A Very Die Hard Christmas

The snow crunched underfoot as Owen shivered on the porch of his family home in rural New Hampshire. The warm, yellow glow from the windows spilled onto the freshly shoveled driveway. Owen smiled as he glanced over his shoulder at his roommate, Andrew, whose face betrayed both awe and nervousness. 

"This is it," Owen said with a grin, clutching the doorknob. "Welcome to the chaos." 

Andrew shifted his bag to his other shoulder and adjusted his scarf. "This feels like a Norman Rockwell painting. Are you sure they’re okay with me crashing Christmas?" 

Owen waved off the concern. "They’re thrilled. Trust me, Mom’s already talking about stuffing you full of cookies and cocoa. They’ll adopt you by breakfast tomorrow." 

Before Andrew could respond, the door flung open, and Owen’s younger sister, Maddie, pounced on him. "Owen! You’re finally here!" She turned her attention to Andrew with a curious tilt of her head. "And this must be the infamous Andrew?" 

"That’s me," Andrew said, offering a slightly awkward wave. 

Before introductions could go further, Owen’s mother swooped in from the living room, oven mitts still in hand. "Andrew, welcome! I hope you’re hungry—dinner’s ready in about ten minutes. But first, come on in and thaw out." 

As soon as they stepped inside, Andrew was bombarded with the unmistakable scents of roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, and cinnamon. The living room was a riot of festive decorations: garlands laced with twinkling lights, stockings over the fireplace, and an overburdened Christmas tree with ornaments precariously dangling from its branches. 

"I told you. Chaos," Owen whispered. 

Christmas Dinner: A Warm Welcome

Dinner was everything Andrew had expected and more. Owen’s family was lively, welcoming, and full of good-natured teasing. His dad cracked jokes about Andrew being brave to survive living with Owen, Maddie peppered him with questions about college life, and his mom insisted he try a second helping of every dish. 

Andrew hadn’t thought much about spending Christmas alone until Owen offered to bring him home, but now he couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. 

"Alright," Mr. Wilson said, leaning back in his chair and patting his stomach. "Now that we’ve eaten ourselves into a coma, who’s ready for some Christmas classics?" 

"Time for Miracle on 34th Street!" Maddie chirped, already dashing to the couch. 

Mrs. Wilson nodded approvingly. "And then It’s A Wonderful Life. We can’t skip that. It’s tradition." 

Owen leaned closer to Andrew. "The movie marathon is serious business around here," he whispered.

The family’s yearly tradition was to watch Christmas movies after Christmas dinner—Miracle on 34th Street, It’s A Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol, The Nightmare Before Christmas, to modern ones like Home Alone, Jingle All The Way, Jack Frost, The Polar Express, The Grinch, Elf, Christmas With the Kranks, The Santa Clauses, and A Very Brady Christmas.

Andrew smirked. "I have a suggestion." 

The Proposal

Andrew’s comment stopped everyone in their tracks. The family turned to look at him as though he’d suggested burning the Christmas tree. 

"Die Hard," Andrew said confidently. 

The silence stretched for a moment before Maddie burst out laughing. "Die Hard? You’re joking, right?" 

"I’m not joking," Andrew said, his tone playful but firm. "It’s a Christmas movie." 

Mrs. Wilson’s brows knit in confusion. "Isn’t that the one with Bruce Willis? The action movie?" 

"Exactly," Andrew said. "It’s set on Christmas Eve, there’s a holiday party, and it even snows. Total Christmas movie." 

Owen groaned, though he was smiling. "Andrew has a theory that if a movie has Christmas decorations, it qualifies." 

"Listen," Andrew said, turning his focus to Mr. Wilson. "It has family themes, good triumphing over evil, and the guy literally writes 'Ho Ho Ho' on the bad guy. How is that not Christmas?" 

Mr. Wilson chuckled. "I don’t know, son. Doesn’t sound very holly jolly to me." 

"Come on," Andrew insisted. "It’s unconventional, but isn’t Christmas about bringing people together and making new traditions? Besides, if you don’t like it, I’ll take full blame." 

Negotiating the Tradition

There was some grumbling as Maddie grabbed the remote and loaded up Miracle on 34th Street. Owen leaned over to Andrew and whispered, "You’re pushing your luck, man." 

Andrew grinned. "Challenge accepted." 

By the time A Christmas Carol and Home Alone rolled around, Andrew had made his case several more times, going so far as to Google articles about Die Hard's Christmas credentials. 

"I have to admit," Mr. Wilson said, rubbing his chin as he stood to stretch during an intermission, "the kid makes some valid points." 

"Does this mean we’re really watching it?" Maddie asked, aghast. 

"Oh, relax," Andrew said. "It’s not going to replace Elf. It’s just one movie. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it." 

The Family Gives In

By the time the family piled onto the couches to watch Die Hard, Andrew had a pit in his stomach. What if this backfired? What if they hated it? 

The opening credits rolled, and Mrs. Wilson murmured, "This... really doesn’t feel like Christmas yet." 

"Wait for it," Andrew said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. 

The skeptical energy in the room shifted quickly. Owen’s dad started chuckling at John McClane’s snarky remarks, Maddie gasped during the first big action sequence, and even Mrs. Wilson seemed to be getting into the story. By the halfway mark, everyone was fully engrossed, shouting warnings at the screen and debating McClane’s odds against Hans Gruber. 

As the movie neared its climax, Maddie stood and mock-saluted Andrew. "Okay, you were right. It’s kind of awesome." 

A New Tradition

By the time the credits rolled, the entire family was buzzing with laughter and energy. 

"Best choice of the night," Mr. Wilson declared, clapping Andrew on the back. 

Mrs. Wilson laughed. "I’m not sure it’s replacing It’s A Wonderful Life, but I can see why people love it." 

"Does this mean Die Hard is officially part of the Wilson family marathon?" Andrew asked, only half-joking. 

"It just might be," Mr. Wilson said with a grin. "You’ll have to come back next year to make sure we keep the tradition alive." 

Andrew smiled, feeling a warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with the fireplace. He had come expecting to be a guest but left feeling like part of the family. And as far as he was concerned, this was the best Christmas tradition yet.