The Holidays are here and everyone is frantically searching for last minute gifts, decorations and music playlists. While many of us have been cozying up next the fire, listening to Frank Sinatra’s nostalgic tunes, those at the data provider, SEMrush, have been gathering records of what the hundreds of thousands Canadians have been searching online.
Pulling the most searched-for artists, holiday movies, recipes, songs, gifts and general Christmas-themed items leading up to the season they have created the ultimate guide to understanding Canadian preferences when it comes to celebrating the holidays.
While the majority of Canadians stay loyal to classic Christmas tunes and carols, a select few seem to prefer a country cover of their favourite Christmas songs. Not surprisingly, Mariah Carey tops the charts with an average search volume of 110,000 leading up to the holidays, but the colloquial queen of Christmas is followed closely by queen of country, Dolly Parton, with 25 per cent fewer searches.
Country singer Garth Brooks tied for fifth place with the legendary Frank Sinatra, both with 41,300 average searches leading up to the holidays. The top-10 list contains 18 per cent country singers, 45 per cent classic artists such as Bing Crosby and Doris Day and 36 per cent modern artists, including acapella group Pentatonix and rock/instrumental group Trans Siberian Orchestra.
Holiday movies are great for boosting Christmas spirit among children and adults alike. Each year, holiday movie-related searches spike by an average of 267 per cent over November and December—439 per cent in December alone—when compared to the rest of the year. Surprisingly, the cult-classic, Elf did not top the charts. The humorous family favourite, Home Alone placed first with 153,250 searches in the months leading up to the holidays, followed by Love, Actually and Elf.
Die Hard saw a spike of 372 per cent in December compared to its average monthly searches and comes in as the fourth most searched-for film during the holiday season.
Christmas dinners vary across the nation and the cultures within it. Some people are excited to see family and friends over the holidays, but others are most excited about their traditional Christmas dinner. Sweets are on the mind for Canadians, with baked goods and treats making up 50 per cent of the top searched-for recipes. The Scottish sweet, Shortbread cookies top the list, followed by recipes for eggnog, a staple of the season. The Canadian creation, butter tarts, placed third with an average of 46,050 searches.
Despite the debate regarding the meaning of ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’, the Christmas classic tops the charts for Canadians’ most-searched-for Christmas song. Canadians also seemingly prefer a modern soundtrack to the season, with traditional carols only making up 10 per cent of the list.
Along with the season of giving comes the pressure to find the perfect gift for family and friends. Canadians struggle most when searching for the perfect gift for the men in their life, with 20,300 related searches leading up to the holidays. Homemade and DIY gifts are also of great interest, taking second place with 20,200 average searches.
This holiday season make sure to relax with the perfect Christmas playlist and collection of movies . . . Canadians prepare for the holidays by lifting spirits through music, movies, gifts and comforting recipes!
Photo: Gerhard Gellinger from Pixabay
