John McTiernan’s classic 1988 film Die Hard has become a staple of the action movie genre. Based on a 1979 novel titled Nothing Lasts Forever, Die Hard is a borderline perfect movie. The action is stellar, the stakes are continually rising, and the major characters are iconic. But is Die Hard, as many would argue, a Christmas movie?

Die Hard takes place in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve. NYPD detective John McClane, played expertly by Bruce Willis, heads to the City of Angels to spend Christmas with his children and estranged wife. When he arrives at her place of business, a towering Nakatomi Plaza, the building is seized by German thieves. The setup and premise are standard action movie fodder, but its Christmas Eve setting brings into question if Die Hard can be recognized as not just an action classic but also a Christmas flick.

Alternative Christmas Movies

In the subsequent years with genre films becoming big money, there have been a number of alternative Christmas films released. Movies like Santa’s Slay, Krampus, and even 1974’s Black Christmas can all fall under this category. These are films that take place during Christmas but fall distinctly into a different genre.

It’s easy to just throw Die Hard into that category but I think Die Hard may be more than just an alternative Christmas title. While Batman Returns and Reindeer Games may be fun to watch at Christmas, they have a distinct separate theme from standard Christmas movies. Die Hard firmly places itself in the action genre but there are several themes in the film that align with the more traditional Christmas movie.

The Types of Christmas Movies

Christmas movies typically follow a few different tropes. While not all-encompassing, there are three standard plots that give away right from the jump whether a movie can be considered a Christmas film. There are the fantastical films that revolve around the myth of Santa Claus. Flicks like The Santa Claus, Elf, and Miracle on 34th Street, are all easily identifiable as Christmas films.

The next is films that borrow Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol narrative. It may seem narrow, but a surprising amount of Christmas movies follow this trope. Scrooged, Spirited, The Muppets Christmas Carol and countless Hallmark movies steal this now iconic narrative. Finally, there are movies that are just about families and the “true meaning” of Christmas. These films have little to no supernatural element but take place at Christmas time and typically involve themes of family or becoming a better person.

The Family Christmas Film

The family Christmas movie usually falls under the comedy genre and has a PG or PG-13 rating. This isn’t always the case. Some films like Bad Santa or Office Christmas Party have tried to move into R-rated comedy territory with various degrees of success. But they all share similar themes to what we would describe as a standard Christmas movie.

Two classic examples of these movies are Home Alone and National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. No one would argue that these two films are not Christmas movies even though they do not directly involve Santa Claus or retell a Christmas Carol. The reason these movies are undeniable Christmas movies is because of their setting and themes.

Setting and Themes

Home Alone is a movie about a young boy who after a series of unfortunate events, ends up home alone over Christmas. While home alone he’s forced to defend his home from bumbling bandits while his mother desperately tries to get back to her son. Christmas Vacation is a wacky comedy about a standard suburban family hosting a gang of goofy in-laws for Christmas. The setting doesn’t need belaboring. Both films take place during Christmas and there is Christmas imagery throughout. It’s the themes though that these films share that make these classic Christmas movies.

Home Alone is about protecting your home and the importance of family. Little Kevin McCallister begins the film fed up with his family. He is often overlooked and the butt of the family’s jokes. He’s happy when the family mysteriously disappears, now having the freedom to watch R-rated movies and eat entire cheese pizzas. But when a larger threat to his home emerges, Kevin realizes how important family really is. He fights tooth and nail to protect his home not just for him but for his family. The film ends with the entire McCallister clan being reunited on Christmas day.

Christmas Vacation is a little more cynical but shares many of these same themes. The holiday week grows more and more chaotic as family continues to arrive and nothing seems to go right for the Griswold family. The film’s third act involves a disastrous Christmas Eve dinner and a bum bonus from a smarmy boss. After everything goes wrong, Christmas Vacation finally culminates with the family putting aside their differences and realizing it’s a blessing to be with family during the holidays. Clark Griswold has become a better man and learned to accept his wacky family. Even if that family is your crazy cousin Eddy.

Does Die Hard Fall Into The Family Christmas Genre?

Die Hard is not a comedy and I believe this is what gives so many people pause about putting it into the Christmas movie category. But the film shares most if not all of the same themes as a standard Christmas Family movie. John McClane arrives at Nakatomi Plaza to reunite with his estranged wife. He is there to spend Christmas with his wife and children when a greater conflict arises that threatens more than just their happy holiday. McClane is forced to fight for his family. He must physically use his wits and cunning to protect what is important to him, his family. The film ends with John and his wife Holly embracing on Christmas morning before heading back to their family. It sure sounds like a Christmas movie to me.

Die Hard is an action movie but it is also a standard run-of-the-mill family Christmas movie. Maybe the creators didn’t plan this, but the film contains every aspect of the genre. The movie is filled with Christmas trees, garlands, and Christmas lights. These set dressings are located in an office building instead of a small town but that doesn’t make them ineffective holiday effects. And the theme of Die Hard, the overall arching narrative, is quintessential Christmas movie fodder.

Bruce Willis as John McClane fights for his wife and family from a greater threat. McClane goes to great lengths to save his family and in the end, he becomes a better man. Die Hard trades in slapstick comedy for machine gun fights but retains the overall themes and settings of a standard Christmas movie. The debate will probably continue to rage on but for my money, Die Hard is as much a Christmas movie as Home Alone or Christmas Vacation. It just uses as action as its vehicle for Christmas themes instead of comedy.