What are Florida's Top 5 favorite holiday movies? Is yours on the list?

Jim Abbott, Daytona Beach News-Journal
Updated ·3 min read

After tackling the tree, tinsel and over-the-top yard decorations, most holiday revelers also leave time for a favorite holiday movie.

Of course, what fits that description can vary wildly, depending on taste. Is it a Bing Crosby classic? Something contemporary? Maybe a movie that has nothing to do with Christmas at all, for the grinch-minded among us?

Fortunately, since there’s someone, somewhere tracking everything these days, there’s a new list of favorite holiday flicks, based on the number of Internet searches by state.

Compiled by online gambling site CSGOLuck.com, the list is based on the number of searches for more than 180 Christmas movies in Florida and other states.

The titles of each movie were combined with terms such as “buy,” “blu ray,” “Netflix” and “watch online” to encompass the ways that viewers search for films.

Here are the Top 5 in Florida, starting with the most popular:

“It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946)

Not only is do-gooder George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart) the richest man in Bedford Falls, he’s also the star of the most searched holiday movie in Florida, with an average of 11,306 monthly searches.

You see, George, you’ve really had a wonderful life.

“The Holiday” (2006)

A relative newcomer claims the prize as the second most-searched holiday film, with 9,414 average monthly searches.

Starring Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Jack Black and Cameron Diaz, this romantic comedy follows two unlucky-in-love women, one from Los Angeles and the other from England, who experience unexpected situations after arranging a house swap for the holidays to get away from troubled love lives.

“Elf” (2003)

This modern-day classic starring Will Ferrell claims third place, with 7,192 average monthly searches.

Ferrell stars as Buddy, a human raised by Santa’s elves from birth who discovers his true identity and that his biological father is still alive. That inspires a trip to New York City to reunite with his dad and get him off Santa’s naughty list.

“Bad Santa” (2003)

With 6,654 average monthly searches, "Bad Santa" is Florida’s fourth favorite Christmas movie.

Starring Billy Bob Thornton, it’s a black comedy that follows the title character’s exploits as an alcoholic thief who robs shopping malls on Christmas Eve under the pretense of working as a mall Santa.

“Little Women” (2019)

With 5,960 average monthly searches, this critically acclaimed period drama framed between two pivotal Christmas seasons is a coming-of-age story that follows four sisters as they navigate life in 1860s America.

What about the nationwide list?

Here’s what movies are being searched nationally, according to the CSGOLuck list. (It looks like a few traditional TV specials also made the list):

  • “It's a Wonderful Life” (1946) 221,818 searches

  • “The Holiday” (2006) 156,644

  • “Elf” (2003) 118,774

  • “Bad Santa” (2003) 112,517

  • “Little Women” (2019) 100,898

  • “Scrooged” (1988) 86,694

  • “The Night Before” (2015) 69,351

  • “Fred Claus” (2007) 50,290

  • “Arthur Christmas” (2011) 48,532

  • “Last Holiday” (2006) 48,529

  • “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (1966) 43,965

  • “Jack Frost” (1998) 39,257

  • “The Family Man” (2000) 37,514

  • “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” (2005) 34,536

  • “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (1964) 33,218

  • “Holiday Inn” (1942) 26,896

  • “Disney's A Christmas Carol” (2009) 26,287

  • “Little Women” (1994) 26,284

  • “Serendipity” (2001) 25,647

  • “Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town” (1970) 22,015

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: A holiday movie list of Top 5 Florida favorites