It’s December, and that means the holiday season is underway. For many, the best way to get in the Christmas spirit is to put on their favorite holiday movie. As it turns out, your go-to Christmas movie could be influenced by where you live.
Using data from Rotten Tomatoes and other public sources, we compiled a list of the most popular Christmas movies of all time. Then, we partnered up with our friends at Mindnet Analytics and used Google Trends data to determine which Christmas movie each state was most obsessed with relative to other states.
Now, when you see some of the picks on this list, you might ask yourself, “Is that really a Christmas movie?” For purists, if it’s not along the lines of It’s A Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street, it’s not a Christmas movie. But we believe (and the Rotten Tomatoes list we referenced agreed) that unconventional Christmas movies, like Die Hard and Batman Returns (is there anything better than Gotham at Christmas?), that subvert your expectations of what to expect from a typical holiday film also have a place on this list.
Interesting Finds
- Some of the holiday movies that multiple states across the US are obsessed with include Home Alone, Gremlins, Scrooged, and Die Hard.
- Not surprisingly, the state of Illinois loves Home Alone, as much of the movie was shot there.
- Interestingly, there wasn’t a single state where the acclaimed It’s a Wonderful Life was the holiday movie residents were most obsessed with.
The Christmas Movie Each State is Most Obsessed With
Don’t want to browse the map? Here are the findings in an easy-to-scan list:
Alabama: Home Alone
Alaska: The Apartment
Arizona: Edward Scissorhands
Arkansas: Gremlins
California: Batman Returns
Colorado: Gremlins
Connecticut: Trading Places
Delaware: A Christmas Story
District of Columbia: Trading Places
Florida: Batman Returns
Georgia: Gremlins
Hawaii: Trading Places
Idaho: How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Illinois: Home Alone
Indiana: Home Alone
Iowa: Home Alone
Kansas: Scrooged
Kentucky: Elf
Louisiana: Batman Returns
Maine: The Snowman
Maryland: Miracle on 34th Street
Massachusetts: Love Actually
Michigan: Holiday Inn
Minnesota: White Christmas
Mississippi: The Best Man Holiday
Missouri: Die Hard
Montana: Christmas in Connecticut
Nebraska: Bad Santa
Nevada: Edward Scissorhands
New Hampshire: A Christmas Carol
New Jersey: Trading Places
New Mexico: The Nightmare Before Christmas
New York: The Apartment
North Carolina: Gremlins
North Dakota: Home Alone
Ohio: Home Alone
Oklahoma: Gremlins
Oregon: Scrooged
Pennsylvania: Trading Places
Rhode Island: The Night Before
South Carolina: Gremlins
South Dakota: Frosty the Snowman
Tennessee: A Christmas Carol
Texas: Gremlins
Utah: While You Were Sleeping
Vermont: Joyeux Noel
Virginia: Die Hard
Washington: Die Hard
West Virginia: The Ref
Wisconsin: Die Hard
Wyoming: Scrooged
Do you share the same favorite holiday movie as your state? Let us know by commenting below.
