Philosopher’s Stone is just a very good movie that just happens to have a Christmas scene in it

Okay, let’s not get too excited. We love Christmas as much as anyone who drinks eggnog. But the first Harry Potter film is just a film. Of course a good film. But a Christmas movie? Are there snowflakes on the movie poster? Does the soundtrack have sleigh bells? Does the main plot focus on the magic of Christmas? No, no and no. It definitely has magic in it. But at least for the most part, just normal, non-seasonal magic.

Not to get too technical: For a Christmas film to be officially considered a Christmas film, it must be precisely and diametrically about Christmas and not just have one scene centered around the festive season. Statistically speaking, it’s inevitable that many, many movies will contain a Christmas scene because… you know, time flies? And if we counted every single movie that contained a Christmas scene as a Christmas movie, there would be… many, many Christmas movies, so much so that an actual Christmas movie would lose all meaning.

Would you call? Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban a horror film because of the werewolf scene? No, because if we call a Christmas movie a genre, just like horror is a genre, Prisoner of Azkaban would have to be coupled with several other scary moments to officially qualify as this genre. For a Christmas film to officially join the pantheon of holiday classics, the season must be integrated into the core of the story.

We’re talking… a cantankerous old man who is haunted by three ghosts on Christmas Eve… an unhappy father who suddenly has to take on the job of Santa Claus… a snowman who comes to life… we’re talking about this These are films in which “Christmas” is mentioned at least every ten minutes, which are set around the holidays or contain jokes that can only occur at Christmas time.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is a beautiful, heartwarming film about a young, neglected child who discovers she has a magical home far beyond what she could ever imagine. And we admit that, in terms of sound, you can imagine something like this in a Christmas film. But like every installment in the Harry Potter series, we see an entire school year at Hogwarts – believe it or not, set in different seasons. Honestly, you can’t tell with the amount of knitwear everyone wears all the time. That’s Scotland for you.

And Harry’s first Christmas at Hogwarts is a truly joyful affair. We’re not Scrooges. But rules are rules and just like Hermione, we love them and stick to them. We need some order in this cruel world. It actually helps make Christmas special. No, it does. Seriously, you’d go crazy if you started eating mince pies in July.

And look. If you want to watch this wonderful Harry Potter movie in December, with a cup of cocoa, with marshmallows, wrapped in a fluffy blanket and the living Christmas magic in your heart, then go ahead. But don’t forget to whisper to yourself, “This isn’t technically a Christmas movie” before you turn it on. It is a theory anchored in proven reality and you know it. Happy Holidays to everyone!