There are lots of maps that show the favorite Christmas movies by state, favorite movies by age, and other demographic breakdowns. We’ve even talked about how demographics could fix the plots of Hallmark Christmas movies. While those things are potentially interesting to some, we care deeply about the geography of things, so we wanted to make a list of Christmas classics by geographic location. So, where do most Christmas movies take place? Let’s take a look.
It should come as no surprise that most Christmas movies are set in just a few locations, so for our purposes, we are breaking it down by regions. Since the bulk of Christmas movies often have snow, the Northeast and Midwest dominate, but there are some west coast–based movies in the mix.
Northeast
The all-time Christmas classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, is set in a town called Bedford Falls, which to be fair, is not a real place. It is, however, based on places in upstate New York, so we will allow it to be included on their list, despite not being a real place. Completely made–up places, like Whoville, are not included on our list, as we would have no way of knowing where geographically to credit it. Other movies calling New York home include “Elf” and “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”.
Other Northeast states are represented in movies like “White Christmas” the Bing Crosby classic that depicts an inn located in Vermont that no one wants to visit on that particular season since there isn’t any snow. “The Family Stone” takes place in another fictional city in Massachusetts.
Midwest
There is nothing more American than the Midwest, so it isn’t surprising that many Christmas movies are based in that region. Three classics, “Christmas Vacation”, “The Santa Clause” and “Home Alone” all call Chicago home. All were released within a 5–year span from 1989-1994, when coincidentally, Chicago saw a decrease in population. “A Christmas Story”, which highlights midwestern life for the middle class in the 1940’s, was set in fictional Hohman, Indiana, which was meant to look like Hammond, a city that borders Chicago.
West Coast
While half of “The Holiday” takes place in England, the other half takes place in Los Angeles, with many prominent and notable LA tourist spots receiving mentions in the movie. Of course, the ever debated “Die Hard” (is it a holiday movie?) also takes place in Los Angeles, with mentions of New York, as Bruce Willis’ character is a NYPD officer.
The true irony in all these movies? Many were filmed in Los Angeles studios on the west coast, while many outdoor scenes in these movies were filmed in Canada. Notably, “Home Alone” was mostly shot in Chicago, with the famous McCallister house even going up for sale in May of this year.
Does your geographic area line up with your favorite Christmas movies?
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