With Christmas just around the corner, people across the UK are embracing the festive season by curling up with Christmas movies, blasting holiday tunes, and spending time with family getting into the festive spirit.
With almost one million Christmas songs to choose from and over 100festive films released in 2024 alone, there’s no shortage of options to get into the spirit. But which Christmas song and movie are the ultimate favourites among Brits?
To find out, Betway Casino conducted a survey of 1,000 Brits to discover their most loved Christmas movies and songs. They’ve also quizzed them on the Xmas TV specials Brits are the most excited to see this year, and which they think are the most overdone.
‘Fairytale of New York’ is the UK’s favourite Xmas song, with a third voting for this as their top festive tune
| The UK’s Top Three Favourite Christmas Songs | ||
| Rank | Song | % of people who say this is their favourite song |
| 1 | Fairytale of New York | 33% |
| 2 | Last Chrismtas | 22% |
| 3 | Do They Know It’s Christmas | 15% |
A third (33%) of Brits picked ‘Fairytale of New York’ as one of their top three favourite Christmas songs, with 51% saying they simply love it and can’t get enough of it.
Released in 1987 by The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl, it’s become a festive classic. While the song peaked at #2 on the UK Singles Chart, it has re-entered the charts almost every Christmas since its release. However, 25–34-year-olds buck the trend, with only 19% preferring it, instead favouring Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’.
Wham!’s hit, ‘Last Christmas’ released in 1984, is another enduring classic, voted for by 22% of Brits. Though it originally peaked at #2 (blocked by Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’), it finally reached the number one spot on the UK chart in 2021. 27% of women chose it as a favourite, compared to only 16% of men.
‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ by Band Aid, released in 1984, continues to be a massive success with 15% of Brits naming it among their top three favourite tracks at Christmastime.
‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ has been voted the least favourite Christmas song among Brits, with 14% singling it out as the most disliked track
| The UK’s Top Three Least Favourite Christmas Songs | ||
| Rank | Song | % of people who say this is their least favourite song |
| 1 | All I Want for Christmas Is You | 14% |
| 2 | Do They Know It’s Christmas | 11% |
| Santa Baby | 11% | |
| I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus | 11% | |
| 3 | One More Sleep | 10% |
Among Christmas songs, ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ by Mariah Carey is a conflicted tune. While it remains one of the most commercially successful and streamed Christmas tracks, with almost two billion streams globally, it is also the top three list of most disliked Christmas songs for 14% of Brits. Around 20% even outright admitted to hating it, while 22% say they are tired of hearing it, making it the most ‘overplayed’ Christmas track for Brits.
The sentiment extends to other songs, with ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ following as the second least-favourite track (11%), reflecting a mixed reception. Although 14% of people say they outright hate it, 39% also say they love it.
Tracks like ‘Santa Baby’ and ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’ also rank poorly, both with 11% of Brits naming these songs in their bottom three list of Christmas songs. Leona Lewis’s ‘One More Sleep’ also comes up short with 10% of Brits naming this tune as one of their least favourite.
Across generations, ‘Feliz Navidad’ by José Felicianoe merges as the least favourite song for 18-24-year-olds (15%), whereas ‘Santa Baby’ by Eartha Kitt is the most disliked song by those aged 65 and older (16%).
Home Alone is Brits’ favourite Xmas film, with 1 in 10 Brits saying it’s their top watch
| The UK’s Favourite Christmas Films | ||
| Rank | Film | % of people who say this is their favourite film |
| 1 | Home Alone | 10% |
| 2 | Love Actually | 7% |
| Home Alone 2 | 7% | |
| 3 | It’s a Wonderful Life | 6% |
Home Alone is the UK’s most loved Christmas movie, with 10% of Brits saying it’s their favourite, the most of any in the survey. Released in 1990, the film is enjoyed by all generations, but especially younger viewers with 16% of those aged 18-24 voting for the holiday classic as their top pick.
Love Actually takes second place alongside Home Alone 2, with 7% of Brits each voting for this as their favourite festive film of all time. It’s a Wonderful Life comes third, with 6% of votes.
Older generations favoured It’s a Wonderful Life over all others with over one in ten 65+ year olds voting for this as their favourite (11%). Interestingly, men and women disagreed the most about Elf with just 3% of men saying this is their top Xmas film, compared to 7% of women.
Almost half of Brits are the most excited for the Gavin and Stacey Xmas special, making it Britain’s top pick for Xmas Day TV
| The Christmas Specials the UK is the Most Excited for | ||
| Rank | Christmas Special | % of people who say they are excited for this |
| 1 | Gavin & Stacey | 47% |
| 2 | Great British Bake Off | 40% |
| 3 | Mrs Brown’s Boys | 39% |
The Gavin & Stacey Christmas special is set to be the most anticipated festive TV event for Brits this year, with 47% excited for it. Among age groups, 25–34-year-olds are especially eager, with 63% excited about its return. Fans have waited years to see whether Smithy accepted Nessa’s proposal, and the upcoming finale will answer all our burning questions on Christmas Day.
Following this, the Great British Bake Off Christmas special has caught 40% of viewers’ anticipation, with Mrs. Brown’s Boys close behind at 39%. On the other hand, some specials face viewer fatigue, with 66% of Brits saying they aren’t excited about Wheel of Fortune and Casualty specials, and 65% feeling similarly about Emmerdale.
Additionally, 25% of viewers feel that EastEnders and Mrs. Brown’s Boys Christmas episodes are overdone, with Coronation Street and Strictly Come Dancing specials following at 17%.
