Every year there are the same round of movies that appear in my holiday rotation and you probably have been playing some of these movies in the background while the arguments ensue about whether "Die Hard" counts as a Christmas movie. Though this collection of movies over the years capture the holiday spirit in unexpected ways and aren't considered by all to be Christmas movies.
My Christmas Movie List
These films where Christmas serves as more than set dressing, where the season shapes the story and even when that story involves heists, existential dread, or some other action inspired rush.
Die Hard (1988)
I know what you're already saying, and Yes, it counts. I’ll die on this hill. John McClane visits his estranged wife at her company Christmas party, and terrorists take over the building. The entire film hinges on Christmas, the party that brings everyone together, the snow falling at the end. It’s not a movie that happens to be set at Christmas; it’s a movie about showing up for your family during the holidays, with machine guns.
Die Hard 2 (1990)
Lightning strikes twice at Christmas. I'm surprised they didn't keep this theme rolling throughout all the Die Hard movies. This time McClane is waiting at Dulles airport to pick up Holly when mercenaries seize the air traffic control system. The holiday setting works even harder here, planes circling in a snowstorm, the desperation of Christmas Eve travel turned into life-or-death stakes. It’s bigger and louder than the original, but the Christmas bones are solid.
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Shane Black directed this, and the man sets everything at Christmas (he also wrote "Lethal Weapon"). This remains one of the more personal MCU entries, and the Tennessee Christmas sequences ground Tony Stark’s PTSD arc in something recognizable. It’s a movie about rebuilding yourself, which feels appropriate for the season.
Gremlins (1984)
This one doesn’t get the Christmas movie credit it deserves. Joe Dante made a horror-comedy that’s genuinely about the holiday, the gift that goes wrong, the small-town Christmas atmosphere, Phoebe Cates’ infamous monologue about why she hates Christmas. It earns its place on the shelf.
Why These Work
These unconventional Christmas movies hit differently than the ones you can find on the Hallmark channel: the holidays are complicated. They're about family, yes, but also about who's missing from the table.
What’s on your unconventional rotation? I’m always looking to add to the list.