From watching a favorite holiday movie and listening to a beloved Christmas tune to wearing matching pajamas and baking cookies from a generations-old family recipe, folks across the world have holiday traditions they hold near and dear to their hearts. But what about here at home in the QCA?
To find out the most popular Christmas tradition in each state, researchers used Google Trends to analyze search volume for popular Christmas traditions. The researchers ran various holiday traditions to find activities that ranked #1 for search volume in all 50 states. The results may surprise you.
What about Illinois? According to the research, an old tradition remains popular in small towns and big cities alike, as the #1 Christmas tradition for the Land of Lincoln is tree-lighting ceremonies. In Iowa, things are a little bit different, and the most popular holiday tradition has more of a newer trend. Personalized stockings were tops in the Hawkeye State.
The study also broke down top holiday trends by regions:
Midwesterners seem to prefer a combination of cringeworthy and classic, as wearing ugly Christmas sweaters was tied in popularity with personalizing Christmas stockings.
Northeasterners are using Advent calendars to count down the days until Christmas.
Tied with opening an Advent calendar in the Northeast was hosting a Secret Santa party.
In the South, tradition reigns: Decorating a Christmas tree was the most popular holiday activity.
The West, however, seems to enjoy good-natured gift-stealing, i.e., hosting a White Elephant party.
Little Sleepies
Here are some more interesting tidbits from the study:
- Hosting a White Elephant party was the most popular Christmas tradition.
- Wearing ugly Christmas sweaters was the second most searched-for holiday activity overall.
- Personalizing Christmas stockings was the top-third favorite Christmas tradition.
- Tied for fourth place was opening an Advent calendar and Elf on the Shelf.
Did your favorite holiday traditions make the list?
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