The holidays are here! According to a nationwide survey, 83% of Americans are decorating for the holidays and 79% will decorate a Christmas tree.
From delicate twinkling lights, to elaborate outdoor displays there are so many decorations to choose from! We wanted to see which ones are Americans’ favorites and how things have changed since our reports in 2022 and 2021.
According to an analysis of Google search terms, Vermont decorates for Christmas the most! The Green Mountain state came in at number one in our ranking and the state’s favorite decoration is the classic Christmas Tree. Wyoming, Delaware, Rhode Island and North Dakota helped round out the top five in our list.
Decorating a Christmas Tree is an age-old tradition that many look forward to year after year, so it should come as no surprise that the Christmas Tree is also the most popular holiday decoration in Alabama, Indiana, New Jersey and New York. Christmas lights are the most popular decoration in Connecticut, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina and Oklahoma.
Of course, a tree wouldn’t be complete without decorations. Ornaments are the favorite decoration in Florida, Kentucky and Montana, while Iowa and South Dakota are more concerned about what’s at the top of the tree. Their favorite decoration is an angel. A snowman is the most popular decoration in six states, many of which have cold weather during the holiday season. Others are more interested in tasty gingerbread. Whether they’re gingerbread cookies or houses, gingerbread is the favorite decoration in five states.
So what are America’s favorite Christmas decorations? We analyzed thousands of terms related to decorations to find out which ones are the most popular. The classic Christmas tree is the clear winner and the favorite Christmas decoration in 2023.
But no tree would be complete without lights. Christmas lights are the second favorite holiday decoration this year. Mistletoe, gingerbread, a snowman, garland, stocking, wreath, candy cane and nativity all made the top ten most popular holiday decorations in the United States.
Several U.S. cities get into the holiday spirit every year too. We determined which of the 30 most populous cities decorate more during the holidays based on an analysis of Google trends related to holiday décor.
Two years in a row, Las Vegas sits at number one and its favorite decoration is the Christmas stocking. It’s followed by Baltimore, Denver, Portland and Seattle.
Other cities are less enthused about the holiday season. New York City lands at the very bottom of the list two years in a row. Los Angeles, Chicago, Phoenix and Philadelphia help round out the bottom five.
As for when to start decorating for Christmas, everyone is different. The most popular time to deck the halls is the week after Thanksgiving. Nearly 1 in 4 Americans decorate for Christmas the first week of December, while 1 in 6 wait until the second week of December or later.
Americans plan to spend an average of $140 on Christmas decorations in 2023. It’s significantly more than last year’s report (Americans reported spending $82 on decorations in 2022).
Nearly 4 in 5 will be decorating a Christmas tree this season. A large majority (67%) prefer artificial trees while 33% like real trees. Americans may prefer artificial trees since 90% say real Christmas trees are getting more expensive.
And while you don’t want to think about it yet, all of those decorations do have to come down. But when should you take down your Christmas tree? The majority (51%) keep their tree up as long as possible and wait to take it down until after the first week of January. Nearly a quarter (22%) report taking their tree down between Christmas and New Year’s, while another quarter (22%) wait until January 2nd. Only a very small percentage (5%) take their tree down on December 26th.
Whether you go all out with your holiday décor or keep things simple with a few window lights, we hope you find joy and merriment while decorating and throughout the holiday season!
In October 2023 we analyzed 6,708 Google search terms related to Christmas decorations to complete this study. For state and city-level data, we looked at search volume per capita over the past 24 months.
In October 2023, we also surveyed 1,000 Americans to get their feedback on decorating for Christmas and the typical holiday decorations. Respondents were 48% female, 50% male, 1% nonbinary, and 1% transgender with an age range of 18 to 77 and an average age of 43 years old.
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