Holiday Favorites!

The favorite holiday movie is "It's a Wonderful Life." Nearly one-quarter of Americans surveyed by The Harris Poll say this 1946 film, starring James Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore, is their favorite holiday movie, followed by "A Christmas Story." What do we like and dislike the most about the holidays?

Favorite holiday movies:

• "It's a Wonderful Life" (23 percent) 
• "A Christmas Story" (19 percent) 
• "Miracle on 34th Street" (17 percent) 
• "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" (13 percent) 
• "The Santa Clause" (8 percent) 

Favorite holiday traditions:

• Spending time with family and friends (58 percent) 
• Holiday dinners and parties (9 percent) 
• Finding and giving presents (6 percent) 
• Putting up holiday decorations (5 percent) 
• Watching television specials (5 percent) 
• Hearing holiday songs on the radio (5 percent) 
• Receiving presents (3 percent) 

Least favorite holiday traditions:

• Spending too much money (27 percent) 
• Holiday shopping crowds (24 percent) 
• Putting up and then taking down the decorations (8 percent) 
• Finding and giving presents (5 percent) 
• Eating and drinking too much (5 percent) 
• Watching television specials (4 percent) 
• Hearing holiday songs on the radio (4 percent) 
• Spending time with family and friends (2 percent) 

Favorite holiday songs:

• "Silent Night" 
• "White Christmas" 
• "O Holy Night" 
• "Jingle Bells" 
• "Little Drummer Boy" 

The holiday song you hope you never hear again:

• "Jingle Bells" 
• "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" 
• "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" 
• "White Christmas" and "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" (tie) 

Favorite holiday animated TV special:

• "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" (22 percent) 
• "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (20 percent) 
• "Frosty the Snowman" (9 percent) 
• "The Year Without a Santa Claus" (4 percent) 

The holidays are often a stressful time, but they are also a time to give people a chance to get together with friends and family. Often, a favorite song or show can prompt holiday memories from long ago. Or hearing one of these favorite songs can help ease some of the hectic seasonal scheduling so many Americans have to deal with this time of year.