Gathering around the television with family to watch classic holiday films is just as integral to Christmas celebrations as trimming the tree or savoring a glass of eggnog, even if everyone can recite the lines by heart.
While many might feel they know every moment of beloved holiday movies such as Elf or It’s a Wonderful Life, observant fans have uncovered a hidden detail in a favorite Christmas film that had previously gone unnoticed.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of Home Alone, now a holiday favorite, featuring Macauley Culkin’s memorable portrayal of the eight-year-old Kevin McCallister.
However, this story, which involves two parents who prioritize luxury travel over ensuring all their children are accounted for, includes a glaring mistake suggesting Kevin might not be the only one inadvertently left behind.
For anyone unfamiliar with this festive film, it begins in the McCallister family’s opulent Chicago residence, as Kevin’s family and cousins prepare for a trip to Paris. Following an altercation, Kevin is sent to bed early.
The following morning, after oversleeping, Kevin’s inattentive parents, Kate and Peter, manage to catch their flight but fail to realize that their son isn’t with them at any point. Meanwhile, two thieves attempt to burglarize the home, only to be thwarted by Kevin’s clever strategies.
Fans of Home Alone have pointed out that Kevin would have been unable to board the flight regardless, due to a minor detail early in the film.
During a heated exchange with his brother Buzz over pizza, a drink spills onto the kitchen counter. As the mess is cleaned, Kevin’s plane ticket can be briefly glimpsed in the garbage.
This detail explains why the parents overlooked having an extra ticket. Additionally, another aspect of the film suggests another child may have been left behind, indicating the McCallister adults might not be the most reliable guardians.
During a key scene where cousin Heather conducts a headcount of the children boarding the bus, viewers see that she loses track due to Buzz’s distracting shouts. This leads Heather to mistakenly count herself twice, marking herself as both the third and eleventh child.
Confident in her count, Heather tells Kate everyone is accounted for, listing, “11, including me. Five boys, six girls, four parents, two drivers, and a partridge in a pear tree.”
Consequently, her miscount implies another McCallister youngster was inadvertently left behind.
Reddit users, who are fans of Home Alone, have noted this oversight with a mix of humor and concern, with one commenting: “It makes me think there’s another McCallister kid frozen under a bush somewhere that they didn’t even realize.”