What counts as a Christmas movie?

That probably seems like a silly question. Christmas movies feature people celebrating Christmas, decorated trees, piles of presents, loads of snow, Santa Claus! But some movies don’t have such a clear line.

Presented here are a selection of movies that some people consider Christmas movies, while others do not.

The Home Alone Series

Probably the most Christmassy on the list. Kevin and his family gather together for a Christmas vacation, and there are plenty of presents and Christmas trees on display. A homeless man is given a Christmas miracle in the form of the sage-like advice of 8-year-old Kevin. An 8-year-old left home alone befriending a homeless man, that’s probably going to be okay, right? Even with all that holiday cheer, the core of this movie is still an 8-year-old beating the crap out of two would-be robbers. It’s beginning to look a lot like violence.

Gremlins

Well, it happens at Christmas time and Gizmo, who’s the real star of the movie, is actually a Christmas gift from failing-salesman father to can’t-follow-simple-instructions son. The rest however…

Batman Returns

It opens with a beautiful Christmas scene, which is quickly destroyed with the introduction of monster/baby Penguin. And there’s lots of snow, and… penguins, and……. Batman. Okay, so this is the point where the Christmas connection is getting a little ridiculous.

Die Hard

I’ve got nothing on this one. It happens at Christmas. A bunch of people are at a work Christmas party. That’s about it. I think Bruce Willis makes some joke about Santa Claus, but the connection is still pretty thin. Still doesn’t stop me from watching this one every year around this time!

What do you think about the movies on this list? Christmas or not? What other debatable movies should be on this list?

Fun fact about this post: I remember WAY too much about Home Alone.