Holiday Riddles
Hi! I am Ollie. Welcome to Riddle Kingdom!
Every riddle here is also a level in the Kingdom. Solve them on the map, keep your lives, earn stars and raise a landmark with each one. Good luck, and have fun!
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Holiday riddles for the whole season are here, from Santa and his elves to menorahs, dreidels, and New Year fireworks. They work wonderfully as holiday riddles for kids at class parties and family dinners. And if you want a full page of Christmas riddles, we have a separate collection devoted to December 25.
Browse all the puzzles on this page ▾
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1. I visit every home in a single night, but I only use the chimney as my door. Who am I? Easy
Need a hint?
Ho, ho, ho!
Show answer
Santa Claus.
Chimney entry plus a whole home in one night points straight at Santa.
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2. My nose glows so bright that I get to lead the whole sleigh. Who am I? Easy
Need a hint?
The other reindeer used to laugh at me.
Show answer
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer.
A glowing nose that leads the sleigh is Rudolph's exact trademark.
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3. I wear lights and ornaments, but I'm not a person, and I only come indoors in December. What am I? Easy
Need a hint?
There's a star on my head.
Show answer
A Christmas tree.
Lights, ornaments, and December indoors describe the Christmas tree plainly.
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4. I hang by the fireplace all December, hoping to get stuffed. What am I? Easy
Need a hint?
Check inside me on Christmas morning.
Show answer
A stocking.
Hanging by the fireplace hoping to get stuffed names the stocking.
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5. Catch me if you can! I'm sweet, spiced, and shaped like a little person. What am I? Easy
Need a hint?
Run, run, as fast as you can.
Show answer
A gingerbread man.
Catch me if you can and person shape signal the gingerbread man.
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6. I'm a circle of green that hangs on your front door for the whole season. What am I? Easy
Need a hint?
I'm often decorated with a red bow.
Show answer
A wreath.
A green circle on the front door for the season is a wreath.
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7. I'm striped red and white and shaped like a shepherd's hook. What am I? Easy
Need a hint?
I taste like peppermint.
Show answer
A candy cane.
Red and white stripes plus a shepherd's hook shape means candy cane.
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8. I'm small, I love making toys, and I work all year at the North Pole. What am I? Easy
Need a hint?
I'm one of Santa's helpers.
Show answer
An elf.
Small toymaker at the North Pole is Santa's helper, an elf.
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9. I hide surprises under paper and bows, and people shake me to guess my secret. What am I? Easy
Need a hint?
You'll find me under the tree.
Show answer
A present.
Paper, bows, and shaking to guess the secret describe a present.
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10. Stand under me during the holidays and you might just get a kiss. What am I? Easy
Need a hint?
I hang from the ceiling or a doorway.
Show answer
Mistletoe.
The kissing tradition under the ceiling plant points to mistletoe.
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11. We jingle all the way, wherever the sleigh goes. What are we? Easy
Need a hint?
There's a very famous song about us.
Show answer
Sleigh bells.
Jingle all the way and the sleigh give away sleigh bells.
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12. I'm a creamy holiday drink with a name that sounds like it belongs in a henhouse. What am I? Medium
Need a hint?
A sprinkle of nutmeg finishes me off.
Show answer
Eggnog.
Creamy drink with a henhouse-sounding name hints at the egg in eggnog.
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13. I hold nine candles and I shine for eight special nights. What am I? Medium
Need a hint?
I'm lit during Hanukkah.
Show answer
A menorah.
Nine candles for eight nights is the classic menorah description.
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14. I spin and spin during Hanukkah, and I have four letters on my sides. What am I? Easy
Need a hint?
I'm a spinning top.
Show answer
A dreidel.
A spinning top with four letters during Hanukkah is the dreidel.
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15. I drop once a year in New York City while millions of people count down and cheer. What am I? Medium
Need a hint?
Ten, nine, eight...
Show answer
The Times Square ball.
Dropping in New York during a countdown names the Times Square ball.
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16. I bloom in the night sky with a bang when the new year begins. What am I? Easy
Need a hint?
Look up at midnight.
Show answer
Fireworks.
Blooming with a bang at midnight for the new year means fireworks.
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17. I'm the guest of honor at the holiday table, but I never eat a single bite. What am I? Medium
Need a hint?
I'm served on a big platter.
Show answer
The turkey.
Guest of honor who never eats is the turkey served on the platter.
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18. Shake me and watch a tiny winter storm fall inside me. What am I? Easy
Need a hint?
I fit right in your hand.
Show answer
A snow globe.
Shaking to make a tiny winter storm inside describes a snow globe.
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19. I travel far and wide every December, carrying warm wishes from family and friends. What am I? Medium
Need a hint?
I arrive in the mailbox.
Show answer
A holiday card.
