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Map Shows Favorite Holiday Movies By State

"Elf" and "Home Alone" were among the most popular across the U.S.

As the temperature drops, households around the country hunker down in front of their TVs, computers or smartphone screens for a time honored tradition: hot chocolate and little dose of nostalgia.

The holidays aren't complete without the quintessential seasonal flick — whether it’s a classic tearjerker like “It’s a Wonderful Life,” or a modern-day comedy like “Elf.”

And while each of us has our own holiday favorite, the state you live in might make you more likely to watch certain films, according a new report from CableTV.com.

The results are based on AMC's top 20 Christmas movies (voted on by viewers), which were then cross-referenced with Google Trends state data from the past decade to see which holiday favorites were most likely to pop up on TVs in different parts of the country.

"Elf," starring Will Ferrell, dwarfs the competition. Many households also tune in to "Home Alone." But beyond the widely popular titles, states’ seasonal favorites appear to say something about our regional differences.

In the southwest, states like California, Nevada and Arizona like to cozy up with Jack Skellington and Sally in Tim Burton’s stop-motion animation, “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

Across the lower Midwest and some of the South, people enjoy quality time with the Griswolds in “National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.” In the sunny southern regions, states prefer "Home Alone." 

Way up north in the ice and snow, New Englanders like to warm up with the classics like "Miracle on 34th Street," "White Christmas" and "It's a Wonderful life."

"There’s a marked preference for older festive fare that captures Christmases of long, long ago," Cabletv.com's Kaz Weida wrote.

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