INDIANA – It’s the most wonderful time of the year—we deck the halls, sip hot cocoa, and gather around to watch our favorite Christmas movies for the 847th time. These festive flicks are as much a part of our holiday traditions as mistletoe and questionable eggnog – but which Christmas movie does each state love the most?
The elves at gaming platform GameTop have been busy crunching search data, looking at which Christmas movies are the five most popular in each U.S. state based on the number of searches throughout 2024. And they’ve unwrapped an exclusive: the battle is between holiday classics Home Alone and Elf. These two movies came first and second in every single state.
Table: The Most Popular Christmas Movie By State, According to Search Data
| Movie | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Alabama | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Die Hard | Edward Scissorhands |
| Alaska | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Die Hard | Krampus |
| Arizona | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Die Hard | Love Actually |
| Arkansas | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Die Hard | Love Actually |
| California | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Love Actually | Edward Scissorhands |
| Colorado | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Love Actually | Die Hard |
| Connecticut | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Love Actually | Die Hard |
| Delaware | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Love Actually | Die Hard |
| Florida | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Love Actually | Die Hard |
| Georgia | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Love Actually | Die Hard |
| Hawaii | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Love Actually | Die Hard |
| Idaho | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Die Hard | Love Actually |
| Illinois | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Die Hard | Love Actually |
| Indiana | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Die Hard | Love Actually |
| Iowa | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Die Hard | Love Actually |
| Kansas | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Die Hard | Love Actually |
| Kentucky | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Die Hard | Edward Scissorhands |
| Louisiana | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Edward Scissorhands | Die Hard |
| Maine | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Love Actually | Die Hard |
| Maryland | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Love Actually | Die Hard |
| Massachusetts | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Love Actually | Die Hard |
| Michigan | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Die Hard | Love Actually |
| Minnesota | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Love Actually | Die Hard |
| Mississippi | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Die Hard | Edward Scissorhands |
| Missouri | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Die Hard | Edward Scissorhands |
| Montana | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Die Hard | Love Actually |
| Nebraska | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Die Hard | Edward Scissorhands |
| Nevada | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Edward Scissorhands | Die Hard |
| New Hampshire | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Die Hard | Love Actually |
| New Jersey | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Love Actually | Die Hard |
| New Mexico | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Edward Scissorhands | Krampus |
| New York | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Love Actually | Edward Scissorhands |
| North Carolina | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Love Actually | Edward Scissorhands |
| North Dakota | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Die Hard | Love Actually |
| Ohio | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Die Hard | Krampus |
| Oklahoma | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Die Hard | Krampus |
| Oregon | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Die Hard | Love Actually |
| Pennsylvania | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Die Hard | Love Actually |
| Rhode Island | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Love Actually | Die Hard |
| South Carolina | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Love Actually | Die Hard |
| South Dakota | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Die Hard | Love Actually |
| Tennessee | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Edward Scissorhands | Die Hard |
| Texas | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Edward Scissorhands | Die Hard |
| Utah | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Edward Scissorhands | Die Hard |
| Vermont | Home Alone | Elf | Love Actually | Gremlins | Die Hard |
| Virginia | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Love Actually | Die Hard |
| Washington | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Love Actually | Die Hard |
| West Virginia | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Love Actually | Die Hard |
| Wisconsin | Elf | Home Alone | Gremlins | Krampus | Die Hard |
| Wyoming | Home Alone | Elf | Gremlins | Die Hard | Krampus |
26 States Are For Home Alone
The classic tale of Kevin McCallister defending his house from bumbling burglars has remained a holiday favorite since 1990. Twenty-six states, including Wyoming, New Mexico, and Kentucky, had this as their top pick.
24 Declare For Elf
Will Ferrell’s iconic portrayal of Buddy the Elf brought pure holiday magic and heartwarming joy to audiences, and it’s still spreading cheer by singing loud for all to hear. Elf had 24 states declaring it their top holiday pick, including Tennessee and Alaska.
Which Other Movies Made The Chart?
While Elf and Home Alone were the first and second favorites in each state, other movies had good showings on the list. Die Hard came third in 23 states and fourth in 23 states. This Christmas-themed action movie makes a comeback every year, delighting audiences every time.
British comedy and celebration of love Love Actually made it onto the list several times, as did the touching Edward Scissorhands and folk horror comedy Krampus.
Credit
Information provided by GameTop.
About GameTop
GameTop is a leading platform for free, high-quality PC and mobile games. Specializing in offering a wide variety of downloadable and online games, GameTop provides users with an extensive collection of genres, including action, puzzles, racing, hidden objects, and more. With a focus on safety and simplicity, all games are 100% free to download, ad-free, and come without any time limits or in-game purchases.
The platform caters to casual gamers looking for entertainment that is both accessible and hassle-free. GameTop ensures its library is diverse and compatible with Windows, Mac, and Android devices, making it a versatile choice for gamers across different systems.
Methodology
GameTop generated a list of popular Christmas movies and actors known for appearing in Christmas movies. They compared these on a state level to determine the highest average search volume by state. There were several instances where Elf and Home Alone were tied for state totals. In these cases, Elf was moved to the top result. The totals from each state and movie were added to provide a final ranking for the US.
