Test your holiday knowledge and deduction skills with 100+ Christmas riddles, made for puzzle-lovers of all ages. Find classic “Who am I?” riddles, holiday puns, and other wacky plays on words below. Create your own brain teaser advent calendar, and solve a riddle each day of December as a lead up to Christmas. Or tackle a new Christmas riddle category every day for a week of holiday brain stumps. We have everything from Christmas riddles for kids to hard Christmas questions, Christmas math problems, and more. It’s a fun, affordable way to count down the days of December and keep your mind sharp amidst the holiday desserts and winter break.
Bring this list to the office Christmas party for an engaging team challenge. Rep your department or randomly draw teams to build relationships with other employees. Regardless of the scenario in which these Christmas riddles are enjoyed, they are sure to have word game fans scratching their heads and chuckling out loud. What more could you ask for of light, holiday fun?
For more entertaining holiday content, check out our roundups of funny Christmas jokes for kids and adults, the best Christmas games for the whole family to play, and fun Christmas trivia questions (and answers).
Funny Christmas Riddles
- What do snowmen call their offspring?
Answer: Chill-dren. - Knock knock! Who’s there? Tree! Tree who?
Answer: Tree wise men. - Why didn’t the skeleton go to the Christmas party?
Answer: He had no-body to go with. - What do elves use to make last minute repairs?
Answer: Ig-glue - What do you call a disrespectful reindeer?
Answer: Rude-olph - Why didn't the stocking eat Christmas dinner?
Answer: He was stuffed! - Where do Santa and the elves go to swim?
Answer: The North Pool - What kind of pictures do elves take?
Answer: Elfies - What do you use to decorate a canoe for Christmas?
Answer: Oar-naments - Who brings Christmas presents to fleas?
Answer: Old St. Tick
Woman's Day - Where does Christmas come before Thanksgiving?
Answer: In the dictionary - Where do snowmen go to dance?
Answer: The snowball - Why do mummies like Christmas so much?
Answer: Because of all the wrapping! - What kind of bug hates Christmas?
Answer: A humbug - What's the name of the best elf singer?
Answer: ELFis Presley - What do you call Santa when he goes down a chimney with a fire at the bottom?
Answer: Krisp Cringle - How does a snow globe feel?
Answer: A little shaken! - What did Adam say the day before Christmas?
Answer: "It's Christmas, Eve." - If athletes get athletes foot, what do astronauts get?
Answer: Missiletoe. - Where do the three wise men go to get their robes tailored?
Answer: Bethle-hem.
Christmas Riddles with Answers for Kids
- I come with many colors so beautiful and bright, I turn so many houses into a beautiful sight. What am I?
Answer: Christmas lights - Why couldn't the teacher find anyone to help her wrap gifts?
Answer: No one was present. - What did the snowman do when he got upset?
Answer: He had a meltdown. - What do you call a reindeer with three eyes?
Answer: A reiiindeer. - Why is Santa so good at karate?
Answer: Because he has a black belt. - What was Santa's favorite subject in school?
Answer: Chemistree. - Which one of Santa's reindeer is the fastest?
Answer: Dasher - Which one of Santa's reindeer can be seen on Valentine's Day?
Answer: Cupid - If a lion had a Christmas music album, what would it be called?
Answer: Jungle Bells - What do elves learn in school?
Answer: The elf-abet!
Woman's Day - What's Santa's favorite candy?
Answer: Jolly Ranchers! - What do you get when you cross an archer with a gift-wrapper?
Answer: Ribbon Hood. - Who delivers Christmas presents to dogs?
Answer: Santa Paws - What do you get if you cross Father Christmas with a detective?
Answer: Santa Clues - What's Santa's favorite sandwich?
Answer: Peanut Butter & Jolly - What's the best thing to put into a Christmas cake?
Answer: Your teeth. - What did the gingerbread man put on his bed?
Answer: Cookie sheets! - What is a snowman's favorite breakfast?
Answer: Frosted flakes - Who delivers Christmas presents to cats?
Answer: Santa Claws
Christmas Riddles for Adults
- Where do elves go to vote?
Answer: The north poll. - Why is a foot a good Christmas gift?
Answer: It fits right inside a stocking. - Where does Santa get his cup of joe?
Answer: Caribou Coffee - What kind of motorcycle does Santa like to ride?
Answer: A Holly Davidson - Where does Santa put his suit after Christmas?
Answer: In his Claus-et - How does Santa feel when he’s stuck in a chimney?
Answer: Claus-trophobic - Where is Santa’s favorite place to shop?
Answer: Kohls! He always has coals cash. - I'm a bank, but I don't have any money. What am I?
Answer: A snowbank - What did the kids' mother say after they finished opening presents?
Answer: Oh! What a Christmess
Woman's Day - I'm a plant seen at Christmas that people hang above. And then they stand beneath me, and kiss someone they love. What am I?
Answer: Mistletoe - What laundry detergent do people in the North Pole use?
Answer: Yule Tide - Who gives presents to baby sharks?
Answer: Santa Jaws - Where did Santa Claus go for vacation?
Answer: Santa Cruz - Why did Jimmy's grades drop after the holidays?
Answer: Because everything was marked down! - How much did Santa pay for his sleigh?
Answer: Nothing, it was on the house! - Why did Santa get a ticket on Christmas Eve?
