Jingle All the Way

Try your smarts on this month's holiday trivia questions.

QUESTION 1 Which of these was NOT a character in the classic holiday special Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer?

A … Herbie
B … Clarice
C … Charlie
D … Cornelius

QUESTION 2: When was Kwanzaa holiday first celebrated?

A … Pre-civilization
B … 1850s
C … 1960s
D … 1980s

QUESTION 3: If you happen to find yourself in Spain this New Year's, expect to:

A ... Enjoy a cake with a coin hidden inside
B ... Eat 12 grapes
C ... Get squirted with water
D ... Kiss under the mistletoe

 (Read on for the answers)

ANSWER1

 A ... Herbie

First aired on NBC in 1964, Rudolph has been a holiday special beloved by many children over the years, in part due to the great characters in the program. It was Hermie, not Herbie, who was the the elf who wanted to be a dentist. Other memorable characters include: Clarice the young doe that Rudolph is head over hooves about , Charlie-In-The-Box the sentry of the Island of Misfit Toys ("Charlie-In-The-Box:  My name is... Rudolph: Don't tell me: Jack. Charlie-In-The-Box: No, Charlie. That's why I'm a misfit toy. My name is all wrong. No child wants to play with a Charlie-In-The-Box so I had to come here.), and Yukon Cornelius, the prospector trying to catch "Bumbles" (the Abominable Snow Monster).

ANSWER 2

C ... 1960s 

Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by a California State University Long Beach black studies professor named Maulana Karenga. The term Kwanzaa derives from a word in Swahili for "fresh fruits" and is based on an African harvest festival. Kwanzaa is celebrated each holiday season from December 26th to January 1st and is a non-religious celebration of family and social values for African American families. 

ANSWER 3

D ... Eat 12 grapes

Don’t eat them all at once! A tradition in Spain and other places is to eat a grape each time the clock strikes at the midnight hour. This is supposed to bring you prosperity. In Greece, people often eat a cake with a coin hidden inside: the first to find it has a year of luck. Celebrating New Year's in Thailand is a bit more of a contact sport: throughout the streets people throw water on one another and get drenched. This apparently originated in a more refined practice of pouring water on someone in a ceremonial manner to show respect.  And in France, where kissing is always encouraged, they kiss under the mistletoe on New Year's, rather than on Christmas.

SmartsCo wishes you a New Year filled with joy, prosperity and happiness!
Jen & Julie