Posted on 12/13/2025 6:11:45 PM PST by DoodleBob
Some films are obviously Christmas movies, like Noelle. But that designation is not so clear cut for others. They may be set during the holiday season, and they may even touch upon Christmas themes, but does that mean they truly qualify in the traditional sense? …And the latest movie to take the stand in our great Christmas movie debate is hoping its season stock(ing) is about to go up. That’s right, it’s time to buy or sell holiday shares in Trading Places.
How much of Trading Places takes place at Christmastime?
Roughly 75% of Trading Places is set during Christmas time in chilly Philadelphia. (The other 25% runs from New Year’s Eve to January 2, with the final sequence on a tropical island taking place a during an unknown time in the near future.) The film is full of festive trees and other holiday decor, though not much Christmas music. A big important sequence also takes place during a Christmas Eve work party, which Dan Aykroyd’s Winthorpe crashes in the dirtiest Santa costume ever put on screen. It’s both delightful and disgusting.
…
Do any of the film’s major themes apply to Christmas?
Some very important themes have no connection with traditional Christmas ones. Those include racism, nature vs. nurture, and revenge. But some of the film’s biggest ideas certainly apply to the season. Greed, class structure, friendship, and kindness are all out of Charles Dickens’ holiday playbook.
(Excerpt) Read more at nerdist.com ...
Die Hard
Christmas Vacation
Die Hard II
Funny Farm
Trading Places
All Christmas movies.
I’ll add Home Alone II to my number 21. And put Mr. Trump’s scene back in!
I have a hankering for frozen concentrated orange juice.
My vote is for “Reindeer Games”. Charlize > Jamie Lee
Yippee Ki‐Yay!
To be accurate that was Seinfeld not a movie.
Yup.
CC
It is definitely better than “Die Hard”. That’s not taking anything away from “Die Hard”, because that is an amazing movie. But, the actors and performances, and the comedy in “Trading Places” are on a different level.
It qualifies.
It is nowhere near better than Die Hard.
Even in war, the soldiers get RnR.
Thats Seinfeld, not a movie. :)
Is Santa Clause 2 a Christmas movie?
Asking for a friend.
Ridiculous! Nothing is better than Die Hard.
You bet
Just saw “Violent Night” yesterday and the IMDB guest reviewers correctly say it’s Santa Claus caught up in a John McClain scenario. It was pretty good but dragged down with unnecessary cursing like too many other modern productions.
The matriarch of the family was played by Beverly DiAngelo - Mrs. Griswold of “Christmas Vacation” herself.
Before the mental deterioration set in Comedy Central gave Bruce Willis a roast where he made it clear that he doesn’t consider “Die Hard” a Christmas movie. I’d say that was the first sign of his illness.
Philly, not NY.
Authoritative! Trading Places is far superior in every artistic and aesthetic level than Die Hard. Die Hard is good and entertaining, but Trading Places is sui generis. Mic drop.
I’m throwing in Donovan’s Reef (although, admittedly, the scene was brief).
Yes, with the same redemption, as in that Jimmy Stewart movie, with the angel. Winthorpe, nose up Hah-vahd grad, stiffing his butler, and other employees. Valentine, well, doing as he can do, to get around, and knows the greybar hotel rules, unlike Winthorpe.
Winthorpe ‘s WASP girlfriend ditches him at the sign of trouble, and how it all reflects on her, and his Hah-vahd buddies.
Jamie’s “ hooker with a heart of gold”, sees more, makes a business prop, which leads to her “getting out”, and to a former longer relationship, which he is grateful for.
Valentine, who has a head on him, but the Philly ghetto is a hard shell to molt. The Dukes, in their means, gave him leverage, before the Dukes could put him back in his old life.
So, shallow Penelope lost, the greedy (( already making money on top of Olde Money, but they wanted it all), Dukes went bust, the butler was freed from the Dukes,and living comfortably. That contract P.I. received his reward. The guy on that luggage cart arguing about his turn made it to Congress.
So, yes, it is a Christmas movie. So, popcorn bucket and drink at hand, enjoy the little guy schtupping Wall Street, and a quick prayer, since the commodities market was in the basement of “those towers that just happened to fall down”.
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