Every year about this time we get the silly debate about whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie. The answer is obvious. And on Monday, the day before Christmas, the New York Police Department gave a clear answer to this important question while also shouting out their counterparts in Los Angeles.
On this Christmas Eve, we’d like to acknowledge our partners at @LAPDHQ who have been working with us to protect Christmas since Hans Gruber’s 1988 attack on Nakatomi Plaza. #DetectiveJohnMclean #YesItsAChristmasMovie pic.twitter.com/qOEgD1Lqt3
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 24, 2018
Wrote the Twitter account of the NYPD: “On this Christmas Eve, we’d like to acknowledge our partners at @LAPDHQ who have been working with us to protect Christmas since Hans Gruber’s 1988 attack on Nakatomi Plaza. #DetectiveJohnMclean #YesItsAChristmasMovie”
(Before we go further, let’s remember that Bruce Willis’ character in the five Die Hard movies was named John McClane and not, as the NYPD wrote, John Mclean.)
Aside from the McClane misspelling, this is a brilliant tweet because McClane was a New York cop before he traveled to Los Angeles to crash the party hosted by his estranged wife’s employer who was the target of a group of German terrorists led by uber bad guy Hans Gruber.
Luckily, McClane, with the help of fellow LAPD officer Al Powell, foiled Gruber’s plans before Gruber fell to his death. Here’s footage of Gruber falling out of the Nakatomi Plaza as McClane saves the day just before the Christmas classic “Let It Snow” fades the movie to black. Also note the jingling of the bells just before McClane goes into action, further proving that this is indeed a Christmas movie.
After the NYPD tweet, the LAPD Twitter account was more than happy to celebrate their fantastical partnership, writing (with just a hint of West Coast snark), “On this Christmas Eve, we too would like to acknowledge our partners at @NYPDnews for their continued partnership—they’ll always be more than welcome to follow in McClane’s footsteps & come to the (better) coast & have a party. Yippie Ki Yay & ho ho ho. #YesItsAChristmasMovie”
On this Christmas Eve, we too would like to acknowledge our partners at @NYPDnews for their continued partnership-they’ll always be more than welcome to follow in McClane’s footsteps & come to the (better) coast & have a party. Yippie Ki Yay & ho ho ho. #YesItsAChristmasMovie pic.twitter.com/yAKpZK7eIa
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) December 24, 2018
If before, you were unsure about whether Die Hard is a Christmas tale, two of the biggest police forces in the country have now given their approval. And if you’re inclined to believe them and now have seen the light, welcome to the party, pal.