Traveling in December carrying warm wishes to the mailbox is a holiday card.
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20. Santa uses me as a front door, even though I'm full of smoke the rest of the year. What am I? Easy
Need a hint?
I sit on top of the roof.
Show answer
The chimney.
Santa's smoky front door on the roof clearly names the chimney.
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21. Open one of my little doors each day in December. Sometimes chocolate hides behind them. What am I? Medium
Need a hint?
I count down the days until Christmas.
Show answer
An advent calendar.
Little doors opened daily with hidden chocolate describe the advent calendar.
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22. We knock on your door in the cold, then fill the street with song. Who are we? Medium
Need a hint?
Fa la la la la.
Show answer
Carolers.
Knocking in the cold and filling the street with song means carolers.
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23. I'm the holiday dessert everyone jokes about giving away again next year. What am I? Medium
Need a hint?
I'm dense, sweet, and surprisingly heavy.
Show answer
A fruitcake.
The dessert people joke about regifting yearly is the notorious fruitcake.
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24. I'm a wooden soldier with a very strong jaw, and I star in a famous ballet. What am I? Medium
Need a hint?
Tchaikovsky wrote music about me.
Show answer
A nutcracker.
Wooden soldier with a strong jaw and a ballet is the nutcracker.
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25. Millions of people make me on January 1 and forget all about me by February. What am I? Medium
Need a hint?
This year I'll definitely go to the gym...
Show answer
A New Year's resolution.
Made January 1 and forgotten by February is a New Year's resolution.
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26. I'm shiny and stringy, and I drape myself all over the tree. What am I? Easy
Need a hint?
I sparkle in the light.
Show answer
Tinsel.
Shiny, stringy, and draped over the tree describes sparkling tinsel.
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27. What did the gingerbread man use to make his bed? Medium
A cookie sheet. Bakers use one every time they tuck cookies into the oven.
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28. Which reindeer has a shiny red nose? Easy
Rudolph's glowing nose guides the sleigh on foggy nights.
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29. What falls all winter at the North Pole but never gets hurt? Easy
Snow falls all season long and lands softly every time.
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30. What kind of music do wrapped presents listen to? Medium
Wrap music. Say it out loud and you'll hear it.
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31. How many nights does Hanukkah last? Easy
Hanukkah lasts eight nights, with one more candle lit each evening.
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32. ❄️ + 🌎 Easy
Need a hint?
Shake it and watch.
Show answer
A snow globe (snow + globe).
Snowflake plus globe emoji literally combine into a snow globe.
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33. 🍬 + 🦯 Easy
Need a hint?
It hangs on the tree and tastes like peppermint.
Show answer
A candy cane (candy + cane).
Candy emoji plus cane emoji spell out candy cane directly.
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34. 🥚 + 🥛 Medium
Need a hint?
It's a classic holiday drink.
Show answer
Eggnog (egg + a mug of creamy milk).
Egg plus a mug of milk points to the eggnog blend.
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35. 🦌 + 💡 Medium
Need a hint?
He leads the sleigh.
Show answer
Rudolph (a reindeer with his own light).
A reindeer with his own light bulb signals glowing-nosed Rudolph.
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36. 🌰 + 💥 Medium
Need a hint?
It's a wooden soldier from a famous ballet.
Show answer
A nutcracker (nut + crack).
Nut plus a crack burst combine into the wooden nutcracker.
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37. I'm a plant with red berries and pointy green leaves, and my name rhymes with 'jolly'. What am I? Easy
Show answer
Holly
Red berries, pointy leaves, and rhyming with jolly names holly.
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38. Santa makes me and then checks me twice. What am I? Easy
Show answer
His list
Making it and checking it twice is Santa's famous list.
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39. In what month does the new year begin? Easy
Show answer
January
New years always begin on January 1, so the month asked for is January.
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40. The nine-branched candle holder lit during Hanukkah is called a menorah. Medium
True. The Hanukkah menorah, also called a hanukkiah, holds eight candles plus the helper candle called the shamash.
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41. I'm built outdoors on a snowy day, with a carrot for a nose and a coal for a smile. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A snowman.
Carrot nose and coal smile built on snow describe the snowman.
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42. I'm a potted plant famous for the bright red leaves I show off around Christmas. What am I? Medium
Show answer
A poinsettia.
Potted plant with bright red Christmas leaves is the poinsettia.
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43. We wrap around the tree and drape across the roof, twinkling only once we're plugged in. What are we? Easy
Show answer
Christmas lights.
Wrapping the tree and twinkling when plugged in means Christmas lights.
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44. Hop on and I'll carry you swishing down a snowy hill. What am I? Easy
Show answer
A sled.
Carrying you swishing down a snowy hill describes a sled.
