Santa’s elves need better direction and spelling lessons

I laid down for a mid-afternoon nap today and hadn’t even dozed off before I heard a loud, insistent pounding on my front door. I got out of bed, put on my glasses and jeans and looked out the viewing port to see who could be showing up unannounced and didn’t see anyone. I hadn’t taken the time necessary to put on my jeans so I just unlocked and opened the door to see these laid at my doorstep:

Gifts left on my doorstep

There were obvious children’s toys, and one envelope held a Christmas card with an undetermined amount of cash, and every package was addressed to either “Franklin” or “Madison”. The gift giver(s) listed on each package was “Santa’s Elfs” [sic].

I know that the young woman across the breezeway from me has a small boy, so on the offhand chance that her name is Madison and his was Franklin, I knocked on her door. She told me the gifts were not addressed to her, and that she’d seen some people in a van place the gifts at my doorstep. At that exact moment, a gold or silver van drove my rather slowly and what appeared to be a teenaged girl looked directly at me.

I called the apartment manager, and some of the office staff whom I’ve chatted with before came along with her husband(?) to pick up the packages to put in the office. She told me the other apartment 121 on the opposite side of the property is currently vacant, so it wasn’t a case of “right apartment/wrong street” She also told me she knew of no Madison or Franklin, but that she couldn’t possibly remember everyone’s names.

So, if you’re the nice people who wanted to make someone’s Christmas brighter by delivering presents anonymously, the gifts were never delivered because no one knows who to deliver them to, and they’re currently sitting in the apartment manager’s office.

A Christmas Quiz

So, you think you know everything there is to know about Christmas? Well, let’s find out with this quiz:

(Note: Read all the answers for the multiple choice questions. In nearly all cases, there’s 1 right answer, at least 1 nearly-right answer and a couple of distractors.)

1. True or false: As long as Christmas has been celebrated, it has been celebrated on December the 25th.

2. Joseph’s hometown was:

a. Nazareth
b. Jerusalem
c. Cairo
d. Bethlehem
e. We don’t know

3. What methods of travel did Joseph and Mary used to travel to Bethlehem?

a. Walked
b. Horse
c. Donkey or mule
d. Camel
e. We don’t know

4. True or false: Joseph and Mary were married when Mary became pregnant.

5. True or false: By the time Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary had married.

6. True or false. By the time Jesus was born, Mary was no longer a virgin.

7. What did the innkeeper say to Mary and Joseph?

a. “We have no room in the inn.”
b. “I have a stable you can use.”
c. “Come back after the holidays when there are fewer people.”
d. Both A and B
e. We don’t know

8. Jesus was delivered in a:

a. Manger
b. Stable
c. Barn
d. Cave
e. We don’t know

9. A manger is:

a. A stable for domesticated animals
b. A wooden storage bin containing hay
c. A feeding though for animals
d. A barn

10. What animals were present at Jesus’ birth?

a. Cows, sheep and goats
b. Cows, sheep and donkeys
c. Sheep and goats
d. Camels, cows and sheep
e. We don’t know

11. Who saw the “star in the East”?

a. Shepherds
b. The Magi
c. Both A and B
d. Joseph and Mary
e. King Herod

12. How many angels spoke to the shepherds in the field?

a. 1
b. 3
c. 7
d. A “multitude”
e. A “legion”

13. What “sign” did the angel say the shepherds should look for?

a. A star overhead
b. A baby that doesn’t cry
c. A baby in a stable
d. A house with a Christmas tree

14. What did the angels sing?

a. “Silent Night, Holy Night”
b. “Joy to the World, the Lord is Come”
c. “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”
d. “Alleluia!”
e. “Glory to God in the Highest!”

15. A “heavenly host” is made up of:

a. A choir of angels
b. An army made up of angels
c. A multitude of angels pointing in a particularly direction
d. An unspecified number of angels serving refreshments
e. None of the above

16. There was snow that first Christmas:

a. Only in Bethlehem
b. All over Israel
c. Somewhere in Israel
d. Nowhere in Israel

17. As a baby, Jesus:

a. Didn’t cry
b. Only cried when the doctor delivered Him
c. Only cried when the manger was uncomfortable
d. Cried like any other baby would

18. How many Magi came to see Jesus? ______

19. Frankincense is:

a. A perfume
b. A precious metal
c. A precious fabric
d. An aromatic gum or resin

20. Myrrh is:

a. A perfume
b. A precious metal
c. A precious fabric
d. An aromatic gum or resin

21. When the Magi found Jesus, He was:

a. Lying in a manger
b. Playing with sheep
c. At His home in Nazareth
d. Discussing scripture with the teachers in the temple

22. When Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant:

a. His parents forced them into a “shotgun” marriage
b. Joseph wanted to break off the betrothal
c. Mary got outta town!
d. An angel told them to travel to Bethlehem
e. Both b and c

23. Joseph took Mary and Jesus to Egypt:

a. To be taxed
b. To avoid a harsh travel season
c. He didn’t, he took them straight home to Nazareth
d. Because an angel appeared to him in a dream, warning him to escape King Herod in Egypt
e. Because the Magi warned him that King Herod meant to kill Jesus

When you’ve finished answering these questions (try it without referring to a Bible!) look up the answers below and see how you did.

Continue reading ‘A Christmas Quiz’