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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spin Control: Test your trivia expertise with this Christmas Quiz

It’s time once again for Spin Control’s 12 Trivias of Christmas, our annual quiz that keeps politics from intruding on the holiday season. In the spirit of peace on Earth to men and women of good will, Spin Control avoids political commentary so close to Christmas. Our holiday wish is that if the lions can lie down with the lambs and Elizabeth Warren and Ted Cruz can find a reason to vote “no” on a $1 trillion spending bill, the rest of us can find common ground and share a bit of holiday fun. Besides, there’s hardly ever any local or state political news worth writing about during Christmas week.

So here we go with the quiz, which this year is a mixture of pop culture and politics and extends all the way to New Year’s. Put your hand over the answers on page A6; if you peek, you probably have been monitoring your spouse’s online shopping orders on Amazon. Shame.

1. The tradition of having poinsettias at Christmas was brought to the United States by the U.S. ambassador to what country?

A. Italy

B. Spain

C. Mexico

D. Brazil

2. What song is featured at the end of the movie classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” and the television classic “A Charlie Brown Christmas”?

A. “Hark The Herald Angels Sing”

B. “Silent Night”

C. “White Christmas”

D. “O Tannenbaum”

3. In “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” what’s the name of the Jack-in-the-Box on the Island of Misfit Toys?

A. Eddie

B. Charlie

C. Freddie

D. Jack

4. What president lighted the first “national Christmas tree” outside the White House?

A. Franklin Pierce

B. Teddy Roosevelt

C. Woodrow Wilson

D. Calvin Coolidge

5. What president authorized the first official White House Christmas ornament, making copies available for the public to buy?

A. Warren Harding

B. FDR

C. Harry Truman

D. Ronald Reagan

6. What political leader resigned on Christmas Day?

A. King Edward VIII of England

B. Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union

C. Hosni Mubarak of Egypt

D. President Richard Nixon

7. What was the football-themed name of the Vietnam War bombing campaign that halted for Christmas in 1972?

A. Linebacker

B. Right Tackle

C. Cornerback

D. Safety Blitz

8. Which famous document was signed on Jan. 1?

A. Magna Carta

B. The Bill of Rights

C. Emancipation Proclamation

D. Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

9. Who decreed that a new year begins on Jan. 1?

A. Julius Caesar

B. Augustus Caesar

C. Pope Gregory XIII

D. William the Conqueror

10. Two days after Christmas in 1944, FDR ordered troops to seize control of what department store?

A. Sears, Roebuck & Co.

B. Macy’s

C. Gimbels

D. Montgomery Ward

11. The Soviet Union invaded what country on Christmas Eve 1979?

A. Afghanistan

B. Czechoslovakia

C. Poland

D. Hungary

12. What president pardoned Southerners who fought for the Confederacy on Christmas Day?

A. Abraham Lincoln

B. Andrew Johnson

C. Ulysses S. Grant

D. Rutherford B. Hayes