Throughout the week, you all have been voting on your favorite holiday movies on the @cshs_chargers Instagram account in our December version of monthly voting polls. After a week of blowouts culminating in a championship vote that was too close to call for the full 24 hours, one movie has emerged victorious. Here are the results.

Tier four holiday movies (lost in first round)

The Grinch (2018)

The 2018 animated rendition of the 2000 classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas was no match in round one, losing 130-433. This was the first of a plethora of one-sided votes in round one.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Sweet revenge for Halloweentown fans. Back in October, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown pulled off an upset over the believed favorite in the tournament. Now, Brown goes down to The Polar Express in the first round, facing a 270 vote loss.

Santa Buddies

We could probably make an entire Buddies tournament if we wanted. Santa Buddies is one of 14 films in the Air Bud franchise, but lost to A Christmas Carol by just 56 votes. According to the American Humane Association, during another one of the films, Snow Buddies, five dogs died due to a virus on set – so perhaps this lack of success in the tournament is for the best.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Approaching halfway through our fourth tier, the only PG-13 movie in the tournament was absolutely crushed by the more tame Elf by a vote of 484-79, the 405 vote difference being the highest of any round.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

Being pit against the first installment of its own franchise, Home Alone 2 just could not top the classic Home Alone. Not to mention, the title loses some of its novelty in this sequel, since Kevin is quite literally the opposite of “home alone” in the crowded streets of New York City.

The Santa Clause

Though the vote was close in the first round matchup against A Christmas Story, the sheer weirdness of the storyline was likely at fault here. Tim Allen kills Santa after he falls off a roof, and then he… becomes him? A Christmas Story escaped the closest vote of the first round by 34 votes.

Frosty the Snowman

Frosty got melted in the first round by Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer in a clash of Christmas stories that ended up being songs that ended up being movies. Frosty the Snowman lost 203-339.

It’s a Wonderful Life

The most recently released movie in Christmas Chronicles being pit against the 1946 release It’s a Wonderful Life proved to be instrumental in the 210 vote difference in the last matchup of the first round. Being released literally a year after WWII, the 72-year gap was too much to handle. Perhaps the loose interpretation of a “Christmas movie” was to blame.

Tier three holiday movies (lost in second round)

The Polar Express 

This movie probably holds a special place in your heart if you’re a Gen Z kid, since it seems to be a universal experience that we all watched this in school at one point in our lives. After defeating Charlie Brown in round one, though, the Polar Express came to a halt against How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The final vote count was 303-228.

A Christmas Carol

Elf continued its dominance in round two, crushing A Christmas Carol. After being in a close vote with Santa Buddies and with Elf coming off a 405-vote win, this matchup was over before it started. No more caroling in this tournament, as the door was shut in their after a 376-vote beatdown.

A Christmas Story

Continuing the trend of movies that were in closely contested matchups in round one being shut out the next day, A Christmas Story was no match for Home Alone, losing 81-439.

Christmas Chronicles

After beating It’s a Wonderful Life in the first round, Christmas Chronicles lost to the most famous reindeer of them all in the second, rounding out our fourth tier of movies.

Tier two holiday movies (lost in semifinals and championship)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

The semifinals marked the beginning of some highly controversial results, some heavyweights finally being eliminated. The first of which was the widely regarded How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and not the animated one this time. Going against eventual finalist Elf, the matchup was decided by just 41 votes.

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer

Phineas and Ferb, The Great Pumpkin, dinner rolls… it’s bound to happen – in every tournament we have done, there has been at least one unpredictable run by a candidate that we thought had no real shot at making it deep in the bracket. Living up to the jingle, this 55-minute holiday movie will go down in history.

Elf

Putting Elf in tier two almost feels illegal given how incredibly close the final round was. After steamrolling through National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Carol, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Elf was pit against Home Alone in the championship and held the lead through the first hour, but Home Alone stormed back. From then on, it was anyone’s game. After 24 hours of flip-flopping, the vote count shifted in favor of Home Alone by 5. 

Tier one holiday movie (won championship)

Home Alone

No better finish could have been scripted for Home Alone, winning it all after amassing 1,528 votes across the tournament. It doesn’t get much closer than this.

Thank you to all of our voters and congratulations if your favorite movie emerged victorious! Stay tuned for future tournaments – now, get to studying, and good luck!