Every year when the holidays come around, a common family tradition is kicking back and watching their favorite Christmas movies. Another unavoidable tradition is the debate on whether or not Die Hard should count as one of those favorite Christmas movies. Although many people will unequivocally tell you it absolutely shouldn’t count as one, I’d argue that it should count as a Christmas movie, and I’ll explain to you why.
First, I think it’s important to talk about what exactly a Christmas movie is. For me, there are two categories, and I’d like to explain my thinking for both of them.
- The Santa Movies
The name for this category is a tad misleading, as movies in this category don’t have to be about Santa Claus to be apart of it. This is the group of movies that specifically have to do with famous parts of Christmas culture like elves, reindeer, Christmas spirit, and of course, Santa. This category contains movies like Elf, Rudolph the Red Rosed Reindeer, The Santa Clause, The Polar Express, and other movies with similar mystical and festive properties. This is where I’d argue The Nightmare Before Christmas belongs. Yes, it does take place in a town of nothing but endless Halloween, but the movie is really about learning the spirit of Christmas. There’s also a big emphasis in the movie of Santa, too much for something that people claim isn’t a Christmas movie. Obviously, Die Hard does not belong in this category (Unless of course John McClane is Santa Claus).
- Christmas Movie by Proximity
This group exists for the other 98% of Christmas movies out there. Hallmark owns this category. They mass produce Christmas movies like they’re working an assembly line, and every single one is about people falling in love during Christmas. They don’t have to be romance movies though. Basically any Christmas movie that doesn’t involve the likes Santa or Christmas magic goes here. Movies like Love Actually, The Holdovers, and both Home Alone movies belong here.
I’d like to talk more about the first two Home Alone movies. These are both definitive Christmas movies, but I think the way we grade them should be the same way we grade Die Hard. For starters, I don’t think any of these movies necessarily need to take place at Christmas for the story to work. Home Alone could very well be a story taking place during summer vacation. If Kevin gets left at home in July instead of December, the core of the story stays mostly the same. In the second one, Christmas is even less of a main plot thread. Kevin gets up to some wacky hijinks in New York for the whole movie, and I think could’ve been even easier to make take place during summer. I must reiterate that I am not saying this are not Christmas movies. THEY ARE. But when people argue that Die Hard isn’t a Christmas movie, they always point out that it taking place during December is merely incidental.
Let’s look at the plot for Die Hard:
After flying into town for Christmas, a man is forced to interrupt his festivities when a group of robbers show up with bad intentions. The man is able to escape them, but with limit places to run and no help from law enforcement, he has to take matters into his own hands.
I’ll admit, it doesn’t exactly scream tidings of comfort and joy, but that also is the plot for Home Alone: Lost in New York.
I’m serious.
Kevin and John McClane have the exact same roles in their respective movies. The underdogs have to take down the big bad threat of the thieves in an unfamiliar maze. John McClane in the vents and construction site, and Kevin in the house that’s under construction.
None of these three movies have to take place during Christmas, but there was a specific choice to do so. Die Hard has basically all the same qualities as other classic movies, but people only pick and choose what they want to see. Christmas carols and trees and lights are everywhere, and I’d even argue that people learn the magic of Christmas in the end.
So, is Die Hard a Christmas movie? People will still firmly argue no, but I hope that at least a few of you will maybe reconsider. Merry Christmas everyone. I hope your holidays are filled with family, fun, and maybe a little bit of Die Hard.