Most Popular Christmas Tradition in Each State
Apr 28th, 2022 •
The holiday season is among us yet again! Here at Mattress Advisor, we know this time of year can be filled with hustle and bustle (and even sleep loss) as you rush to purchase presents, travel, and prepare to spend time with your family members.
But the holiday season is supposed to be a time of joy, celebration, and togetherness – not stress. That’s where a good old Christmas tradition comes in. Whether it’s decorating Christmas cookies, watching holiday-themed movies, or playing a game of White Elephant with your coworkers in the office, nearly everyone has a fun holiday event they look forward to at this time each year.
Sometimes these Christmas traditions vary by your family’s history, where you grew up, or where you’re currently living. This made us wonder, what are the most popular Christmas traditions in each state?
With a little help from Google Trends, we found out. Keep reading to learn what people in your state are up to this holiday season.
Christmas movies was the most searched holiday tradition across the states, winning 12 states in total – which is no surprise since classic Christmas movies like Home Alone, Elf, and A Christmas Story are a staple of Christmastime celebrations in the States.
Secret Santa gifts and White Elephant didn’t fall far behind, each winning popularity in six and five states respectively. These two gifting games are fairly similar in nature with a slight twist. A game of Secret Santa involves swapping names with a group of people and purchasing one person a gift without them knowing who shopped for them. In White Elephant, you don’t know who will end up with the gift your buy because people can steal each other’s gifts.
Secret Santa was most popular in the Northeast, winning four states, and White Elephant was most popular in the West, winning four states in this region. The most popular traditions in both the Midwest and the South was Christmas movies.
The most unique Christmas tradition searches across the nation were:
- Advent calendar (Vermont)
- Christmas crackers (Idaho)
- Christmas village (Pennsylvania)
- NFL Christmas games (Delaware)
- The Nutcracker ballet (Alaska)
These Christmas traditions aren’t as popular around the nation as you may expect. Each of these traditions only took the most popularity in one state, even a classic like The Nutcracker ballet!
Christmas crackers, a traditional holiday favorite in the UK, is surprisingly popular in Idaho. And advent calendars (which we totally thought were still a big part of Christmas traditions) were only most popular in Vermont.
Most Common Christmas Traditions Across the Nation
Take a look at the most popular Christmas traditions that are trending around the nation:
- Christmas Movie
- Secret Santa Gifts
- White Elephant
- Gingerbread House
- Christmas Parade
- Matching Christmas Sweaters
- Hallmark Christmas Movie
- Christmas Cookies
- Ugly Christmas Sweaters
- The Nutcracker Ballet
We hope you survive this holiday season staying well-rested and enjoying meaningful time with your loved ones. Before you go, let us know in the comments, what’s your favorite Christmas tradition? Does it match up with what’s popular in your state?
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