Is Hawkeye a Christmas show?

Marvel Studios’ Hawkeye is here and there is no doubt that a debate about whether or not it’s a Christmas show is on the horizon.

There are two types of people: those that think Die Hard (and various other films) is a Christmas movie and those that think it has no business being anywhere near such classics as Christmas Vacation, Scrooged, and other holiday favorites.

What once started as a Die Hard argument has evolved into an ever-present analysis involving picking apart films and/or TV shows that dare mention winter/Christmas. Gremlins, Batman Returns, and Iron Man 3 have entered the conversation. And while that conversation is usually reserved for films, Hawkeye is the latest story to enter the debate.

But before we can answer if the latest Disney Plus Original is the next holiday classic, we’ve got to determine what makes something a Christmas movie (or, in Hawkeye’s case, a Christmas show).

The Christmas Movie/Show Rules… will Hawkeye pass?

I’ve been thinking about what qualifications could be used in the weeks leading up to Hawkeye’s run. Reel to Reel came up with three qualifiers that certainly came to mind as I watched the show’s first couple of episodes, suggesting that if any movie or show meets at least two of these, it can (and should) be considered a Christmas movie/show:

• Is the film set during the Christmas season? – The bulk of classic Christmas movies have their climax on Christmas Eve, but I feel that any time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is also acceptable.
• Do any Christmas characters play a big role in the project? – For example: Santa Claus, Rudolph, Frosty, and Krampus.
• Does it feature traditional Christmas themes, like love, family, generosity, hope, faith, redemption, or even fear – Most of these are obvious. Fear, at first glance, may seem out of place. But think about one of the most retold Christmas stories out there? A Christmas Carol is about four ghosts who try to scare a cranky old man into becoming a better person.

Using Reel To Reel’s good set of standards to determine whether a film/show is a Christmas movie/show, let’s apply them to Hawkeye and see if it is actually is a Christmas show.