(Merry Christmas!) What Constitutes a Christmas Movie?

(Merry Christmas!) What Constitutes a Christmas Movie? 

Merry Christmas! May you be blessed on this wonderful day and have time to reflect on the blessings given to you this holiday season! In honor of Christmas, I wanted to settle a debate, or at least give my own opinion on the matter. What qualifies a movie as a "Christmas movie"?

The debate has raged long and hard. This really began when a member of my family reminded me of a particular case. Is Diehard a Christmas movie? 

Many people seem to think so. But I am on the opposite side of that coin. I don't think Diehard should be considered a "Christmas movie".

Now, I understand that at this point, we're really just arguing semantics. I completely know what I'm getting myself in, but please indulge me in this. I think that saying a "Christmas movie" is equivalent to saying a "Robert Downey Jr." movie. What does it mean when we say "Oh, that's a 'Robert Downey Jr.' movie"? In my opinion, simply this - that the film headlines and showcases Robert Downey Jr. for the majority of the runtime and highlights him because he's integral to the film. So for example, Iron Man 1, 2, and 3 are "Robert Downey Jr." films. Spider-Man: Homecoming is not a "Robert Downey Jr. movie" under this definition because, yes, he is in the movie and he has a role that you could consider important, but it really is "Tom Holland's movie". I think even calling Captain America: Civil War a "Robert Downey Jr." film is incorrect in this case because the film is headlined by Chris Evans. 

I think essentially the same definition applies. If the film doesn't highlight Christmas, and if Christmas isn't integral to the plot, I cannot, in good faith, consider it a "Christmas movie". Again, there are varying degrees of this. For example, Diehard does utilize the Christmas setting, indeed, but it is not integral to the storyline, at least not in a truly, truly meaningful way. I would equate Diehard to Captain America: Civil War in this case. Robert Downey Jr. is a very, very important part of Captain America: Civil War, but I would argue that it's not a "Robert Downey Jr." film. 

Let's cross over the two ideas. Iron Man 3 takes place during Christmas. Would I consider it a "Christmas movie" then because it does? I don't think so. Because it's not important - it's not integral to the plot.

So - here's my bottom line: in order for me (and this is my opinion) to consider a film a "Christmas movie", it has to have Christmas highlight and heavily featured, as well as have Christmas be absolutely integral to the plot. 

Anyways, there's a little opinion piece to wrap up Christmas day. Enjoy the holidays! More posts will come through the rest of the winter - Happy Holidays! :)