What's A Christmas Movie?

Every year this question is argued and worn down to nothing but Santa's red threads regarding a certain subset of movies that typically includes Die Hard, Love Actually, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. I have seen the argument made for Gremlins and most recently noticed that Batman Returns and Iron Man 3 have also made the rounds of arguments to earn or dissuade their place in the pantheon of holiday films. Sure, it can be condensed to nothing but personal taste; the holidays can have a very different meaning depending on the person. However, I do think there are a few common themes that most Christmas movies have to hold in order to qualify as a “Christmas movie”. Oh, none of which the aforementioned films carry enough of, and thus, I find NONE of them to be Christmas movies. Yes, including Gremlins.

Let's look at the common mistakes and misconceptions I think a lot of people have of what qualifies a movie to be a Christmas movie (or any holiday movie for that matter).

1. Just because the movie is set during the time of the holiday does NOT make it a holiday movie. This is a necessary, but not all-encompassing, component.

2. Just because it is marketed or released around a specific holiday, does not make it a holiday movie.

3. Just because characters in the movie may attend a holiday-themed party does not make it a holiday movie.

With those crazy ideas out of the way, let's explore what I believe are necessary ingredients for or big clues that a film is a Christmas movie. Not all have to be present, but there should be at least 4 or 5 I think. (Yes, this is a completely arbitrary number that I made up for a completely arbitrary list for which I am making up.)

1. The film has the holiday name in the title.

2. The film takes place during said holiday.

3. There is an abundance of common and popular imagery associated with the holiday.

4. The film plays at least 2 songs associated with that holiday.

5. There must be a strong use of the holiday in the storytelling. The holiday can't just serve as the setting, it must be an active participant towards the conclusion.

6. The genre must be fitting for the theme of the holiday. This one is maybe the most controversial and weakest point I have. I don't think every genre can successfully adapt every holiday, but I haven't thought this one through enough to provide any substantial evidence.

Ultimately, bypassing everything I state above, I can tie my expectations for a Christmas movie into this neat little bow: a Christmas movie must direct itself towards one of the primary themes of the holiday. Here's where it gets dicey, as those themes are not going to be the same for everyone. Joy, love, reflecting on the past, finding/rediscovering oneself, hope, family, faith, finding home.....these are all themes someone may associate with Christmas. If you can remove the holiday from the movie and still have the same plot development and conclusion, it's not a Christmas movie.

What are the main plot lines of Batman Returns and Iron Man 3? Defeating a villain. It doesn't matter that Christmas is in the movies at some point, it could have happened at any other time of the year and had the same things happen. They are not Christmas movies. The murkiest examples of this lie with movies like Love Actually, which I have watched during many'a Christmases. It's a love movie that happens to take place around Christmas, but is Christmas just a plot device or is it essential for the story? It kind of isn't. So sorry, again, not a Christmas movie.

But I am only right for me. Someone will come across this and think about how much of an idiot I am. But I'm okay with that, if someone wants to believe in the spirit of their Christmas-adjacent movies, more power to them (and their wrong opinions).