170+ Christmas Holiday Riddles to Spark Joy and Brain Power This Season

There’s something special about gathering around the Christmas tree with hot cocoa in hand, only to baffle your cousin with a conundrum they absolutely cannot solve.

I’ve always felt that Christmas isn’t just about presents—it’s about presence, laughing, and those strange times when Uncle Bob insists he knew the answer all along (he didn’t).

Whether you’re throwing a Christmas party, need conversation starters for awkward family meals, or just want to keep the kids entertained while cookies bake, riddles are your secret weapon.

So grab your Santa hat and get ready to challenge some brains!

Christmas Holiday Riddles With Answers

1. What do you call an old snowman? Water, because he finally melted after all those winters!
2. I come with many colors, so bright and so bold, I’m hung on the tree from the young to the old. What am I? Christmas ornaments!
3. What falls at the North Pole but never gets hurt? Snow, of course!
4. I’m round and shiny, I jingle when you shake me, people hang me on doors to make their homes more merry. What am I? A Christmas bell!
5. What do elves learn in school? The elf-abet, naturally!
6. I have branches but no leaves, no trunk, and no roots. What am I? A Christmas tree from the store!
7. What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frostbite that really bites back!
8. What’s red and white and goes up and down all night? Santa stuck in an elevator!
9. I’m made of snow but I stand tall, with coal for eyes and a carrot for all. What am I? A classic snowman!
10. What do reindeer hang on their Christmas trees? Horn-aments, obviously!
11. I’m filled with goodies, hung by the chimney with care, and Santa fills me if you’ve been good all year. What am I? A Christmas stocking!
12. What did one Christmas tree say to another? Lighten up, you’re looking a bit dim!
13. I’m a plant that makes people kiss, hanging in doorways I cannot miss. What am I? Mistletoe!
14. What do Santa’s helpers use to take notes? Their elf phones!
15. I sparkle and shine on a winter’s night, strung across houses bringing delight. What am I? Christmas lights!
16. Why was the snowman looking through the carrots? He was picking his nose!
17. I fly through the sky on Christmas Eve night, pulling a sleigh that’s quite a sight. What am I? Santa’s reindeer!
18. What kind of photos do elves take? Elfies, for their social media!
19. I’m wrapped in paper, tied with a bow, under the tree I steal the show. What am I? A Christmas present!
20. What goes “oh, oh, oh”? Santa walking backwards!
21. I’m red and green, sweet to taste, hung on trees without any waste. What am I? Candy canes!
22. What do snowmen eat for breakfast? Frosted flakes!
23. I have keys but open no locks, I have space but no room, you can enter but can’t go inside. What am I playing at Christmas? A piano with carols!
24. What do you call a cat on the beach during Christmas time? Sandy Claws!
25. I melt hearts before I melt from heat, I’m made with love and taste so sweet. What am I? Christmas cookies!

Funny Christmas Holiday Riddles

1. Why did Santa’s helper see a therapist? Because he had low elf-esteem!
2. What do you call Santa when he takes a break? Santa Pause!
3. How does Santa keep track of all the fireplaces he’s visited? He keeps a log, obviously!
4. What’s Santa’s favorite type of music? Wrap music!
5. Why don’t crabs celebrate Christmas? Because they’re shell-fish!
6. What do you get if you eat Christmas decorations? Tinsel-itis!
7. Why did the Christmas tree go to the barber? It needed to get trimmed!
8. What do grumpy sheep say at Christmas? “Baaaa humbug!”
9. How much did Santa pay for his sleigh? Nothing, it was on the house!
10. What do you call Frosty the Snowman in May? A puddle with commitment issues!
11. Why was the turkey in the rock band? Because he had the drumsticks!
12. What’s every elf’s favorite type of music? Wrap, but also elf and roll!
13. Why is Christmas just like any other day at the office? You do all the work and some fat guy in a suit gets all the credit!
14. What do you call a broke Santa? Saint Nickel-less!
15. How does Rudolph know when Christmas is coming? He looks at his calen-deer!
16. What do you call an obnoxious reindeer? Rude-olph!
17. Why don’t penguins fly south for Christmas? Because they’re already at the South Pole!
18. What’s the difference between the Christmas alphabet and the regular alphabet? The Christmas alphabet has Noel!
19. Why did Santa go to music school? To improve his wrapping skills!
20. What do you get when you cross Santa with a detective? Santa Clues!
21. Why does Scrooge love reindeer so much? Because every buck is deer to him!
22. What do elves post on social media? Lots of elfies!
23. Why did the gingerbread man go to the doctor? He was feeling crumbly!
24. What nationality is Santa Claus? North Polish!
25. Why couldn’t the skeleton go to the Christmas party? He had no body to go with!

