In a recent study sponsored by CenturyLink, analysts used a number of statistics on Christmas cheer broken down into two categories — online activity and area culture. Under online activity, the study measured Google searches for Christmas movies and gingerbread houses; Google shopping trends for wrapping paper Christmas cards, Christmas ornaments and “elf on a shelf”; number of Christmas songs streamed and number of Christmas-related tweets. Under area culture, the study measured number of Christmas tree farms per capita and amount of charitable donations.
Tennessee was ranked as the state with the most Christmas spirit, with top 10 rankings in the categories for Christmas tweets, Christmas music listening and searches for Christmas movies.
The top five states with the most Christmas spirit are:
- Tennessee
- North Carolina
- Utah
- Ohio
- Alabama
- South Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- Kansas
- Maine
- New Hampshire
- Missouri
- Idaho
- Vermont
- South Dakota
- Iowa
- Wisconsin
- West Virginia
- Montana
- Washington
- Nebraska
- Massachusetts
- Mississippi
- Kentucky
- Indiana
- Connecticut
- Oklahoma
- Colorado
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Georgia
- New York
- Minnesota
- Arkansas
- Illinois
- Wyoming
- North Dakota
- Louisiana
- Alaska
- Michigan
- Delaware
- Texas
- New Mexico
- New Jersey
According to the study, Utah was the most charitable state, with residents giving away about 4.8 percent of their adjusted income in 2018.
The five states with the least Christmas spirit are:
46. Arizona
47. Florida
48. California
49. Hawaii
50. Nevada
According to the study, although Alaska received a relatively low score of 40, it scored first in searches for Christmas cards searches and Christmas tweets.
The weather may have something to do with Christmas spirit. According to a news release from CenturyLink, “Southern states like Tennessee, North Carolina and Alabama have the most Yuletide cheer, ranking the highest for jamming to Christmas tunes and tweeting about the season. Meanwhile, sunnier states like Hawaii, Nevada, and Florida rank low for festive zeal.”