Is “Die Hard” a Christmas movie? A question that has plagued mankind for centuries. But what’s the metric for being a quote-unquote “Christmas movie”? Does it have to center around the holiday or merely feature it? If it’s the former, there’s plenty of places on the internet to spotlight “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Miracle on 34th Street“. If the latter is the case, however, then have I got a list for you.
Below is a list of movies on the National Film Registry that feature Christmas and/or the holiday season in at least one scene, therefore qualifying it to be as much of a Christmas movie as “Die Hard”. This list will be updated as I cover more movies. Let the speculation begin!
- From the Manger to the Cross (1912)
- Solomon Sir Jones films (1924-1928)
- Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
- The Crowd (1928)
- Baby Face (1933)
- The Thin Man (1934)
- Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938)
- Going My Way (1944)
- The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944)
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)
- A Star Is Born (1954)
- Blackboard Jungle (1955)
- The Night of the Hunter (1955)
- Imitation of Life (1959)
- The Apartment (1960)
- Psycho (1960)
- The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
- Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
- Multiple SIDosis (1970)
- The French Connection (1971)
- McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
- The Godfather (1972)
- Peege (1972)
- The Conversation (1974)
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
- Rocky (1976)
- Annie Hall (1977)
- Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
- Field of Dreams (1989)
- Roger & Me (1989)
- Goodfellas (1990)
- Toy Story (1995)
- L.A. Confidential (1997)
- Rushmore (1998)
Honorable mention goes to “Meet Me in St. Louis“, which is tops on my “Meet Me in St. Louis” kinda-Christmas list.
The Horse's Head 