# Is "Die Hard" a Christmas Movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [December 2, 2013, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283 "2013-12-02T14:48:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 24
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2021, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/462 "2021-11-29T01:51:39Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > No one has mentioned Black Christmas. > > The baby Jesus weeps. Sure, grisly serial killer slayings usually aren’t synonymous with images of a Santa-hatted Bing by the roaring hearth or the Bradys sledding down a hill\*, but is it possible there’s more X-Mas in BC\*\* than DH? Not bad caroling, (as far as I’m able to assess ‘good caroling’) during opening credits and then later, when Margot Kidder gets stabbed to death with some glass figurine by dude whose (crazed!) left eye is all we see of him. \*I cannot vouch for this actually being a thing. It just seems so much like something they’d partake in, that we might as well just consider it one. \*\*The '74 one - was never up to seeing the remake. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2022, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/463 "2022-11-29T23:18:27Z")
Tis the season to resurrect this thread… ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2022, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/464 "2022-11-29T23:22:27Z")
RIP Theo: > **[Clarence Gilyard, 'Die Hard' and 'Walker, Texas Ranger' star, dead at 66 | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/29/entertainment/clarence-gilyard-jr-die-hard-dead-intl-scli/index.html)** > > Clarence Gilyard, the actor best known for playing computer hacker Theo in "Die Hard" and naval flight officer Marcus "Sundown" Williams in "Top Gun," has died at the age of 66. I always thought a good Die Hard sequel would be Theo coming back to enact revenge (since it not clear if he died or not). ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/465 "2022-12-01T01:49:29Z")
Of course Die Hard is a Christmas movie - it even has its own Advent calendar:: > **[Watch Hans Gruber Plummet to His Death on This Hilarious ‘Die Hard’ Advent...](https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/hans-gruber-die-hard-advent-calendar)** > > Bad guy Gruber takes a tumble off Nakatomi Plaza in this funny ‘Die Hard’- themed countdown to Christmas. Each day before Christmas Hans Gruber falls another story closer to his death. Fun for the whole family! ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2022, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/466 "2022-12-01T06:29:44Z")
Just in case we need a movie that is both in the Die Hard style and also unambiguously a Christmas movie, here is Die Hard on a Christmas, officially known as **Violent Night** : [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/a53e4HHnx_s/maxresdefault.jpg "Violent Night - Official Trailer") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a53e4HHnx_s) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2022, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/467 "2022-12-03T19:38:18Z")
I’ll say it again: _Die Hard_ is my second-favorite Christmas movie. A close second to _It’s a Wonderful Life_. And _Lethal Weapon_ is a close third. ---
**Author:** ![Mars\_Horizon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mars_horizon/32/2804_2.png) [@Mars\_Horizon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mars_Horizon)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/468 "2022-12-13T02:11:05Z")
iTunes has Die Hard on sale for $9.99, in the Holiday Movies section of the store. Christmas movie! 🎄 ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/469 "2022-12-13T10:14:22Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I’ll say it again: _Die Hard_ is my second-favorite Christmas movie. A close second to _It’s a Wonderful Life_. But _Die Hard_ at least has a happy ending where the protagonist doesn’t end up still stuck in a miserable existence living in a falling down house that is making his children pneumonic and under indictment for embezzlement and fraud. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/470 "2022-12-13T14:50:25Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > under indictment for embezzlement and fraud. The indictment was torn up. There’s no missing money. And it’s the teacher that makes his kids pneumonic. Stupid silly teachers sending kids home half naked! What kind of school they running anyway…oh. Ahem. Now that the war and the depression are over, George’s business is going to proper in the post war boom. Old man Potter will drop dead in a couple years of bitterness, still clutching the Bailey money like Charles Kane holding his snow globe, hoping finally to get George once and for all! His last words, heard by no one, were “George Bailey…” There’s a lot of room in the post war era for George to travel, get the house fixed, enjoy his life. By the 70s there will be a huge suburb called Baileytown. and Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. But I’m just going to watch it this month, because I like it. No other reason. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/471 "2022-12-18T19:44:07Z")
This past week, when _Die Hard_ was the Final Jeopardy answer, Ken Jennings firmly asserted that it IS a Christmas movie. So that makes it official as far as I’m concerned. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/472 "2022-12-18T20:04:34Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > This past week, when _Die Hard_ was the Final Jeopardy answer, Ken Jennings firmly asserted that it IS a Christmas movie. So that makes it official as far as I’m concerned. He is, after all, the world’s leading expert on the meaning of _Ho Ho Ho._ ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/473 "2022-12-18T20:28:06Z")