Hard Christmas Riddles With Answers

1. I am the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space, the beginning of every end, and the end of every place. What letter am I at Christmas? The letter “E” for “Eve”!
2. Three wise men arrived at a stable, but only two walked out. What happened? One stayed behind to watch baby Jesus!
3. What can travel around the world while staying in the corner during Christmas? A stamp on a Christmas card!
4. I’m taken from a mine and shut up in a wooden case, from which I’m never released, yet I’m used by almost everyone at Christmas. What am I? Pencil lead for writing Christmas lists!
5. What has a head, a tail, is brown, and has no legs, but helps Santa deliver presents? A penny, which people donate to charity!
6. On Christmas Eve, Santa traveled from the North Pole to every house in the world and back again in one night. How is this possible? Different time zones allow him to work throughout the night cycle!
7. What five-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it during Christmas? “Short” becomes “shorter”!
8. A father and son have a car accident on Christmas Eve and are rushed to the hospital. The doctor says “I can’t operate on him, he’s my son.” How is this possible? The doctor is his mother!
9. I speak without a mouth and hear without ears, I have nobody but come alive with cheer during Christmas. What am I? An echo in an empty church!
10. What disappears the moment you say its name at midnight mass? Silence!
11. The more you take away from me at Christmas dinner, the bigger I become. What am I? A hole in your diet plan!
12. What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years or at Christmas? The letter “M”!
13. If two’s company and three’s a crowd, what are four and five at a Christmas party? Nine!
14. I have cities but no houses, forests but no trees, and water but no fish. What am I that Santa uses? A map!
15. What runs around the whole yard without moving during a Christmas snowstorm? A fence!
16. Santa’s age is a two-digit number. If you reverse the digits, the new number is 36 years less than the original. How old is Santa? 51 (reverse is 15, and 51-15=36)!
17. What gets wetter the more it dries during winter? A towel after building snowmen!
18. I can be cracked, made, told, and played, but only during Christmas gatherings. What am I? A joke!
19. Three reindeer are in a field. One looks left, one looks right. Which way is the third looking? Straight ahead at Santa!
20. What occurs twice in a week, once in a year, but never in a day, and helps time Christmas? The letter “E”!
21. If a red house is made of red bricks and a yellow house of yellow bricks, what’s a greenhouse made of during winter? Glass!
22. What belongs to you but others use it more during Christmas card season? Your name!
23. A sleigh crashed at the border of the North Pole and Canada. Where do they bury the survivors? You don’t bury survivors!
24. What has thirteen hearts but no other organs and sits on Santa’s table? A deck of cards!
25. Before Mount Everest was discovered, what was the tallest mountain on Christmas morning? Mount Everest—it just wasn’t discovered yet!