Answer: He left his sled in a s(no)w parking zone. - What do you drain your Christmas cranberries with?
Answer: An advent colander - Where do Santa's helpers go to work out their problems?
Answer: They go to an elf-help group.
Hard Christmas Riddles
- What did Santa use when he sprained his ankle?
Answer: A candy cane - What's the most festive herb?
Answer: Christmas thyme - What did the salt say to the pepper on Christmas?
Answer: Seasonings Greetings! - Who did the reindeer invite to his Christmas party?
Answer: His nearest and deer-est friends. - What did Santa say when he arrived back home?
Answer: There’s s(no)w place like home. - What’s an elf’s favorite dog breed?
Answer: Toy poodle - What’s the name of Santa’s mother?
Answer: Mary Christmas - What do you call an old snowman?
Answer: Water
Woman's Day - I'm a Christmas treat that can be made into many things. I can be a cake, a cookie, or an edible cottage with icing. What am I?
Answer: Gingerbread - Making everything white is my aim. No two pieces of me are ever the same. Playing with me is everyone's favorite winter game. Do you know, what is my name?
Answer: Snow - The inns were full in this little town, so in a manger he was born. Where was this location?
Answer: Bethlehem - All day I sit on a shelf but come alive and move during the nights. I tell Santa who's been naughty and who's been nice. Who am I?
Answer: The Elf on the Shelf - What's the difference between the Christmas alphabet and the ordinary alphabet?
Answer: The Christmas alphabet has NOEL! - What do you call a snowman in the summer?
Answer: A puddle! - Which year would Christmas and New Years come in the same year?
Answer: Every year. - You can catch me but not throw. I'm most popular in December. What am I?
Answer: A cold - What do you give an artistic dog for Christmas?
Answer: Fetch-A-Sketch
Christmas Tree Riddles
- Where do little trees go to become Christmas trees?
Answer: Elementree school! - How do Christmas trees get ready for a party?
Answer: They spruce up! - Why aren’t animals afraid of Christmas trees?
Answer: They’re all bark and no bite. - What happens when you mix an apple with a Christmas tree?
Answer: You get a pine-apple! - Why are Christmas trees so bad at knitting?
Answer: They always drop their needles! - What did the Christmas tree say to the ornament?
Answer: "Aren't you tired of hanging around?" - I have needles all over me but cannot sew a thing. What am I?
Answer: A Christmas tree - Which winter sport do trees participate in?
Answer: Al-pine skiing - How do Christmas trees keep their breath fresh?
Answer: They suck on an orna-mint.
Christmas Song and Carol Riddles
- What do fish sing at Christmas time?
Answer: Christmas corals - Even when it snows, what kind of Christmas does Elvis celebrate?
Answer: A "Blue Christmas" - What's Santa's favorite type of music?
Answer: Wrap. - Which Christmas carol do dogs like best?
Answer: Bark the Herald Angels Sing! - Where do the best Christmas singers live?
Answer: North Carol-ina - What song do sheep in Mexico sing at Christmas?
Answer: Fleece Navidad! - What is Frosty the Snowman's favorite song?
Answer: Freeze a Jolly Good Fellow
Woman's Day - What's it called when you decorate the entryways?
Answer: "Deck the Halls" - What Christmas carol is a favorite of parents?
Answer: "Silent Night" - What are cup-shaped instruments fashioned out of a whitish metallic element?
Answer: "Silver Bells" - What two things do kids want in December?
Answer: "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" - What does a snake sing at Christmas?
Answer: SSSssssssssssssilver Bells. - What's a farmer's favorite Christmas carol?
Answer: I'm Dreaming of a Wheat Christmas - What song do skunks sing at Christmas?
Answer: Jingle Smells - What Christmas carols do dogs like to sing?
Answer: Deck the howls.
Christmas Math Riddles
- What did the cow get for Christmas?
Answer: A COWculator - If eleven elves were in the workshop and another joined them, what would he be? Answer: The twelf
- If Santa's five elves take five minutes to make five dolls, how long would it take 100 elves to make 100 dolls?
Answer: Five minutes - Buddy and Hermey were both born on Christmas Eve. When Buddy was 6 years old, Hermey was half his age. If Buddy turns 100 years old this Christmas Eve, how old is Hermey going to be?
Answer: 97 - At a holiday market, the total cost for a cup of hot cocoa and a cookie is $1.80. If a cup of hot cocoa costs one dollar more than a cookie, how much does a cup of hot cocoa cost?
Answer: $1.40
Elizabeth Berry
Updates Editor
Elizabeth Berry (she/her) is the Updates Editor at the Good Housekeeping Institute where she optimizes lifestyle content across verticals. Prior to this role, she was an Editorial Assistant for Woman’s Day where she covered everything from gift guides to recipes. She also has experience fact checking commerce articles and holds a B.A. in English and Italian Studies from Connecticut College.
Kate Franke
Editorial Assistant
Kate Franke (she/her) is the editorial assistant at Woman’s Day. She loves all things lifestyle, home, and market related. Kate has a BAJMC in Magazine Media and BA in Writing from Drake University. She is a proud ASME alum whose work has appeared in Food Network Magazine, The Pioneer Woman Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Modern Farmhouse Style, Beautiful Kitchens & Baths, and more. Next to writing, Kate’s two favorite things are chai lattes and pumpkin bread!
