Is 'Die Hard' a Christmas movie? Merriam-Webster dictionary settles the debate once and for all

Christmas movies are not always light-hearted, and Die Hard is one of them. However, a recent survey by the BBFC revealed that the Bruce Willis flick is not considered a Christmas classic by Brits. But the debate took us back to 2024 when someone unlikely joined the discussion: Merriam-Webster dictionary. The dictionary took to its X handle (@MerriamWebster) to settle the debate once and for all, and online users were left in splits.

Christmas isn't Christmas if people don't argue over whether Die Hard is a holiday film or not. Every year, people join the argument, and this year the Brits joined the discussion through a survey conducted by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). According to the survey, 'Home Alone' was crowned the most favourite Christmas movie; however, Bruce Willis' 'Die Hard' was proclaimed "not" a Christmas film. While the verdict tells us about how people perceive Christmas movies to be, it brought back a popular X thread that almost settled the debate surrounding the argument. On December 16, 2024, Merriam-Webster dictionary joined the debate, and it sure took a hilarious turn. The dictionary wrote, "die-hard | adjective | strongly or fanatically determined or devoted. Die Hard | noun | a Christmas movie."

For the unversed, the 1988 action thriller helmed by John McTiernan revolves around NYPD officer John McClane (played by Bruce Willis), who travels to Los Angeles on Christmas Eve to reconcile with his wife during her company's holiday party. The celebration comes to a halt when a group of armed thieves led by Hans Gruber forces McClane into a one-man fight to save the hostages. The movie unfolds on Christmas Eve with Christmas decorations, theme, and music throughout. While the movie doesn't fit the traditional settings of a classic Christmas or Hallmark movie, online users argue that the movie's values of family, hope, and sacrifice, coupled with a high-octane action blend, create a unique experience and an unconventional Christmas classic. A 2024 report by Radboud University found the reason why people keep revisiting Christmas movies every year. It found that these films create a sense of comfort, community, and nostalgia that becomes a shared ritual to bring families together, thereby cementing some un-Christmas-like movies in the Christmas Hall of Fame.

Soon, the internet went into a frenzy over the tweet and shared hilarious responses to the post. @combatsleeping wrote, "@MerriamWebster please give your social media team a nice Christmas bonus." @chelleepea commented, "The dictionary says Die Hard is a Christmas movie... end of discussion!!" @cookielyric wrote, "Die Hard is EVERYONE'S favorite Christmas movie. I feel seen!! Thank you." However, the tweet did not go down well with some users who disagreed with the dictionary. @mmmadcccowalt wrote, "Just because a movie takes place during Christmastime does not make it a Christmas movie. In other news, a hot dog is a sandwich." @JeanneK1280 wrote, "I can't believe I actually disagree with @MerriamWebster! Die Hard is not a Christmas movie! It's a really good action movie that happens to take place on Christmas Day. If you take out the Christmas music, the movie would still be just as good!! It's not about Christmas!!" @Blooms_Ghost wrote, "Sorry, wrong. We'll blame it on your devotion to American vernacular, shall we?"

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