(No prizes, but if you can answer them all without googling you get bragging rights.)

1. “Red Water (Christmas Mourning)” is a song by what gothic metal band?
2. The “caganer,” a guy with his pants down defecating on the ground, is a popular addition to Nativity scenes in what country?
   A) Serbia
   B) Spain
   C) Slovenia
   D) Germany
   E) Estonia
3. What was the name of Ebenezer Scrooge’s first employer?
4. Who wrote “A Visit From Saint Nicholas” (aka “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”)?
   A) Gerard Manley Hopkins
   B) Charlotte Mew
   C) Clement Clarke Moore
   D) Coventry Patmore
   E) Stephen Crane
5. In Nightmare Before Christmas, what are the three trick-or-treaters who kidnap Santa named?
6. In Die Hard (which takes place at Christmas so it totally fits this category shut up) Hans Gruber’s right-hand-man Karl was played by Alexander Godunov. What was Godunov’s main career?
   A) NFL running back
   B) Ice skater
   C) Politician
   D) Newscaster
   E) Ballet dancer
7. The animated special How the Grinch Stole Christmas! was narrated by this well-known horror actor (who also voiced the Grinch).
8. The carol “In the Bleak Midwinter” is based on a poem by whom?
   A) Christina Rossetti
   B) Alfred, Lord Tennyson
   C) Algernon Charles Swinburne
   D) Elizabeth Barrett Browning
   E) Rudyard Kipling
9. In Gremlins, Randall Peltzer discovers a small, furry creature in an antique store in Chinatown whilst searching for a Christmas present for his teenage son. What is this creature, which his son names Gizmo, called?
10. The “modern” version of Santa Claus as a jolly, portly, bearded fellow was created by what cartoonist in 1863?
    A) Charles Keene
    B) James Gillray
    C) John Leech
    D) Thomas Nast
    E) John Tenniel

(Answers below the fold)

Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve been doing this virtual fake gift swap for a while now, and darned if we aren’t going to do it again.

It’s easy (and free!) to participate: Between now and December 10, leave a comment on this post or email me saying that you want to be part of the swap. On the 12th I’ll tell you who your assigned “giftee” is, and some time before December 21 you post a picture on your blog of what you would have gotten that person if you had money and, y’know, cared.

Your “gift” can be as silly or serious as you like, and since you probably won’t know the recipient, feel free to make up whatever story you want about why the gift is appropriate. (If you don’t have a blog, you can arrange to have your gift posted here.)

On December 24 I’ll post a list of everybody’s entries so we can all marvel at each other’s good taste. It’s a silly, fun way to take a short break from general holiday craziness, plus we can all discover new blogs we might not otherwise find. The more people who participate the more entertaining the gift list will be, so put your inner Scrooge in a corner and join in!

(Image Credit)