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These are the favorite Christmas movies in each state, survey finds

A new survey of 2,000 Americans reveals the nation’s favorite holiday films and the top movie in every state

By Amanda Teague Dec 3, 2025 5:00 AM

Christmas movie — ellisedelacruz / Pixabay

A new survey from film and culture site PixlParade has revealed America’s favorite Christmas movies for 2025, along with the top pick in every state. The team polled around 2,000 Americans across all 50 states, asking respondents to choose their favorite holiday film from a curated list of 27 movies released within the last 50 years. The list was built by cross-referencing top-rated Christmas films on IMDb, best-reviewed favorites on Rotten Tomatoes, and the highest-grossing holiday movies of all time.

The results show a clear national winner. “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (1989) came out on top with 31.02% of the vote and was the most popular choice in 31 states, making it the country’s definitive holiday favorite. “A Christmas Story” (1983) ranked second with 16.21% of votes and claimed the No. 1 spot in 10 states, while “Home Alone” (1990) landed in third place with 11.23%, winning five states.

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A few states broke from the national trends with some fun outliers. Arkansas chose “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000) with 26.32% of the vote. Wyoming preferred “Elf” (2003) with a standout 38.24%, and Rhode Island opted for “The Holiday” (2006) at 28.57%. Oklahoma also went its own way, selecting “The Santa Clause” (1994) at 28%.

Favorite Christmas movies by state

Alabama: A Christmas Story
Alaska: A Christmas Story
Arizona: Christmas Vacation
Arkansas: How the Grinch Stole Christmas
California: Christmas Vacation
Colorado: Christmas Vacation
Connecticut: Christmas Vacation
Delaware: A Christmas Story
Florida: Christmas Vacation
Georgia: Christmas Vacation
Hawaii: Christmas Vacation
Idaho: Christmas Vacation
Illinois: Christmas Vacation
Indiana: Christmas Vacation
Iowa: Christmas Vacation
Kansas: Christmas Vacation
Kentucky: Christmas Vacation
Louisiana: Christmas Vacation
Maine: A Christmas Story
Maryland: Christmas Vacation
Massachusetts: Christmas Vacation
Michigan: Christmas Vacation
Minnesota: Christmas Vacation
Mississippi: Christmas Vacation
Missouri: Christmas Vacation
Montana: Home Alone
Nebraska: A Christmas Story
Nevada: Home Alone
New Hampshire: Christmas Vacation
New Jersey: Christmas Vacation
New Mexico: Home Alone
New York: Christmas Vacation
North Carolina: Christmas Vacation
North Dakota: A Christmas Story
Ohio: Christmas Vacation
Oklahoma: The Santa Clause
Oregon: A Christmas Story
Pennsylvania: Christmas Vacation
Rhode Island: The Holiday
South Carolina: Christmas Vacation
South Dakota: A Christmas Story
Tennessee: Christmas Vacation
Texas: Christmas Vacation
Utah: Christmas Vacation
Vermont: A Christmas Story
Virginia: Home Alone
Washington: A Christmas Story
West Virginia: Home Alone
Wisconsin: Christmas Vacation
Wyoming: Elf

Amanda, an accomplished freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio, is a dedicated explorer of both the world and the written word… Read Full Bio

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