Michigan Makes the ‘Grinch List’ for Christmas Spirit Rankings
Santa Claus is comin' to town and he might just hop right back in his sleigh and fly away once he lands in Michigan this Christmas. Apparently, the Mitten State is losing its Christmas spirit and embracing itself as a Grinch.
Michigan is supposed to have such a solid holiday reputation that, surprisingly, so many publications are consistently showing that Michigan isn't such a holly-jolly place this time of year. First Frankenmuth loses out on being the Christmas haven of the state, and now it appears the whole state is on the Naughty List.
Innerbody conducted a study that ranked states by how festive they are based on Google Trends and search data. Michigan didn't fare as well as you might expect for a state that enjoys wearing Ugly Christmas Sweaters.
While there are certainly much more Scrouge-like states across the country, Michigan is below the bar for its festive spirit, especially given its reputation. Michigan landed as the 31st-most festive state in the country, that's the 19th-most 'Grinchy' for those keeping score at home.
Michigan failed to keep pace with most Midwest states. Indiana and Ohio were ranked 11th and 12th respectively for most festive while Wisconsin hit the top 10 at 7th. Michigan did out-pace Illinois as they landed at 33rd, or 17th-most 'Grinchy'.
Illinois likely performed so poorly because Chicago is one of the biggest Grinches out there when it comes to city rankings. A separate study by Finance Buzz ranked Chicago as the No. 8 'Grinchiest' city in the United States as the city has the second-fewest toy stores relative to its population and the fewest shopping centers and malls per capita in the country.
Finance Buzz gave each qualifying city a final score for Grinchiness, where a low score means the city is more 'Grinchy' than the last. Chicago scored a 36.5. Detroit was not too far behind, earning a 46.1, which was slightly Grinchier than average.