I would like to start off by saying that this is not a dig at Die Hard. I think it’s a good movie. I just strongly believe that it should not be categorized as a Christmas movie. 

And, for those of you who believe that Die Hard should be categorized as such, you’re wrong. 

This isn’t a new debate. People have been fighting over whether or not Die Hard should be considered a Christmas movie ever since it came out in 1988. This polarizing topic has ripped apart families, friendships, and dividing people. Nonetheless, there is only one right answer.

When I think of Christmas movies, those that come to mind are Elf, Christmas Vacation, and Home Alone. 

All those movies have common Christmas themes. They center around family, love, friendship, and magic. It’s that simple. 

Die Hard does NOT.

Freshman Nora Sharman put it perfectly when she said Die Hard just “happens to take place during Christmas.”

It’s literally an action movie that coincidentally occurs around Christmas. That alone does not make it eligible to be considered a Christmas movie. 

The fact that it is during Christmas quite literally adds nothing to the plot. For all we know, it could’ve been set to take place on Halloween and they just got lazy to wait until Halloween to film. It’s a possibility. 

A Christmas party, hostages, and explosions, sums up Die Hard. Now, only one of those things is something that you see in a holiday movie. 

Going to save his family from a holiday party gone wrong, Bruce Willis takes the night into his own hands. Ah yes, yet another story about a man trying to “save the day” from a crisis that could have been avoided all together.

He and his wife are in the middle of separating, when there becomes a hostage situation that Bruce Willis has no choice but to do on his own. This doesn’t have anything to do with Christmas cheer. It simply takes place at a Christmas party.

 There aren’t any of the common themes that you see in any baseline holiday movie. No love, family, magic, or miracles. It’s just an explosion, man fights another man, bam. He wears a Christmas hat. He doesn’t have shoes on, his feet get hurt. Story is over. 

I’m not saying that every Christmas movie has to have all of these elements, but at they should at least incorporate some of them. I will acknowledge that at the end of Die Hard he gets back together with his wife. However, they don’t reconcile for reasons because of the holiday cheer and Christmas magic. 

“Everyone says when the broken couple kisses at the end it is ‘in holiday spirit’ but it is really because they were both almost just killed and didn’t want each other to be killed,” Sharman said. 

Yes, at the end it does snow and everything is all “happy,” but talk about a cliche ending. How annoying. Like, good for you Bruce Willis, you did it. You’re a hero, and now you and your wife are getting back together. Just because you were put through a moment of panic, you are suddenly in love again. 

With Kenna’s logic that Die Hard is simply a unique take on Christmas movies, you could just about argue that any movie with snow is a Christmas movie. It wouldn’t take much for a movie to qualify as “Christmas.” 

If Die Hard can be considered a Christmas movie, then Mean Girls might as well be considered one too. I mean, according to Kenna’s rules, since Mean Girls does contain parts that take place around Christmas, and the iconic holiday talent show, then it’s easily a Christmas movie.  

Yeah…I don’t think so. 

Filming wasn’t all jolly for the cast and crew either. 

Bruce Willis lost ⅔ of his hearing after a machine gun went off next to his ear while filming one day.  Wouldn’t you think that a Christmas movie would be a little less violent than that?

There is no sense of “holiday cheer” whatsoever. If explosions and constant action are new criteria for Christmas movies, then I’m not sure that Elf would make the cut. 

There is a Santa hat in the movie. So I guess if you count “holiday props” as points, then I’ll allow two holiday points to be awarded. 

I’ve only seen Die Hard twice, but that doesn’t mean I won’t watch it again. I simply just won’t be viewing it during the holiday season. I just don’t understand how someone could be sitting on their couch, with holiday decorations all set up, hot cocoa in hand, and turn to Die Hard to fulfill their holiday needs. 

I don’t know about you, but when I gather around the Christmas tree with my family, Die Hard is not the movie pick. 

So, next time your family asks for a movie suggestion to watch around the holidays, don’t say Die Hard. If you don’t believe me, why don’t you try watching it on Christmas Eve and tell me if you still think it’s a holiday movie. Then we’ll see whose side you’re on.