10 Movies People Debate Over Counting As Christmas Movies (And Whether Or Not They Are)

As the holiday season kicks off and viewers return to rewatching Christmas favorites, the debate around whether certain films actually count as a “Christmas movie” is reignited. While films like It’s a Wonderful Life, Elf, and Home Alone are certified Christmas movie classics, there are many films that audiences debate whether they count. These films can be too violent, too dark, or just not have much to do with Christmas – yet, some have become annual staples around the holiday season.

A true Christmas film must not only be set at Christmas but also have the holiday directly tied into the film’s message and themes. Christmas isn’t just part of the movie, but a fundamental element that would change the story’s meaning if the holiday was removed. Consequently, this criteria helps to settle the debates around various films that are divisively considered a Christmas movie, with the holiday status of some examples still being a point of contention after nearly 50 years.

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10 Die Hard (1988)

A Christmas Movie

The debate on whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie has raged for decades, and at this point it feels cliché to make an argument for either side. However, the first installment in the hit Bruce Willis action franchise is one of the most iconic and quotable ’80s movies, as well as a great Christmas film for those who want something more action-heavy and adrenaline-fueled. Focusing on a curmudgeon who goes through extraordinary circumstances on Christmas Eve and therefore becomes closer to his family, Die Hard‘s themes and frequent imagery associated with the holiday make it a quintessential Christmas classic.

9 Frozen (2013)

Not A Christmas Movie

It has been 10 years since Frozen was first released, and Disney’s blockbuster animated film has understandably become a comfort film for many. While the movie does have a pleasant winter aesthetic and themes of family, it does not have anything to do with Christmas or the holiday season. The film takes place in the summer, and its non-holiday setting is essential to the story as an “eternal winter” freezes Arendale. Frozen may have snow, a reindeer, and a snowman, but it’s too far removed from Christmas to add it to the list of holiday classics. There are plenty of other animated Christmas specials for families to enjoy, including the spin-off Olaf’s Frozen Adventure.

8 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

Not A Christmas Movie

Many of writer/director Shane Black’s movies take place during Christmas, as the Lethal Weapon writer often uses the season to highlight his characters’ loneliness and place in the world. His directorial debut, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, is perhaps the most imbued with Christmas, and while it may be one of the best noir comedies of all time, it is not a great Christmas movie. The film’s LA setting causes the film to lose any sense of yuletime cheer, and unlike Die Hard, the holiday isn’t built into the narrative or the characters’ arcs.

7 Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

A Christmas Movie

The final movie directed by Stanley Kubrick, Eyes Wide Shut was considered a disappointment upon release, but has since gained an avid following, especially among those who want a more twisted film for Christmas. After Tom Cruise’s Bill finds out that his wife Alice, played by Nicole Kidman, has been having seductive dreams about other men, he goes on a bizarre odyssey across New York. Exploring the dark and uncomfortable thoughts that being together during Christmas brings, Eyes Wide Shut is a final masterpiece from one of the greatest directors and a perfect Christmas film, but one to watch alone.

6 Black Christmas (1974)

A Christmas Movie

Before Friday the 13th and Halloween, Bob Clark made one of the first slasher films, Black Christmas. The director behind A Christmas Story took a darker look at the holiday, with a killer who stalks a sorority house over Christmas break. The film is scary even by today’s standards, and the cold Christmas setting only makes the horror more chilling and haunting. With plenty of the holiday’s imagery being featured in the film as well as the Christmas break setting being crucial to the plot, Black Christmas cements its status as a Christmas movie. There are many Christmas-themed slasher films, including several remakes of Black Christmas, but none have used the aesthetics with such a creepy result as the 1974 original.

5 Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

Not A Christmas Movie

The Harry Potter franchise has staked its claim in the pop culture landscape, and the films, the first two in particular, have a comfortable atmosphere that many associate with the Christmas season. While the films do have sequences that take place during the winter break, they focus too heavily on wizard lore, world-building, and other holidays to be considered Christmas films. The first film also has a Halloween sequence, yet that is not what makes it a staple around the October holiday. An annual rewatch is just as appropriate any time of year, as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone‘s Christmas scene is very brief.

4 Batman Returns (1992)

A Christmas Movie

Batman Returns is best enjoyed when not looked at as a superhero movie, but rather as a Tim Burton Christmas film, about what the holiday means to people who don’t have a family. The story is dark and twisted for a Batman movie, let alone a Christmas movie, but that allows it to capture a feeling of the holiday that many other films avoid. Gotham has never looked as good as it does covered in snow and Christmas lights, and Danny Elfman’s haunting score perfectly blends the themes of the caped crusader and the feeling of being lonely on Christmas in Batman Returns.

3 Carol (2015)

A Christmas Movie

Based on Patricia Highsmith’s The Price of Salt, Carol is an LGBTQ+ romance set during Christmas in the 1950s. From the characters’ first interaction at a holiday sale, Christmas invades almost every second of Todd Haynes’ intimate drama. Focusing on love, identity, family, and the passage of time, Carol scratches every itch of a Christmas movie, while also being one of the most introspective dramas of the past decade.

2 Gremlins (1984)

A Christmas Movie

Christmas is the inciting incident in Joe Dante’s ’80s classic Gremlins, as Zach Galligan’s Billy is given a Mogwai as a present, which leads to unintended havoc. Gremlins is one of the most chaotic Christmas movies ever made, as the little monsters rampage through the town, destroy decorations, and spit in the face of holiday cheer. The film also includes one of the strangest monologues ever put on film, as Phoebe Cates explains the origin of her hatred of Christmas. A darkly funny, yet family-friendly romp, Gremlins is perfect for a good laugh and scare for the holidays.

1 The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

A Christmas Movie

For years, it has been debated whether Henry Selick’s stop-motion film, The Nightmare Before Christmas, is a Christmas film or a Halloween film. While the movie takes place mostly in Halloweentown and stars a collection of spooky monsters, only one holiday is in the title. Jack Skellington’s tale is about discovering the true meaning of Christmas in one’s own way and accepting joy as it comes to the individual. While the costumes may be a hit at Halloween parties, the themes are inherently tied to Christmas, and so is the Tim Burton-produced film.