The query of whether or not “Die Exhausting” is a Christmas film has turn into one among Hollywood’s most persistent vacation debates, resurfacing each December as followers dissect the movie’s festive setting, seasonal soundtrack, and Christmas Eve storyline. The 1988 motion traditional, starring Bruce Willis as NYPD officer John McClane, has remained a cultural touchpoint for practically 4 many years, sparking infinite on-line debates, memes, and suppose items. Now, heading into the 2025 vacation season, the long-running dialogue is louder than ever, and a brand new voice has jumped into the dialog, and it is somebody contained in the Willis household.

Whereas talking about her household’s vacation traditions on the Finish Nicely 2025 convention, Emma Heming Willis weighed in on the discourse that followers by no means appear to tire of. She informed PEOPLE, “I believe it’s necessary to place ‘Die Exhausting’ on as a result of it’s a Christmas film.” The comment instantly made waves, not simply due to the talk itself, however as a result of Bruce Willis publicly took the other stance again in 2018 throughout his Comedy Central roast, declaring, “‘Die Exhausting’ just isn’t a Christmas film! It’s a goddamn Bruce Willis film.”

In the meantime, Bruce’s older daughters have by no means been shy about selecting a facet. In 2023, Rumer Willis kicked off the dialog once more when she shared a video to her Instagram Tales that includes her sisters Scout and Tallulah becoming a member of in. “I’ve collected all three Willis ladies,” Rumer mentioned whereas filming the trio within the automotive. With out hesitation, Scout jumped in: “It’s a f-cking Christmas film. It takes place throughout Christmas.” Rumer shortly agreed, including, “It’s a Christmas film.”

However that is not the primary time the Willis household talked about “Die Exhausting.” Again in 2020, Rumer Willis shared a touching childhood reminiscence from the set of one among her father’s “Die Exhausting” movies. The picture, posted to Instagram, confirmed a younger Rumer gently touching noses along with her dad as he stood in full John McClane mode, full with cuts and scrapes from the long-lasting motion position.

“Going by means of previous pictures and located this gem right this moment….John McClane Endlessly,” she captioned the publish, a candy reminder of how intertwined the movie is with their household historical past.

A part of what retains the discourse alive is “Die Exhausting”’s unmistakable vacation framing. The film opens with John McClane arriving at LAX on Christmas Eve with a present in hand, heading straight to his estranged spouse’s firm Christmas social gathering. All through the movie, traditional seasonal songs like “Winter Wonderland,” “Let It Snow,” “Christmas in Hollis,” and “Ode to Pleasure” set the soundtrack.

Nonetheless, regardless of the festive backdrop, viewers stay deeply cut up, and even Bruce Willis himself as soon as shot down the Christmas-movie label. With Emma now claiming the other, the conflict has turn into a brand new Willis household vacation subplot.

Past the movie debate, Emma additionally mentioned the truth of navigating the vacation season whereas caring for Bruce amid his frontotemporal dementia prognosis. She described their celebrations as joyful however totally different, noting that they’ve tailored traditions to suit this chapter of their lives. “Bruce beloved Christmas and we love celebrating it with him,” she informed the outlet. “It simply appears to be like totally different, so we’ve type of tailored to that.”

Emma and Bruce, married since 2009, share two daughters, Mabel and Evelyn. Bruce can be father to Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah with ex-wife Demi Moore.

Bruce Willis’ household first revealed in 2022 that the actor had been recognized with aphasia, a situation that impacts an individual’s means to speak. The announcement defined why the “Die Exhausting” star stepped away from performing, as aphasia can impair speech, language processing, and comprehension.

By February 2023, Willis’ family members shared a harder replace. His situation had progressed into frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a degenerative mind illness that impacts conduct, communication, and cognitive perform. The prognosis defined the fast modifications the household had witnessed and marked a brand new chapter in his care, one which his spouse and his youngsters have navigated along with openness and power.