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45. I'm round, shiny, and I dangle from a branch by a tiny hook. What am I? Easy
Show answer
An ornament.
Round, shiny, dangling from a branch by a hook is an ornament.
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46. I cover your gifts in bright colors, then get ripped to shreds on Christmas morning. What am I? Easy
Show answer
Wrapping paper.
Bright covering ripped to shreds on Christmas morning is wrapping paper.
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47. I sit higher than every ornament, right at the very top of the tree. What am I? Easy
Show answer
The star.
Sitting at the very top above every ornament is the star.
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48. I'm a crispy potato pancake fried up and enjoyed during Hanukkah. What am I? Medium
Show answer
A latke.
A crispy fried potato pancake at Hanukkah is the latke.
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49. I'm a chocolate coin wrapped in shiny gold foil, handed out during Hanukkah. What am I? Medium
Show answer
Gelt.
Gold-foil chocolate coin given at Hanukkah is called gelt.
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50. I hold seven candles and I'm lit during Kwanzaa, one for each day. What am I? Medium
Show answer
A kinara.
Seven candles lit for Kwanzaa days points to the kinara.
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51. I hang from the edge of the roof, clear and pointed, and I drip when the sun comes out. What am I? Easy
Show answer
An icicle.
Clear pointed roof-hanging that drips in sun describes an icicle.
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52. Warm me in a mug, float marshmallows on top, and sip me after playing in the snow. What am I? Easy
Show answer
Hot cocoa.
Warm mug with floating marshmallows after snow play is hot cocoa.
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53. In the famous Christmas Eve poem, visions of me danced in the children's heads. What am I? Medium
Show answer
Sugar plums.
The poem's line about visions dancing in children's heads names the sugar plums.
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54. I'm a rolled cake frosted to look like a piece of bark, served for Christmas dessert. What am I? Medium
Show answer
A yule log.
A rolled cake frosted like bark for Christmas is the yule log.
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55. No two of us are ever exactly alike, and we drift down by the millions on a winter day. What are we? Easy
Show answer
Snowflakes.
No two alike drifting down by millions clearly means snowflakes.
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56. Slip your hands inside me to stay warm; unlike gloves, I keep all your fingers together. What am I? Easy
Show answer
Mittens.
Hand warmers keeping fingers together unlike gloves are mittens.
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57. Wobbling on the plate right beside the turkey, I'm the tart red side dish. What am I? Medium
Show answer
Cranberry sauce.
A tart red wobbly side served next to the turkey is cranberry sauce.
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58. A famous holiday song says you should roast me on an open fire. What am I? Medium
Show answer
Chestnuts.
Roasting on an open fire in the classic carol names chestnuts.
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59. Lace me up and a frozen pond turns into a dance floor. What am I? Medium
Show answer
Ice skates.
Lacing up to glide across a frozen pond describes ice skates.
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60. Looping along the mantel and winding up the staircase, I'm a long leafy rope. What am I? Medium
Show answer
Garland.
A long leafy rope draped over the mantel and stairs is garland.
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61. I sound exactly like a word that means to defeat someone, but I just glide quietly over the snow. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A sleigh.
A sleigh sounds like slay yet only glides over snow, so the answer is sleigh.
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62. Santa's last name sounds just like a piece of a sentence that your grammar teacher loves to point out. What is it? Hard
Show answer
Claus, which sounds like clause.
Santa's surname Claus is a homophone of the grammar term clause.
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63. Brought indoors for the holidays, I'm an evergreen whose name sounds like something warm on a cat. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A fir.
The fir tree sounds like fur, the warm coat on a cat.
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64. Hidden in my name are a word for wet weather and a sweet term of affection. Say me slowly. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A reindeer.
Reindeer sounds out as rain plus dear, so the answer is reindeer.
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65. Short and old, my name means the whole festive season and sounds just like 'you will' squeezed together. What am I? Hard
Show answer
Yule.
Yule names the festive season and sounds like the contraction you'll.
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66. Take the pointy plant with red berries, drop one letter, and you are left with a word that means sacred. What word? Hard
Show answer
Holy.
Removing an l from holly leaves holy, which means sacred.
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67. Change one letter in the cheerful holiday word 'merry' and suddenly you are walking down the aisle. What word do you get? Hard
Show answer
Marry.
Swapping the e in merry for an a spells marry, as in to wed.
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68. Nipping at fingers and toes all winter, my name even ends with a word for a nibble. What am I? Hard
Show answer
Frostbite.
Frostbite is winter's nip on fingers and toes and ends in bite, a nibble.
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69. I paint feathery patterns on cold windows and pinch your nose red, yet you never once see my brush. Who am I? Hard
Show answer
Jack Frost.
The unseen figure who frosts windows and nips noses is Jack Frost.
