19 Christmas Brain Teasers That Are Almost Impossible to Solve

Take a break from holiday shopping and decorating to solve these tricky brain teasers.

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Christmas tree made by wooden tangram
Freer/Shutterstock

Christmas puzzles

Sometimes our brains get a little foggy around the holidays with the amount of stress we’re typically under. Take a break from the hustle and bustle and build up some brainpower with these tricky Christmas brain teasers. How many can you solve?

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Counting games for kids and adults. Educational math game. Result. Crossword for social networks. Rebus. Riddle for the mind. Riddle with numbers. Vector
Evgeniy yes/Shutterstock

Winter math

Can you figure out what number the lanterns, snowmen, and trees represent to solve the final equation?

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Counting games for kids and adults. Educational math game. Result. Crossword for social networks. Rebus. Riddle for the mind. Riddle with numbers. Vector. Answer
Evgeniy yes/Shutterstock

Answer

The lampposts are the number 15, the snowmen are the number 4, and the trees are the number 3. Then in the last equation, a light post with only one light would represent the number 5. If you go by the order of operations, 3 multiplied by 4 is 12, then if you add 15 and subtract 5 you’ll get 22.

Less than one per cent of people can ace this shapes brain teaser.

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spot the differences nutcracker chirstmas scene question
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Nutcracker puzzle

There are 10 differences in these pictures. Can you find them all?

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spot the differences nutcracker chirstmas scene answer
Olga Kartashova22/Shutterstock

Answer

Did you find the 10 differences?

See if you can spot the owls camouflaged in these photos.

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santa maze question illustration
Iva Villi/Shutterstock

Maze to the sleigh

Find Santa’s way through the maze to his sleigh.

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Santa maze answer illustration
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Answer

Did you find Santa’s way to his sleigh filled with gifts?

These tricky crossword puzzle clues will give your brain a workout!

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gum drop math question
ksuklein/Shutterstock

Sugarplum math

First, find out what numbers the mitten, ornament, and tree represent.

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gum drop math answer
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Answer

The ornament represents the number 6, the mitten represents the number 2, and the tree, 7. In total, the ornament, the mitten, and the tree add up to 15.

Here are 25 of the best riddles for kids.

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missing piece ornament puzzle question
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The missing piece

Find the puzzle piece that perfectly fits in the empty spot.

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missing piece ornament puzzle answer
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Answer

Puzzle piece number two.

Break out your calculator! It takes a genius to solve these tricky math riddles.

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snowflakes
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Let it snow

Match the pairs of identical snowflakes. The angle of rotation does not matter.

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snowflakes pairs
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Answer

The pairs that are identical are 1 and 12, 2 and 11, 3 and 10, 4 and 9, 5 and 8, and 6 and 7.

We’ve rounded up the most famous riddles in history.

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Funny snowman skiing. Find the correct shadow. Educational matching game for children. Cartoon vector illustration
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Skiing snowman

Which shadow matches the snowman?
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Funny snowman skiing. Find the correct shadow. Educational matching game for children. Cartoon vector illustration
Leh/Shutterstock

Answer

The shadow in the bottom row all the way to the left matches the skiing snowman.

Check out the second-grade math problem no one can figure out.

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Find differences, game for children: Santa Claus
Ksenya Savva/Shutterstock

Two Santas

Can you spot all 12 differences in these two pictures?

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 Find differences, game for children: Santa Claus
Ksenya Savva/Shutterstock

Answer

How many did you get?

Try your hand at what an MIT professor called the “hardest logic puzzle ever.”

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Winter, Christmas or New Year themed visual puzzle with snowmen: Can you spot the two identical pictures? Answer included.
ratselmeister/Shutterstock

Snowman twins

Which two snowmen are identical?

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Winter, Christmas or New Year themed visual puzzle with snowmen: Can you spot the two identical pictures? Answer included.
ratselmeister/Shutterstock

Answer

If you guessed snowman number three and number eight you are correct.

If you can solve this puzzle, you could qualify to be a British spy.

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 Find two the same pictures, education game for children. Set of Christmas gifts
Ksenya Savva/Shutterstock

Gift boxes

Find the two gift boxes that are exactly the same.

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 Find two the same pictures, education game for children. Set of Christmas gifts
Ksenya Savva/Shutterstock

Answer

The two boxes with the leaf pattern on them are the same

Can you spot these animals camouflaged in the wild?

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 New Year or Christmas visual puzzle: Find the seven differences between the two pictures with ginger man. Answer included.
ratselmeister/Shutterstock

Gingerbread mayhem

Can you spot the seven differences between the two gingerbread pictures?

