Survey Says: “A Christmas Story” and “Home Alone” are America’s Favorite Movies for the Season – And “Die Hard” Is Not
SACRAMENTO, CA (November 25, 2025) – With Thanksgiving days away and the holiday season kicking into high gear, the American Christmas Tree Association (ACTA) released new national survey findings on Americans’ favorite traditions, budget outlooks, and the movies they watch on repeat.
Our survey found that approximately 90% of Americans are excited to:
See friends and family (94%)
Look at lights (90%)
Open presents (89%)
Close behind are festive favorites such as:
Watching movies (86%)
Baking cookies (83%)
Putting up ornaments (83%)
Despite what your boss or friends may say, only 23% of Americans are enthusiastic about wearing an ugly Christmas sweater, but they are more excited about wearing the sweater than visiting Santa (21%).
“The enthusiasm in this survey makes clear the magic of Christmas is stronger than ever,” said Jami Warner, Executive Director of the American Christmas Tree Association. “Even as Americans keep an eye on their shopping budgets, they’re ready to celebrate the holiday traditions that bring them the most joy.”
The survey also found holiday shopping budgets are top of mind for many Americans, including concerns about rising costs of Christmas decorations. Sixty-eight percent of our sample believe President Trump should do whatever he can to help Americans afford Christmas decorations.
A strong majority of survey takers (67%) recognize that President Trump stepped in to save Christmas through narrow tariff relief in 2019 and would support a similar narrow, seasonal tariff exemption on items like artificial trees and lights this year.
Balsam Hill Founder and CEO Mac Harman, an ACTA member, spoke about this new survey recently to DC News Now and West Wing Playbook.
You cannot talk about the holidays without talking movies!
When presented with twelve classic Christmas movies, our survey finds that America’s favorite top picks:
1. A Christmas Story (15%)
2. Home Alone (15%)
3. Elf (11%)
4. It’s a Wonderful Life (11%)
5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (9%)
Parents with children under 18 showed especially strong affection for A Christmas Story and Home Alone, suggesting both will remain Christmastime staples for years to come.
Our survey also sought to settle the debate once and for all: is “Die Hard” a Christmas movie or not. The nation remains divided: 41% considers “Die Hard” to be a Christmas movie, while 46% believe that it is not. Perhaps not surprisingly, men were far more passionate about “Die Hard” than women: 50% of men consider “Die Hard” to be a Christmas movie compared to only 32% of women.
About the Study The study was conducted online from October 29-30, 2025 with a national sample of 1,005 adults who indicated that they celebrate Christmas, resulting in a margin of error of ±3.1%. The data for the total sample was weighted to adjust for realistic distributions of gender, age, race, household income, and political ideology.
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The American Christmas Tree Association (ACTA) is a non-profit organization that serves as a resource for media and consumers seeking information and education on the Christmas tree industry. For continued Christmas tree supply updates and industry news updates, visit ChristmasTreeAssociation.org or follow ACTA on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, or X.