Christmas Holiday Riddles for Kids

1. What do snowmen like to eat for dessert? Ice cream cake!
2. What’s Santa’s dog’s name? Santa Paws!
3. Why did the Christmas cookie go to the doctor? It felt crumbly!
4. What do you call a snowman with a six-pack? An abdominal snowman!
5. What’s red, white, and blue at Christmas? A sad candy cane!
6. What do reindeer say before they tell a joke? This one’s going to sleigh you!
7. What do you get when you mix a Christmas tree with an iPad? A pineapple (get it, “pine” apple)!
8. Why is Santa so good at karate? He has a black belt!
9. What kind of bug hates Christmas? A humbug!
10. What do you call Santa’s little helpers? Subordinate Clauses!
11. How do sheep say Merry Christmas in Mexico? Fleece Navidad!
12. What’s white and goes up? A confused snowflake!
13. What do elves cook with in the kitchen? Utinsels (utensils)!
14. What falls but never gets hurt at the North Pole? Snow!
15. Where does Santa stay when he’s on vacation? At a ho-ho-hotel!
16. What do you call a reindeer with bad manners? Rude-olph!
17. Why does Santa like to work in his garden? Because he likes to hoe, hoe, hoe!
18. What’s the Grinch’s least favorite band? The Who!
19. What do you call an elf who sings? A wrapper!
20. Why don’t penguins like talking to strangers at Christmas parties? They find it hard to break the ice!
21. What do you get if you cross Santa with a duck? A Christmas quacker!
22. What’s every parent’s favorite Christmas carol? Silent Night!
23. What do you call a greedy elf? Elfish!
24. How does the snow globe feel this time of year? A little shaken!
25. What do angry mice send each other at Christmas? Cross mouse cards!

Christmas Holiday Riddles for Adults

1. What do you call someone who’s afraid of Santa Claus? Claustrophobic!
2. Why is Christmas just like a day at work? You do all the work and the fat guy in the suit gets all the credit!
3. What’s the best thing to put into Christmas dinner? Your teeth!
4. Why did the Grinch rob the liquor store? He wanted to get into the Christmas spirits!
5. What’s the difference between snowmen and snowwomen? Snowballs!
6. How is Christmas exactly like your job? You do all the work, and some jolly guy with a beard takes all the credit!
7. Why doesn’t Santa have any kids of his own? Because he only comes once a year!
8. What do three hos make at Christmas? A very Merry Christmas indeed!
9. Why did Santa divorce Mrs. Claus? He refused to share his cookies!
10. What did the bartender say when Santa walked into the bar? Ho, ho, ho, what’ll it be?
11. Why does Santa work at the North Pole? Because the labor is so cheap!
12. What do you call Santa living at the South Pole? A lost Clause!
13. Why was the advent calendar afraid? Its days were numbered!
14. What’s the difference between Christmas and your mortgage? At least Christmas comes around!
15. How does Santa’s accountant value his sleigh? Net present value!
16. Why do mummies like Christmas so much? Because of all the wrapping!
17. What do you call a kid who doesn’t believe in Santa? A rebel without a Claus!
18. Why did no one bid on Rudolph and Blitzen on eBay? They were two deer!
19. What do you call a Christmas themed true crime podcast? The Santa Clauses!
20. Why don’t aliens celebrate Christmas? Because they don’t want to give away their presence!
21. What’s the difference between Tiger Woods and Santa? Santa stops after three ho’s!
22. Why does Santa always enter through the chimney? Because it soots him!
23. What do priests and Christmas trees have in common? They both have balls just for decoration!
24. Why is Santa’s sack so big? Because he only comes once a year!
25. What’s the most competitive season? Christmas, because everyone’s trying to one-up each other with gifts!

Final Thoughts

And there you have it—a sleighful of riddles to keep your holiday season humming with fun and a few perplexed looks! Whether you’re pushing your kids to the easier ones, stumping your colleagues with the tricky brain-benders, or sharing a cheeky adult riddle over eggnog, these puzzles are designed to bring people together in the most wonderfully frustrating way possible.

Don’t keep these pearls to yourself—share them at your Christmas events, post them on social media, or email them to friends who need a smile. After all, the best Christmas gift is laughter… and maybe a riddle that has everyone scratching their brains till New Year’s!