Is ‘Die Hard’ a Christmas Movie?

25 Nov

The debate over whether Die Hard qualifies as a Christmas movie has raged for years.

My husband insists Die Hard is a Christmas movie.

I represent the opposing team.

To me, the answer lies in how we define the genre. While the film features a holiday setting and the odd festive touch, its themes, tone, and purpose align more closely with an action thriller than a traditional Christmas movie.

If I were on that debating team, here would be my arguments:

Christmas is Secondary, Not Central
At the heart of a Christmas movie is its focus on the spirit of the holiday—love, togetherness, generosity, and redemption. Classics like Love Actually and Home Alone revolve around these values. In contrast, Die Hard tells the story of NYPD officer John McClane battling terrorists to save his estranged wife and others trapped in a Los Angeles skyscraper. I know the film is set during a Christmas party, but the holiday backdrop is incidental to the story, not integral. The plot could unfold at any other time of year without fundamentally altering its core.
Tone and Genre Define the Experience
Christmas movies are designed to evoke warmth, joy, or nostalgia. They bring families together and emphasise uplifting messages. Die Hard delivers adrenaline-pumping action, violence, and suspense. Explosions, gunfights, and witty one-liners dominate the film, creating a mood far removed from holiday cheer. Its tone is more aligned with films like Lethal Weapon or Speed—exciting and entertaining, but hardly festive.
Merchandising Isn’t Enough
Many argue that the presence of Christmas imagery—decorations, music like "Let It Snow," and John McClane's “Now I have a machine gun. Ho-ho-ho” quip—cements Die Hard as a Christmas movie. However, the inclusion of holiday elements feels more like set dressing than a genuine embrace of Christmas spirit. The film has been co-opted as a holiday staple largely due to pop culture and marketing, not because it embodies the genre's essence. The audience decided it was a Christmas movie, I don’t think it set out to be one (although I dare say the makers aren’t complaining, given it gets watched—and argued about—every year).
The Legacy Test
When considering what makes a Christmas movie, ask whether the story would lose its identity if stripped of the holiday setting. Films like The Grinch or Elf are inseparable from Christmas. Die Hard on the other hand, would remain a thrilling action film even if set at a New Year’s Eve party or a corporate retreat. It was also released in July!

So just because it has Christmas IN it, doesn’t make it a Christmas movie. John McClane is a hero to some and while he may be delivering justice, he sure isn’t delivering tidings of comfort and joy.

And if my arguments aren’t enough, here’s the man himself telling us what he thinks.

Which team are you on?

Affirmative (Yippee Ki Yay YES, Die Hard is a Christmas movie) or

Opposing (NO, that’s ridiculous)?

Join the chat.

Kylie