> **[Jan de Bont explains why 'Die Hard' isn't a Christmas movie: 'It's a little...](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie-cinematographer-jan-de-bont-says-its-far-fetched-174557485.html)** > > De Bont explains his side over the eternal debate about whether or not "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2022, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/474 "2022-12-18T20:38:01Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > Just in case we need a movie that is both in the Die Hard style and also unambiguously a Christmas movie, here is Die Hard on a Christmas, officially known as **Violent Night** : And it’s important to note, that at one point, Santa pulls out a DVD of Die Hard, which suggests that Santa himself considers it not just a personally inspiring tale of heroics, but also a Christmas movie. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2023, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/475 "2023-01-01T07:47:20Z")
Making it even more official, the [Australian Federal Police](https://nz.linkedin.com/posts/australian-federal-police_weve-gathered-the-evidence-dug-through-activity-7011450786266173440-Akm3) have declared _Die Hard_ to be the best Christmas movie of all time. From the link: **We’ve gathered the evidence, dug through the clues, counted your votes, and today we can announce the final suspect for the best Christmas movie of all time is: _Die Hard_!** * * * **Yippee-ki-yay indeed, because Die Hard won by a mile. We don’t care if Bruce Willis said it’s not a Christmas movie, he’s not the boss of us, and the people have spoken**. * * * **We started this investigation weeks ago with dozens of suspects, culled it down to the final seven, and put it to a public vote across our social media accounts. _The Santa Clause_ took out second place, followed in order by _Love Actually_, _Home Alone_, _National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation_, _Elf_ and true to form, _The Grinch_ was voted last.** * * * **We’re happy to close this investigation for 2022, but who knows? We might need to re-open in 2023…** ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/476 "2023-01-05T10:31:38Z")
In Die Hard, a regular likeable underdog spends the entire film competing with some pretentious rich jerk and in the end wins back the love of his ex wife. What’s more “Christmas movie” than that? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/477 "2023-01-05T15:20:44Z")
Theory: “Hans Gruber” is actually a struggling angel with one final desperate challenge to repair the desperately fractured marriage of John and Holly. He concocts an elaborate plan to show McClane the error of his arrogance in wanting his wife’s career to fail and force him to accept his humility by placing their lives in jeopardy on Christmas Eve. Takagi was going to die later that night from a spontaneous massive coronary anyway, and Ellis was going to get drunk on mulled wine and kill a family of five racing around the Hollywood Hills, so their sacrifices in pursuit of his goal were justified. Karl was separately tasked with the miracle of curing LAPD Sgt. Al Powell of his PTSD before his first child was born and subjected to the inevitable emotional instability and when he discovered Hans’ plan asked if he could leverage off of it by playing his chief henchman. In a deleted scene Hans and Karl grow wings and overlook the celebration at Nakatomi Plaza while ascending into the heavens. Reporter Dick Thornberg gets a well deserved promotion as a devoted telejounalist who will do what it takes to get the story, even if it means he has to steal a truck and threaten an undocumented immigrant with deportation. That’s not a miracle per se but he does get a great idea to start a news program that will stop at nothing and cross any ethical boundary to report on celebrity gossip within the “thirty mile zone” of Hollywood, and ends up becoming a media titan before choking to death on an oyster at the restaurant he backed with very good friend and executive chef Wolfgang Puck. So it goes. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/478 "2023-01-05T15:42:31Z")
“Every time a vault lock is defeated, and angel gets its wings.” ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/479 "2023-01-05T16:03:24Z")
karl does have the pretty angel hair. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/480 "2023-01-15T15:14:37Z")
I just watched the second of the two Christmas actioners, _Lethal Weapon_. Interesting the connections between the two, Grand L Bush, who plays Agent Johnson (no relation) is detective Boyette in Murtaugh’s squad Al Leong, who plays candy bar-stealing thief Uli, is Riggs-torturing thug Endo And Riggs’ Baretta 9mm is also John McClane’s Baretta 9mm > [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > “Hans Gruber” is actually a struggling angel with one final desperate challenge to repair the desperately fractured marriage of John and Holly. Well, they didn’t do a good job. It didn’t stay repaired. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283/481 "2023-01-15T15:29:37Z")
Jeopardy! has declared Die Hard a Christmas movie, so I guess it’s settled. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283.md?page=23) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie/675283.md?page=25)