With Christmas just over a week away, the holiday season is picking up as 2024 comes to a close and 2025 is on the horizon. As the winter approaches, it’s the perfect time to grab your favorite hot chocolate mug and stream Christmas classics.
Recently, PlayPennsylvania.com conducted a study to determine which festive films Americans are most eager to watch, ranking them as the country’s most Googled Christmas movies. The gambling experts delved into the world of holiday cinema by using Google Keyword Planner to analyze search volume data across the U.S. from November 2023 to November 2024. They examined 93 beloved Christmas movies, calculating the average monthly search volume for each one.
“Analyzing the Google search volume of Christmas movies gives a unique insight into their popularity across America all year round,” said Tristan Kay, Head of Casino at PlayPennsylvania.com.
According to their research, Elf, starring Will Ferrell was America’s most Googled Christmas movie. The 2003 film had an average of 275,589 monthly searches, which was over 60,000 more than the 213,701 searches that the 1946 film It’s a Wonderful Life. The 1946 film, which turned 78 on December 20, continues to be aired on broadcast TV to this very day.
“With this list featuring movies dating as far back as 1946, it is clear that the holiday season is all about enjoying the classics, Kay commented.
Check out which films made it to the top 10 and where to stream below.
The 10 Most Googled Christmas Movies in America 2024
Rank | Christmas Movie | (Total average monthly keyword searches) | Where to Stream
- Elf (275,589) | Disney+, Hulu, Philo, Max, Roku Channel
- It’s a Wonderful Life (213,701) | Pn Plex, FreeVee, Prime Video, The Roku Channel.
- National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (182,374) | Disney+, Hulu, Philo, Max, Roku Channel
- The Nightmare Before Christmas (142,456) | Disney+
- Bad Santa (133,278) | Paramount+, Roku Channel
- Four Christmases (107,346) | Disney+, Hulu, Philo, Max, Roku Channel
- Jingle All the Way (103,445) | DIRECTV STREAM, Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) (97,229) | DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo
- Grumpy Old Men (91,474) | Kanopy
- The Family Stone (90,360) | DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo, Disney+, Prime Video, Hulu, Tubi
Below are 78 of the most Googled Christmas films from the data set.
2024’s 78 Most Googled Christmas Films in the United States
| Rank | Christmas Movie | Total average monthly keyword searches |
| 1. | Elf | 275,589 |
| 2. | It’s a Wonderful Life | 213,701 |
| 3. | National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation | 182,374 |
| 4. | The Nightmare Before Christmas | 142,456 |
| 5. | Bad Santa | 133,278 |
| 6. | Four Christmases | 107,346 |
| 7. | Jingle All the Way | 103,445 |
| 8. | How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) | 97,229 |
| 9. | Grumpy Old Men | 91,474 |
| 10. | The Family Stone | 90,360 |
| 11. | Scrooged | 89,734 |
| 12. | Just Friends | 85,649 |
| 13. | Daddy’s Home 2 | 77,732 |
| 14. | Jack Frost | 69,886 |
| 15. | Office Christmas Party | 65,124 |
| 16. | Fred Claus | 63,752 |
| 17. | Santa Claus: The Movie | 61,531 |
| 18. | The Holiday | 59,405 |
| 19. | Die Hard 2 | 57,324 |
| 20. | Last Christmas | 57,090 |
| 21. | Arthur Christmas | 47,640 |
| 22. | Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) | 45,388 |
| 23. | How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) | 44,592 |
| 24. | Silent Night | 42,412 |
| 25. | Home Alone | 42,351 |
| 26. | Die Hard | 42,109 |
| 27. | Holiday Inn | 35,798 |
| 28. | Mixed Nuts | 33,992 |
| 29. | Home Alone 2: Lost in New York | 32,355 |
| 30. | The Polar Express | 30,474 |
| 31. | Bad Santa 2 | 29,404 |
| 32. | Klaus | 26,108 |
| 33. | A Madea Christmas | 25,643 |
| 34. | The Best Man Holiday | 24,068 |
| 35. | White Christmas | 23,649 |
| 36. | The Man Who Invented Christmas | 22,919 |
| 37. | Christmas in Connecticut | 22,628 |
| 38. | Surviving Christmas | 21,080 |
| 39. | Miracle on 34th Street (1994) | 20,532 |
| 40. | A Christmas Carol | 20,137 |
| 41. | This Christmas | 19,583 |
| 42. | Ghost of Girlfriends Past | 18,444 |
| 43. | Love Actually | 18,123 |
| 44. | Deck the Halls | 15,272 |
| 45. | A Christmas Story | 15,129 |
| 46. | Eddie the Eagle | 14,006 |
| 47. | 12 Dates of Christmas | 13,698 |
| 48. | Christmas with the Kranks | 13,438 |
| 49. | A Charlie Brown Christmas | 12,239 |
| 50. | I’ll Be Home for Christmas | 11,580 |
| 51. | The Santa Clause | 11,414 |
| 52. | A Street Cat Named Bob | 11,235 |
| 53. | Prancer | 10,966 |
| 54. | Look Who’s Talking Now | 10,788 |
| 55. | The Snowman | 9,488 |
| 56. | Scrooge (1970) | 8,862 |
| 57. | The Muppet Christmas Carol | 8,517 |
| 58. | Miracle on 34th Street (1947) | 8,291 |
| 59. | Bridget Jones’s Diary | 6,335 |
| 60. | Snowglobe | 6,314 |
| 61. | One Magic Christmas | 5,225 |
| 62. | The Most Wonderful Time of the Year | 4,663 |
| 63. | Borrowed Hearts | 4,295 |
| 64. | 29th Street | 4,195 |
| 65. | Nativity! | 3,501 |
| 6. | Get Santa | 2,799 |
| 67. | Christmas Comes to Willow Creek | 2,720 |
| 68. | An American Christmas Carol | 2,434 |
| 69. | Iron Will | 2,255 |
| 70. | Frosty the Snowman (1969) | 1,915 |
| 71. | The Christmas Chronicles | 1,599 |
| 72. | The Santa Suit | 1,519 |
| 73. | Crackers | 1,321 |
| 74. | Jingle Bells | 1,256 |
| 75. | Annabelle’s Wish | 1,098 |
| 76. | There’s Something in the Barn | 1,044 |
| 77. | Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale | 975 |
| 78. | Christmas Again | 753 |
Source: Google Keyword Planner
Methodology:
1. A list of 93 popular Christmas movies was created.
2. Google Keyword Planner was used to retrieve the search volume data for each movie on a national level for the past 12 months. Searches for titles with multiple meanings were excluded from the analysis.
3. A monthly average search volume for each movie was calculated.