Any Movie Can Be a Christmas Movie If You Wish Hard Enough

One of the most popular things to do Online during the holiday season is debate whether or not a specific movie is a "Christmas movie." Die Hard is the grandfather of this debate, but many movies have been trotted out in an attempt to engage people online. Heck, some people have even gone the other direction suggesting a Christmas movie is not.

The most original take on the "[blank] is a Christmas movie" genre this year is True Grit.

Is True Grit a Christmas movie? I didn't think so, but I suppose if there's some snow in there at some point and someone gives someone else a gift, it could be. It came out in December so maybe it is a Christmas movie. I only remember it being good, which is far from a requirement for being considered a Christmas movie.

What's important is that True Grit is a Christmas movie to someone. In my very important opinion any movie can be a Christmas movie if you watch it around Christmas. I am reminded of one Christmas during the DVD era where a physical copy of a movie was a common gift. One year I got a copy of Taken. And you know what? We popped that sucker in and watched it at 9am on Christmas morning. Boom, Taken is a Christmas movie just like that.

I think the same thing happened with an extended multi-disc version of The Fellowship of the Ring that I probably picked up at Best Buy for like $50 and had my mom wrap up and throw under the tree.

Another movie I associate with Christmas is The Devil Wears Prada. Why? I might have watched it the week before. Maybe it's the Christmas lights in the trees in Paris? Does anyone know when Paris fashion week is? I just know that like Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton, The Devil Wears Prada makes it feel like Christmas. It certainly has that Lifetime / Hallmark Christmas movie thing where a young woman in the big city searches for a work / life balance and eventually realizes what's most important to her.

So what is most important to you? Is it a father proving he has a very special set of skills? A quest involving a special ring? A teenager bonding with a new father figure? A harsh lesson about materialism? Whatever kind of story you want this time of year, there's a Christmas movie for you. And if there isn't just make one up.