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70. My heart was two sizes too small until a small town's singing taught it to grow. Who am I? Hard
Show answer
The Grinch.
The character with a heart two sizes too small who is softened by a town is the Grinch.
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71. Three ghosts in a single night cured me of my 'bah, humbug' ways. Who am I? Hard
Show answer
Ebenezer Scrooge.
The miser reformed by three ghosts in one night is Ebenezer Scrooge.
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72. An old silk hat brought me to life one day, but I always melt away when the sun grows strong. Who am I? Hard
Show answer
Frosty the Snowman.
The snowman brought alive by a silk hat who melts in the sun is Frosty.
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73. Naughty children dread finding me in their stocking, though I could have warmed the whole fireplace instead. What am I? Hard
Show answer
Coal.
The stocking punishment for the naughty that also fuels a fire is coal.
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74. Sit on top of a gift or bend at the waist after a show, and either way I am spelled the very same. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A bow.
A bow is both the loop on a gift and the bend after a performance, spelled the same.
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75. In a certain counting carol, the very first gift my true love sent was a single bird in a fruit tree. What was it? Hard
Show answer
A partridge in a pear tree.
The first gift in the Twelve Days of Christmas is a partridge in a pear tree.
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76. In that same twelve-day song, I'm the gift everyone slows down to belt out at the top of their lungs. What am I? Hard
Show answer
Five golden rings.
The line singers belt out in the carol is five golden rings.
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77. Strangers cross arms and sing my old Scottish title at midnight, though hardly anyone knows the words. What song am I? Hard
Show answer
Auld Lang Syne.
The old Scottish song sung with crossed arms at midnight is Auld Lang Syne.
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78. A flash of bright red against fresh snow, I land on many a holiday card. What bird am I? Hard
Show answer
A cardinal.
The bright red bird posed against snow on holiday cards is the cardinal.
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79. I'm an old-fashioned word that means both a spiced holiday drink and the act of singing door to door. What am I? Hard
Show answer
Wassail.
Wassail names both the spiced drink and the old custom of singing house to house.
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80. Named for chopped meat yet usually packed with fruit and spice, I'm a little holiday pie. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A mince pie.
The small pie named for mincemeat but filled with fruit and spice is a mince pie.
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81. I land twelve days after Christmas and mark the day the wise men finally reached the manger. What day am I? Hard
Show answer
Epiphany.
The day twelve days after Christmas marking the wise men's arrival is Epiphany.
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82. The day right after Christmas carries a punchy name, but not a single fist is thrown. What day am I? Hard
Show answer
Boxing Day.
The day after Christmas with a fighting-sounding name is Boxing Day.
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83. On a soccer field I'm a sneaky move between the legs, but on eggnog I'm the spice grated on top. What am I? Hard
Show answer
Nutmeg.
Nutmeg is both the soccer trick and the spice grated over eggnog.
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84. Santa's frosty home address, I share my name with a person born in Warsaw. What am I? Hard
Show answer
The North Pole.
Santa's home, the North Pole, puns on Pole, a person from Poland.
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85. The calmest carol by name, I was first sung by candlelight when a church organ broke down. What song am I? Hard
Show answer
Silent Night.
The peaceful carol first performed after an organ failed is Silent Night.
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86. I began as a plain feeding trough for farm animals, then became the most famous baby bed in the world. What am I? Hard
Show answer
A manger.
The animal feeding trough that held the newborn is a manger.
Christmas riddles about Santa, elves, and treats
The opening run covers the December icons: a glowing red nose, a stocking hoping to get stuffed, and the gingerbread man daring you to catch him.
Hanukkah and New Year riddles
Menorahs, spinning dreidels, the Times Square ball drop, and fireworks all get their own riddles, so the whole season is covered, not just one holiday.
Holiday riddles for kids: quiz and emoji rounds
The final stretch turns into a party game with multiple choice questions, emoji picture riddles, and type-in answers that young solvers can handle on their own.
Your score
FAQ about Holiday Riddles
Which holidays do these riddles cover?
Christmas gets the biggest share, with Santa, reindeer, and tree riddles, but Hanukkah's menorah and dreidel and the New Year countdown are here too. It is one page for the whole festive season.
Are these holiday riddles kid friendly?
All 40 are family safe and most are written for kids. The emoji riddles and multiple choice questions near the end are the easiest, while a few of the longer riddles give grown-ups a fair challenge.
How can I use these at a holiday party or in class?
Read them aloud between activities, print a few onto gift tags, or run the multiple choice block as a team quiz. Every answer reveals on tap, so the host never gets stumped.
If these holiday brain-teasers put you in a festive mood, keep the cheer going with our Christmas riddles for the whole family. Then challenge yourself to decode our Christmas rebus picture puzzles and see how many you can crack.