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 New Year or Christmas visual puzzle: Find the seven differences between the two pictures with ginger man. Answer included.
ratselmeister/Shutterstock

Answer

Did you get all seven of them?

Check out these brainteasing puzzles for National Puzzle Day.

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Christmas or New Year visual puzzle: Find the ten differences between the two pictures of elves waiting for Santa to show their work done. Answer included.
ratselmeister/Shutterstock

Elves galore

See if you can find the 10 differences in these two photos.

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 Christmas or New Year visual puzzle: Find the ten differences between the two pictures of elves waiting for Santa to show their work done. Answer included.
ratselmeister/Shutterstock

Answer

Did you spot the differences in the photos, including the snowman and cat?

Have a laugh with the funniest Christmas jokes for kids.

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Christmas Maze Game ... Task: Each house gets its own present!
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Christmas maze

Which house is each toy or treat going to?

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Christmas Maze Game ... Task: Each house gets its own present!
VOOK/Shutterstock

Answer

Hat: 4

Cake: 7

Toy: 1

Car: 5

Mitten: 6

Stocking: 3

Star: 2

Test your logic with these tricky rebus puzzles that are almost impossible to solve.

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christmas brain teasers - Find the same pictures children educational game. Find equal pairs of christmas socks kids activity. New Year winter holidays theme.
ksuklein/Shutterstock

Similar stockings

Which two stockings are exactly the same?

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christmas brain teasers - Find the same pictures children educational game. Find equal pairs of christmas socks kids activity. New Year winter holidays theme.
ksuklein/Shutterstock

Answer

The first stocking in the second row is identical to the fourth stocking in the last row.

Can you find the missing words in these puzzles?

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christmas brain teasers - Cartoon Vector Illustration of Differences Educational Game for Preschool Children with Christmas Characters
Igor Zakowski/Shutterstock

Santa winter scene

See if you can find the 10 differences in these two pictures of Santas with some snowmen and reindeer.

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christmas brain teasers - Cartoon Vector Illustration of Differences Educational Game for Preschool Children with Christmas Characters
Igor Zakowski/Shutterstock

Answer

Did you spot them all?

Give your brain a workout with these printable crossword puzzles.

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christmas brain teasers - Search path in the maze with Santa Claus. Find a child gift to the owner. Christmas illustration of labyrinth pathfinding for kids.
lunokot/Shutterstock

Toys for all

Which toy belongs to each child?

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christmas brain teasers - Search path in the maze with Santa Claus. Find a child gift to the owner. Christmas illustration of labyrinth pathfinding for kids.
lunokot/Shutterstock

Answer

The first boy gets the truck, the first girl gets the rabbit, the second girl gets the doll, and the second boy gets the books.

Test your knowledge of Christmas words.

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christmas brain teasers - Find the right piece, visual game. Answer No. 4. Illustration is in eps8 vector mode!
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Bright, shining tree

Which missing piece fits into the tree?

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christmas brain teasers - Find the right piece, visual game. Answer No. 4. Illustration is in eps8 vector mode!
VOOK/Shutterstock

Answer

Circle number four is the missing piece.

Can you spot which airplane doesn’t belong in this picture?

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christmas brain teasers - Christmas or New Year themed 3d maze game with stairs, ladders and Santa delivering presents through the chimneys. Answer included.
ratselmeister/Shutterstock

Help Santa deliver presents

Find the path that Santa should take to deliver presents to every chimney. Use ladders and stairs to climb from level to level, and don’t let Santa jump up or climb any walls.

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christmas brain teasers - Christmas or New Year themed 3d maze game with stairs, ladders and Santa delivering presents through the chimneys. Answer included.
ratselmeister/Shutterstock

Answer

Did you find the right path?

Only two per cent of people can solve Albert Einstein’s riddle—can you?

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christmas brain teasers - Winter, Christmas or New Year themed visual puzzle (suitable both for kids and adults): Find the mitten that has no pair. Answer included.
ratselmeister/Shutterstock

Mismatched mittens

Find the mitten that has no pair.

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christmas brain teasers - Winter, Christmas or New Year themed visual puzzle (suitable both for kids and adults): Find the mitten that has no pair. Answer included.
ratselmeister/Shutterstock

Answer

Mitten 12 has no pair. The matching mittens are 1 and 9, 2 and 10, 3 and 4, 5 and 14, 6 and 7, 8 and 15, and 11 and 13.

Next, boost your brain power even more with these awesome brain games!

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