Die Hard fan thinks they've proved it's a Christmas movie once and for all

Now, a fan reckons their 12-year-old son has inadvertently proved the John McTiernan classic is indeed a festive staple.

One Reddit user shared their story yesterday, revealing how their son was "p***ed" at them after accidentally validating the action film's hotly-contested status as a Christmas movie.

"Last year, I introduced him to Die Hard and I said it was one of my favorite Christmas movies," the Reddit user explained. "All year long, he has been trying to argue that it's not a Christmas movie per se, it's just a movie that happens at Christmastime.

"My argument was that the whole reason John McClane was even in Los Angeles was to see his family for Christmas and the only reason he was at Nakatomi Plaza was for the Xmas party. He wasn't having it."

Essentially, the theory which emerges centres around the fact Christmas is integral to Die Hard's plot – that Bruce Willis' John McClane wouldn't even have been at Nakatomi Plaza had it not been for the holiday.

The Reddit user went on to detail how they had just introduced his son (a disbeliever of the Die Hard = Christmas movie movement) to Lethal Weapon, which they said they'd forgotten was set around Christmas too.

"So I start saying 'look, another Christmas movie like Die Hard!' because I know he's going to argue that it's not."

At this point in the tale, the Die Hard fan said their son impressed him with a theory: if you remove Christmas from Lethal Weapon, it doesn't alter the story.

"And he's 100 per cent right; Lethal Weapon can stand on its own without the story changing even if it happens in the third week of August. Christmas is not at all integral to any part of that movie," they said.

But the same cannot be said for Die Hard, which sees a number of plot details hang on the fact it's Christmas in LA.

"I pointed out that Gruber's gang in Die Hard needed the reduced security and number of employees in the building for a nighttime Christmas party for them to get into the building easier, but they also needed enough employees at the party to create a hostage situation that would get the FBI out so they could turn off the power, letting them drill into the vault," the fan continued. "You take Xmas out and they don't have their opportunity to make their heist. And again, McClane is in that building specifically because it's Christmas.

"No Christmas, no Die Hard," they concluded, adding that their son was "not happy about it".

Of course, the rest of the Die Hard fandom remain divided in the comments, with some in agreement about the film's festive status but others still firmly against the idea. So, even this theory probably won't put an end to the debate.

You can order Die Hard on DVD from Amazon. If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.