other nuts became more abundant (pecans, walnuts, and almonds) putting the Chestnut out of business.
  B. Fewer merchants had access to open fires, limiting the effective use of the practice.
  C. Consumers ultimately lost the desire to eat them due to their texture.
  D. A tree blight effectively eliminated most chestnut trees.

• Answer: D
  A tree blight killed virtually all Chestnut trees over a 50 year time period in the early 1900s. Recent efforts are being made to reintroduce the tree with some success.
• Question 6: While greeting cards go back to ancient Egypt and China, where and when was the modern day Christmas Card tradition born?

  A. Germany in the late 1800s, to celebrate and announce religious services
  B. United States, in 1905 as a United States Postal Service promotion
  C. England in the mid 1800s to avoid writing repetitive hand notes to friends
  D. Stationary companies in the 1920s to help in cost-effective greetings versus gifts during the Depression

• Answer: C
  The first modern Christmas card was created in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole, a British businessman. It was a card that showed a family celebrating the holiday along scenes of charity. He used it to replace personal notes to friends and colleagues and with the advent of the penny post in Britain, it quickly became a popular tradition.
• Question 7: This holiday classic was officially the first #1 Song in America in the 1950s. Can you name it? Sorry, this one has no multiple choice options!
• Answer: "Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer" sung by Gene Autry
  This hit also holds the unenviable record of being the only #1 hit song that did not chart the following week. Talk about hot and cold! The irony is that Gene Autry did not want to sing the song. It took some prodding from his wife for the 'singing cowboy' to corral this number one hint.

Quiz Results:

Tally your score to unwrap your true level of holiday gifting wisdom:

6 to 7 correct: Expert gift wrapper. If gift-giving were an Olympic sport, you'd already have a gold medal.

4 to 5 correct: Cheerful tradition tracker. You've got a solid grip on holiday history, with just enough gaps to keep things interesting.

2 to 3 correct: Curious holiday rookie. Think of yourself as someone still wandering through the festive aisles, noticing new surprises at every turn.

0 to 1 correct: Festive free spirit. You're not here for the facts, you're here for the fun. And that's a gift all its own.