The action classic, starring Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman, has spawned a franchise of five films over the course of 37 years.

Die Hard, which is on Channel 4 tonight, follows off-duty New York City Police officer John McClane as he takes on a group of terrorists holding people hostage in an LA skyscraper.

Despite all the bloody violence and swearing in the film, Die Hard is 100% a Christmas movie and here are 7 Yippee-Ki-Yay reasons why.

1. Die Hard has a Christmas setting

This is undoubtedly the most obvious reason. Die Hard is set on Christmas Eve. In contrast, Disney’s festive family favourite, Disney’s Frozen, may feature snow, but it’s actually set in the summer.

2. Die Hard has Christmas music

An essential for any Christmas movie, the soundtrack boasts three festive tunes. There’s Christmas In Hollis by Run DMC, Let It Snow! by Vaughn Monroe and Beethoven’s Ode To Joy, which are regularly played around this time of year. Theo, the hacker, even shouts Merry Christmas during the scene in which the latter is played.

3. Die Hard has Christmas references

Apart from discussing Christmas, which is frequently mentioned throughout the movie, there are also some physical references. In one of the film’s most famous shots, John leaves the body of one of the terrorists in an elevator for Gruber to find. The corpse is shown wearing a Santa hat and jumper with a message that reads: “Now I have a machine gun. Ho-ho-ho.” The grey sweater has now become a favourite among alternative Christmas jumpers. Apart from the dressed-up body, McClane also hides his gun under some Christmas wrapping paper in another scene.

4. Die Hard has Christmas movie themes

Die Hard kicks off with John McClane as a separated dad trying to come home to his children for Christmas. While other Christmas movies won’t have a group of heavily-armed terrorists in the way of making this a reality, it’s certainly just another obstacle (granted a significantly testing one) like Arnie’s time-consuming job in Jingle All The Way.

5. Die Hard has a Christmas movie villain

Forget the Grinch and Ebenezer Scrooge, Rickman’s Gruber is both those Christmas baddies all rolled into one. Not only is he a greedy money-grabber, but he’s also ruined Christmas for a lot of people by taking them hostage. What do you expect from the late actor who gave us the greatest movie villains ever? Fun Fact: His name is very similar to Franz Gruber, who composed Silent Night.

6. Die Hard has a Christmas message

The movie is about a bloody sacrificial rescue mission, reflecting the Christian belief that God was born into the world as the man Jesus Christ, to grow up and die a violent death on the Cross for our sins. Forget Santa and his elves, Die Hard actually reflects the reason for the season.

7. It has a Christmas snow scene at the end

What better way to end a Christmas movie than for it to start snowing in the early hours of Christmas Day – in LA of all places. All this is accompanied by a rendition of Let It Snow! as the lead couple kiss before being driven away for a well-earned Christmas rest. You have to admit it: Die Hard isn’t just a Christmas movie, it’s the ultimate Christmas movie.