Die Hard is a Christmas movie

When people consider their favorite Christmas movies, Die Hard is often brought up. A 1988 action film starring Bruce Willis as John McClane, an off-duty police officer who foils a group of criminals trying to pull a heist in an LA skyscraper. On the surface, this doesn't seem like a very Christmasy topic - however, the film's holiday setting make it an easy example of an 'alternative Christmas movie'. The debate rages on to this day, but I will prove that Die Hard is, in fact, a Christmas movie. To start, what is a Christmas movie? There seems to be no real definition, so I propose the following:1) The movie must be set primarily in the Christmas season. 2) The movie must feature some sort of reference to Christmas, via music, audio, or any other medium.3) The movie must feature Christmas, in some significant manner, in the plot.4) The movie must be viewed around Christmas. I posit that these criteria are vital for any movie to be considered a Christmas movie; any movie that falls within their criteria is a Christmas movie, while any movie that does not meet all these criteria is not a Christmas movie. Go ahead and apply this to any movie. A Christmas Story, for example, clearly meets all four; The Lord of the Rings clearly does not meet any of the four criteria. Some movies, like the Harry Potter films, might meet a few of the criteria (2 and 4, for example), but don't meet all of them and thus are not Christmas movies. Die Hard, as I will explain clearly, meets all four. To the first criteria, Die Hard is very clearly set during Christmas - in fact, the entire movie is set in the Christmas season. There is not a single second of the film not set around Christmas. The film's central plot point (a hostage situation) takes place in the midst of a company Christmas party. [1] There is really no debate on this point. The second criteria is also one that Die Hard clearly meets. The classic Run-D. M. C. song "Christmas in Hollis" is played early in the film,[2] while the song "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" is played during the credits. [3] At one point in the film, McClane sends a corpse of a gunman down to the terrorists with the message "Now I Have a Machine Gun Ho Ho Ho" - something that, while not necessarily Christmasy, includes a reference to the season. Beyond this, the song "Winter Wonderland" is used as a motif throughout the film's score, while sleigh bells are used as an instrument in many of the songs. Even the official soundtrack of Die Hard features a Christmas song. [4] Clearly, Die Hard meets this criteria as well. The third criteria is easily the trickiest to meet - however, Die Hard meets this as well as any other Christmas movie. The movie's plot revolves around the Christmas party - McClane's timely presence in Los Angeles at the party is solely due to his attempt to reconcile with this wife, something that is clearly within the Christmas spirit. Traveling from New York to LA is something one would not expect in, say, Thanksgiving or President's Day. Moreover, the fact that essentially one company, and all its executives, are celebrating in the building, while the rest of the building is empty, is vital to the plot - it allows the terrorists to take over the building while also having a small, easily manageable group of white-collar hostages to bargain with. Once again, this is not something that would happen in any other holiday - Christmas parties might be the only company-wide party the whole year. It is a perfect chance to strike. These are undoubtedly fundamental elements to the plot; Die Hard would not work were it not set around Christmas. One can argue, in fact that other Christmas movies meet this criteria much worse. In Home Alone, for example, Christmas is only lightly related for the main plot - one could easily make a film about a boy fending off robbers with booby traps be set around any other time of the year, as families often leave town for other holidays like Thanksgiving. In It's a Wonderful Life, a quintessential Christmas classic, the main plot doesn't revolve around Christmas, but rather a man's attempt to find meaning in his life. It could easily have been set around Thanksgiving or New Year's and the plot not change one bit. A Christmas Carol faces a similar dilemma, in that, for the most part, the setting is not tangential to the plot. In Die Hard, however, the setting, which is Christmas, is undoubtedly tangential to the plot. The fourth and final criteria is whether or not people watch it on Christmas. The fact we are even having this debate shows that we are - Die Hard is watched by many people on Christmas, and is regarded as one of the best 'alternative Christmas movies'. [6] This is the fourth, and final, criteria Die Hard meets. To conclude: Die Hard meets any reasonable criteria regarding what a 'Christmas movie' is. It is set entirely in Christmas, and Christmas imagery and music is utilized throughout the entirety of the movie. The Christmas setting is fundamental to the plot and, most importantly, people watch it on Christmas. The resolution has been upheld, so a vote for Pro is warranted. I look forward to my opponent's opening statements. References:1. . https://en.wikipedia.org...2. . https://en.wikipedia.org...3. 4. 5. . http://www.allmusic.com...6. . http://www.stuff.tv...