Guns, violence, gore: hardly the usual elements of a classic Christmas film. The debate around whether or not Die Hard (and Die Hard 2) constitutes a proper holiday movie is almost as contentious as the inevitable annual love/hate debate over sprouts or Christmas pudding.

First, the positives. Die Hard is a movie about a New York cop defeating a gang of thieves masquerading as terrorists on Christmas Eve. That’s the plot. Which isn’t very jolly, but we’ll let that slide.

If you've been waiting for your annual rewatch, Die Hard airs tonight (December 22) at 9pm on Channel 4, and will be available to watch on Channel 4's streaming service shortly after broadcast. The movie also gets a repeat broadcast on Christmas Eve at 9pm on digital channel 4seven if you miss it tonight.

It catapulted Bruce Willis' career, transforming him from a comedy actor into an action star. Following his entertaining performance as John McClane, Willis starred in the Sci-Fi action blockbuster Armageddon and the thriller The Sixth Sense. As for Die Hard, it raked in an impressive $141.5 million at the box office, according to estimates.

For many years, diehard fans have debated whether Die Hard is in fact a Christmas film. To me this controversy is hard to fathom. The action happens at a Christmas party, the film brims with festive paraphernalia and Let It Snow blasts out at the end.

We believe in spreading the holiday cheer to those who are looking to watch something outside the usual mold of Christmas cannon of great films like "Home Alone."