For a few years now, I’ve jokingly called Die Hard one of my favourite Christmas movies. I don’t know where the trend started, but it became a running joke among some people to call Die Hard an annual Christmas tradition. Without even watching the movie for years, I started saying it, too. Mostly because it was hilarious seeing some people’s priceless reactions. Now, I love the movie, but it’s been a long time since I’d last sat down and actually watched it.
Yesterday, I finally bought a BluRay copy of the movie and today, I watched it. And dammit, it truly is a Christmas movie. Just for fun, I live-tweeted through watching it and came up with some good examples of why it’s a Christmas movie. It may not be a comprehensive list, but it’s a list. So here we go with my Top 10 Reasons why Die Hard is a Christmas Movie.
10) It takes place on Christmas Eve.
9) A Christmas party at Nakatomi building is the reason why the events of the movie occur.
8) Argyle, the limo driver, puts in a cassette tape that plays a Christmas rap song.
7) Two examples of red and green symbolism: Theo (the hacker) wears green welding goggles while using a red drill to break into the vault. Gruber and his men are after money (green), while John McClane is covered in blood (red). Red and green are common colours to represent Christmas. Okay, this one’s a bit of a stretch but it counts, dammit!
6) John McClane briefly whistles Jingle Bells when he walks towards the elevator after he first entered the building.
5) Theo uses Twas the Night Before Christmas to inform the men where the police are positioning themselves.
4) “Geronimo, motherfucker.” In Doctor Who, the Eleventh Doctor uses “geronimo” as a catchphrase. Doctor Who is also well-known for having an annual Christmas special episode. Clearly, using this very well-thought and totally legitimate logic, this is a link between the two that represent Christmas.
3) My friend and fellow writer Mike Romard pointed out that the movie is just a heart-warming tale of a man who wants to reunite with his family to spend Christmas with them.
2) The movie ends with the song “Let it Snow.”
And the number one reason Why Die Hard is a Christmas Movie…
1) “Now I have a machine gun. Ho-ho-ho.”
Nick Piers 