For Day 9 of 25 Days of Christmas Movies, I chose Home Alone (1990), which is arguable one of the funniest Christmas movies ever. (Update: This movie is fresh in my mind as it was part of my recent Christmas concert where the song from it (Somewhere In My Memory) appeared in our orchestra number, Christmas Goes to the Movies. Never was a child actor more suited to a role than Macaulay Culkin. He is unforgettable as Kevin McCallister. When Kevin gets left at home during the chaos of his family leaving for a trip to Paris over Christmas, it’s up to him to save his house from the Wet Bandits (the hilarious pairing of Joe Pesci & Daniel Stern).

And Kevin does defend his home in spectacular fashion, including: blow torches, falling irons, icy steps, toy cars, flying paint cans and even a tarantula. If you don’t laugh through the entire torture sequence of the bandits trying to get into the house, you’re not human. Meanwhile, Kevin’s frantic mom (Catherine O’Hara) is desperately trying to get home to her son. It’s probably every parent's worst nightmare and Catherine O’Hara is brilliant. I especially love the part where she's stuck in a van with a traveling Polka Band, headed by John Candy. This movie will never get old.