As Christmas approaches, my favorite way to get into the holiday spirit is to watch my favorite Christmas movies. There is one movie, however, that stands out among the rest: “Home Alone.”
“Home Alone” is a 1990 comedic Christmas film starring Macauley Culkin as Kevin McAlister. A somewhat bratty and rebellious kid, Kevin is getting ready for a trip to Paris with his family when he gets left “home alone.”
Kevin is initially happy to be left alone, away from his nagging family, but as the movie progresses and Kevin encounters robbers who do everything in their power to rob and break into his house, he realizes how important his family truly is to him.
The movie was an instant hit, becoming the second-highest grossing film of 1990 and making Culkin a household name in the entertainment industry.
When the movie first came out, my mom saw it in theatres when she was a child and it became an instant favorite of hers.
Once she had children of her own, she began playing it for my sister and I every Christmas. It quickly became my favorite Christmas movie.
This movie has always stuck out to me because while it is a comedy, it also has an important message about valuing the ones you love.
In the beginning of the movie, Kevin tells his mother he “doesn’t want to see you or the rest of my family again for the rest of my life.”
However, by the end of the movie, Kevin comes to regret his words, feeling alone and scared without them there, and he tells Santa his only wish for Christmas is to bring his family back.
I can personally relate to this overarching theme in the movie because there have definitely been times I’ve said things to my family out of anger that I’ve come to regret.
I appreciate how the movie shows the power of our words and how quickly we can come to regret something we’ve said to hurt another person.
The movie displays the themes of family, forgiveness, love and gratitude, which are all themes that are prominent during the Christmas season.
It is the epitome of what Christmas is all about while also still being a comedy that people of all ages can enjoy. That is why it is my favorite Christmas movie.
