“Now I have a machine gun Ho Ho Ho,”  is a quote from one of the most famous Christmas movies of all time. No, not Grinch but Die Hard. From the message of forgiveness to the blood splatters of red on the green Christmas trees Die Hard is a Christmas film that the whole family can enjoy.

The main focus of the film is about how John McClane must save Christmas for 60 hostages while he reconnects with his wife. The film, just like any good Christmas story, takes place around the holidays. And like all good Christmas films, it has a lot of deaths, just like Grandma Got Runover by a Reindeer,  A Christmas Carol, and Jack Snowman. What is Christmas without a little bloodshed and the screams of bad guys as they fall to their death?

At the beginning of Die Hard John McClane buys a gift for his wife a big stuffed bear showing that he is trying to get his wife’s forgiveness (a theme corresponding with the film The Grinch, as shown in the scene where the Grinch was trying to get Whovilles’ forgiveness). McClane makes it to his destination, a Christmas party on top of the Nakatomi Tower in Los Angeles.

McClane is then sent to a Christmas party at his wife’s work, where a group of German terrorists break in and start taking hostages by locking the building and closing down elevators.

McClane escapes to the second floor. This scene has strong correlations to a scene in the Christmas film Home Alone when Kevin has to escape to his attic because his family is taking his free time hostage.

This parallel further proves the point that Die Hard is in fact a Christmas film. After John McClane hides upstairs, he is given the gift of a machine gun by a terrorist who just happens to die at McClane’s hand. In this scene, McClane is in Christmas spirit, he decorates the terrorist’s dead body by giving him a Christmas sweater that reads, “Now I Have a Machine gun Ho Ho Ho”. McClane then drops him down an elevator shaft, like Santa drops presents down the chimney. Then some fighting occurs and McClane happens upon a radio where he is able to wish the head terrorist Hans a Happy Holidays.

The movie also has some New Year’s fireworks when the building explodes in the middle of the film and the roof explodes, making the film one you can even watch during the weird space in between Christmas and New Year’s. At the end of the film, McClane reunites with his wife, kills Hans and saves everyone’s Christmas. So overall, Merry Christmas from Die Hard!