Some folks are amused by the debate over whether "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie.

I think so, yes ...

On the other hand, I also believe "The Deer Hunter," "The Virgin Spring," "The Elephant Man," "Halloween" and "Leaving Las Vegas" are also Christmas movies.

Perhaps what I ought to do is head to the La Grua Center in Stonington Wednesday for one of their "Behind the Scenes" discussions. This one's with Andrew Gernhard, the producer of "Holiday for Heroes," a recent Hallmark movie filmed partially in Mystic and Stonington. A Norwich native, Gernhard also helmed the locally shot movies "Wishin' and Hopin'" (based on the Wally Lamb holiday novel) and "A Very Nutty Christmas," as well as other Hallmark/Lifetime efforts "Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane," "Romance at Reindeer Lodge" and "Christmas at Pemberley Manor."

"Rediscovering Christmas," also a Gernhard project, is based in Connecticut and debuts on the Lifetime Channel on December 15.

In other words: Gernhard KNOWS from Christmas movies. Should be fun to hear him talk about filming in the area and the formulae and popularity of his work.

"Behind the Scenes" with Ron Gernhard, 6 p.m. Wednesday, La Grua Center, 32 Water St., Stonington; $5 suggested donation; (860) 535-2300.