The Geekiary’s Top 4 Non-Christmassy Christmas Movies

Ah, Christmas. The time of year to cuddle up with loved ones, throw another log on the fire, and watch family favorites that you can only bring yourself to watch once a year. A Christmas Story, It’s A Wonderful Life, The Bishop’s Wife… all classics.

But we here at The Geekiary have our own more unique holiday favorites and we present to you our top four non-Christmassy Christmas movies.

• Die Hard (1988): The 1980s saw an influx of action films but none were as holiday-themed as jolly ol’ Die Hard. Starring a still kind of sexy Bruce Willis and a non-Snape Alan Rickman, Die Hard is a heist film that happens to take place on Christmas Eve. Is it important that it’s Christmas Eve? Not really. The important things about the movie are the explosions, adrenaline-pumping suspense, and the wisecracks by the streetwise John McClane, played by Bruce Willis. For some action fans, Die Hard is the ultimate 1980s action flick. For us, it’s a holiday classic.

• Iron Man 3 (2013): Forgot this one was a Christmas movie, didn’t you? Tony Stark’s third solo installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a definite upgrade from the forgettable Iron Man 2. Along with a kickass Pepper, a surprising twist to the villain, and a thoroughly non-annoying child character, Iron Man 3 took place during the most wonderful time of the year and kept audiences laughing and engaged. Of course, it’s sadly on Christmas that Tony’s house is blown up but luckily, he is Iron Man. He’s sort of used to that sort of thing. He just has to work on his gift-giving abilities.

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  The Thin Man (1934): Before The Thin Man, marriage usually meant the end of the story. In this sparkling adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s smart high-society detective novel of the same name, The Thin Man proved that a married couple could be funny, sexy, and just plain wild about each other. Sure, the money helps, along with the copious amounts of booze Nick and Nora imbibe (which got cut down in the later sequels) but together, Nick and Nora make a wisecracking and deliciously good-looking pair who just happen to solve murder mysteries for kicks. The Thin Man also features one of the best Christmas party scenes in cinema history in which Nick and Nora host an array of interesting characters, from former convicts to lawyers to just random alcoholics sobbing into the phone, and still manage to quip and grin at each other from across the room. The dialogue sparkles with great one-liners (“I read you were shot five times in the tabloids.” “It’s not true. He didn’t come anywhere near my tabloids”) and will most likely inspire you to start wearing 1930s gowns and solve the mysteries of the rich and famous.

•  Edward Scissorhands (1990): Okay, technically, it’s not really Christmas until two-thirds into the movie. But for an entire generation of 90s kids who grew up during Tim Burton’s cinematic heyday, Danny Elfman’s hauntingly beautiful “Ice Dance” is synonymous with winter wonder and an elfin Winona Ryder dancing in the falling snow. And like Christmas in real life, sometimes you don’t get what you want but for a few brief moments, Edward Scissorhands will make you believe in magic, kindness, and that Johnny and Winona would last forever.

What are some of your favorite non-traditional holiday movies? Tell us below and have a happy holiday!

Author: Kerry

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