Yippee-ki-christmas-film

Every year the same debate.

And every year that someone doesn’t believe the irrefutable fact that Die Hard is a Christmas film an angel loses its wings. Why? Why would you be so cruel to angels? They need those wings.

Whilst babysitting for a friend this evening, I had my first seasonal watch of Die Hard and chose to ask myself some pretty searching questions: is it a Christmas film? And if the children I was looking after didn’t want to see Karl bursting out of the bodybag (zipped up with his assault rifle upon supposed death for some reason) then why didn’t they go to bed when they were asked? Also, should I have another dual pack of white chocolate covered Oreos?

Putting the wide-eyed silent screams of the now forever traumatised children behind me, I brushed the biscuit crumbs from my chest and started making a few bullet points of why Die Hard most definitely is a Christmas film….

1. The Die Hard screenwriter; Steven E. de Souza, states it is a Christmas film.

2. Die Hard Director; John McTiernan, states it is a Christmas film.

3. John McClane is flying to LA to join his estranged wife at her company Christmas party on Christmas Eve.

4.His wife? HOLLY Gennaro/McClane. HOLLY. 

5.It features Christmas music within the opening credits - Christmas in Hollis by Run-DMC.

6. It’s a Christmas Eve party on the 30th floor of the Nakatomi Plaza where all the action happens. 

7. “Now I have a machine gun. Ho-Ho-Ho.” Clear invocation of Father Christmas’ arguably most famous ejaculation (the second part anyway).

8. The Christmas bells refrain throughout the film.

9. McClane uses Christmas sellotape to tape the gun to his back at the end.

10. Holly’s Christmas present (“it’s a Rolex”) from Ellis proves to be the final nail in Hans’ coffin.

11. Argyle’s final line of the film: "If this is their idea of Christmas, I gotta be here for New Year's"

12. The film closes with Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! a mainstay of every Christmas compilation album since the dawn of time.

“Oh, oh, but dunkyc, you could take the same film and set it in July!” Yeah, and in the immortal words of Gina D’Acampo: “If my Grandmother had wheels she would have been a bike”. They didn’t and it isn’t. Know why? Because it’s a Christmas film!

Regardless of where you come down on this, I’m sure that most can agree that it is a true classic and we should all just get along and enjoy it.




And admit that I am right.