Though Entertainment Weekly‘s movie critic Chris Nashawaty has already compiled his definitive list of the top 20 Christmas movies ever, we wanted to see where EW readers stood on this important issue. So we polled our Front Row panel to determine the most popular holiday flicks and more for EW’s December Pop Culture Index. Read on to see all of our yuletide questions and the survey results!
Favorite Christmas flicks
We asked voters to name their top holiday movies, as well as how many times they’ve re-watched their favorite classic. The average? No fewer than 30 viewings. That’s a lot of times to get your tongue stuck to a pole or sprint past airport security!
The holiday film coming in at sixth place — but first among male respondents — is Die Hard, which is, in fact, a Christmas movie. Ranking fifth was National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, followed by It’s a Wonderful Life in fourth, Elf in third, and A Christmas Story in second. But to voters, Love Actually is perfect, with the ultimate rom-com earning the top spot.
As for new releases, 85 percent of those polled said they do plan to catch something in theaters this holiday season. Green Book came in fifth, while Mary, Queen of Scots took the fourth-place crown. The Favourite was the third-favorite pick, and Aquaman swam in at no. 2. Over half of voters, however, thought Mary Poppins Returns looked like the best option, and the Disney sequel easily took the top (spit) spot.
All I want for Christmas is…
If you could have any single item from your favorite movie or TV show, what would it be? Apparently inspired by the new movie, some fans chose Mary Poppins’ umbrella, which floated into fifth place. Doctor Who’s TARDIS came in fourth, though in fairness, only fans in the present day were polled. The third most-desired prop was a Game of Thrones sword, followed by a Harry Potter wand (second place). In a blast from the past, Back to the Future’s DeLorean zoomed into first place straight from 1985.
Send your wish list to…
When asked to take part in a round of fantasy celebrity Secret Santa, EW discovered that pop culture fans thought Reese Witherspoon would be a good gift-giver (No. 5). Coming in fourth place was the Queer Eye’s Fab Five, though millennials said yassss to that gorgeous quintet above all other picks. In third, voters were craving presents from Chrissy Teigen, while Hugh Jackman was deemed the second-greatest gift man. And in first? Oprah Winfrey, obviously.
Carolers out in the snow
Forget Carpool Karaoke — how about a celebrity caroling party? EW’s survey revealed which stars the panel would most love to have a sing-a-long with, and in fifth and fourth place, respectively, fans said they’d choose to have a blue Christmas with Elvis or would like to just dance with David Bowie (both, presumably, via hologram). They also wanted to come together with the Beatles (third place) and dive into the deep end with Lady Gaga (second place). Coming in at the top spot was modern Christmas queen Kelly Clarkson.
Oh, bring us our figgy pudding
Obviously, the holidays are all about a little indulging. When it comes to yuletide treats, tamales were the panel’s fifth-favorite Christmas food, while latkes came in fourth. A classic ham was number three, and eggnog — no mention whether spiked or not — snagged second place. But nothing could top Christmas/gingerbread cookies. Cheers!
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