Tis the season for snuggling up by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate and, of course, your favorite Christmas movie. But deciding which Christmas movie truly captures the essence of the holiday is a point of contention across the country.
Using data from Rotten Tomatoes and Google Trends, Wealthy Nickel crunched the numbers to determine the most popular Christmas movie in each state. Many holiday classics made the list, while some notable omissions – what, no “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”, “White Christmas”, Charlie Brown or Rudolph? – raised eyebrows. And a few states surprised us with their non-traditional choices. So curl up on the couch amid the twinkling glow of Christmas lights and find out if California’s idea of the most wonderful time of year involves the North Pole or Nakatomi Plaza.
Table of Contents
The highest-ranked Christmas movies by state
Something about Christmas movies really captures the spirit of the season and can bring a sense of nostalgia that transports viewers to Christmases past.
One of those holiday classics is “The Polar Express,” which took No. 1 in Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. These states love the mysterious train that heads to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. Who doesn’t love dancing waiters and chefs serving hot chocolate to all the kids?
Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Texas and West Virginia loved “The Grinch,” the story of a cynical curmudgeon who tries to ruin Christmas for all of Whoville. While there are a few theatrical versions of the story, the most popular is the 2018 animated rendition featuring the voice of Benedict Cumberbatch as the Grinch.
With a flair for the romantic, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Virginia and the District of Columbia all chose ‘Love Actually’, which follows 10 Britons as they navigate their love lives in a countdown until Christmas. This romantic comedy has become a modern-day Christmas staple for many.
Other favorite Christmas movies include ‘Home Alone’, ‘Elf’ and ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’.
The Midwest – Illinois, Ohio and North Dakota – backs the Chicago-based “Home Alone,” starring Macaulay Culkin as the hustler 8-year-old who fends off two hapless thieves from his family home. Nebraska, Nevada and Utah eat all the sugar they can as they watch Will Ferrell race around New York in the endearing story of Buddy the Elf. And Connecticut, Missouri, New Hampshire and Wisconsin stand next to the old but hey, “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
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Some newer films are even starting to make their mark and become part of Christmas lore. The 2019 Netflix animated film “Klaus” is popular among states such as Colorado and Washington.
“Elf” or “Edward Scissorhands”?
What counts as a Christmas movie? Does anything happening over the holidays do the trick, or does Santa have to make an appearance? This debate has undoubtedly triggered many quarrels during family gatherings. However, the cold, hard facts don’t lie. Wealthy Nickel research showed that search volume increased in December for several movies that don’t usually come to mind as heartwarming holiday classics.
One of the most surprising Christmas movies, voted favorite by six states, is “Trading Places.” The 1980s comedy captivates audiences year after year in Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The film follows an upper-class financial executive and a street hustler who switch lifestyles to win a bet. Set in Philadelphia during Christmas, there are plenty of opportunities for holiday hijinks, including Dan Akroyd in a Santa costume.
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California’s most popular movie
“Edward Scissorhands” is making the cut in California, as well as three other states — Arizona, Florida and New Mexico — all agreeing the film is a holiday must-watch. While it doesn’t adhere to the “cheerful and bright” definition of a standard holiday movie, it’s set over the Christmas period and is enjoyed by many.
The best-known Christmas movie that might not be a Christmas movie is “Die Hard.” Montana and Idaho love watching John McClane fight to save Christmas from a group of rogue terrorists.
Which states have the most and least Christmas spirit?
According to the ranking, Utah is the most festive state, always looking for a dose of Christmas cheer. Of the twenty films ranked, the Utahns were among the top five searchers for twelve of them. West Virginia and New Hampshire took second and third place as states that can’t say no to a good Christmas movie. West Virginia was in the top five searchers for eleven films and New Hampshire for seven.
The least festive states, at least by volume of Christmas movie searches, were Hawaii, Florida, Mississippi, New York and Louisiana. While most of these states will never have a White Christmas, New York should be a little ashamed to be counted in this list.
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Most popular Christmas movies by state
What do Nevada and Nebraska have in common? Their love of the movie “Elf”, of course! Here is the complete list of the most popular Christmas movies in each state:
- Alabama- The Polar Express
- Alaska- Jack Frost
- Arizona- Edward Scissorhands
- Arkansas- the grinch
- California – Edward Scissorhands
- Colorado- Klaus
- Connecticut- It’s a wonderful life
- Delaware- Stock exchanges
- District of Columbia – love in fact
- Florida – Edward Scissorhands
- Georgia – Stock exchanges
- Hawaii – Stock exchanges
- Idaho- die hard
- Illinois- Alone at home
- Indiana- A Christmas story
- Iowa- Christmas holidays
- Kansas- Miracle on 34th Street
- Kentucky- the grinch
- Louisiana – the grinch
- Maine- Jingle All the Way
- Maryland- love in fact
- Massachusetts- love in fact
- Michigan- Krampus
- Minnesota- Jingle All the Way
- Mississippi- The Polar Express
- Missouri- It’s a wonderful life
- Montana- die hard
- Nebraska – Elf
- Nevada – Elf
- New Hampshire- It’s a wonderful life
- New Jersey- Stock exchanges
- New Mexico – Edward Scissorhands
- New York – Stock exchanges
- North Carolina – The Polar Express
- North Dakota – Alone at home
- Ohio- Alone at home
- Oklahoma- The Polar Express
- Oregon – love in fact
- Pennsylvania – Stock exchanges
- Rhode Island – Jack Frost
- Caroline from the south – The Polar Express
- South Dakota – Christmas holidays
- Tennessee- Santa
- Texas- the grinch
- Utah- Elf
- Vermont- Miracle on 34th Street
- Virginia – love in fact
- Washington- Klaus
- West Virginia – the grinch
- Wisconsin- It’s a wonderful life
- Wyoming- Krampus