We FINALLY Know How The McCallister's Were So Rich in 'Home Alone'!

More than three decades ago, 20th Century Fox released one of the most iconic Christmas movies ever — Home Alone. The 1990 movie starred Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, a young boy who is accidentally left home alone when his entire family flies to Paris for the holidays. Little do Kevin and the rest of the McCallisters know the homes on their street are being targeted by two burglars.

The “Wet Bandits”, AKA Harry and Marv, want to hit as many homes as they can, but Harry (played by Joe Pesci) has the McAllister’s home at the top of his hit list.

The McAllister house in Home Alone — Credit: 20th Century Studios

Unfortunately for Harry and Marv, they don’t know who they are up against. Kevin might only be eight years old, but he will do anything to protect his house. So, while his mother is in Paris and frantically figuring out how to get back to her son, Kevin is making it appear as though his family is still home to celebrate.

Harry and Marv learn that Kevin is putting on an act and plan to rob his house. But Kevin overhears their plans and concocts his own, and the fact that Harry and Marv live to tell the tale is truly remarkable.

Even though it is more than 30 years old, fans love Home Alone as much now as they did then. However, they have been asking one question for years: What exactly did Peter and Kate McCallister do to make all that money?

Peter and Kate have five kids, they live in a gorgeous mansion outside of Chicago, and they can afford to fly to Paris for the holidays. That is not cheap. But the movie never addresses what Peter or Kate do for work.

But now, after 34 years, we FINALLY have an answer!

Caterine O'Hara and John Heard as Kate and Peter McCallister in Home Alone — Credit: 20th Century Studios

Home Alone director Chris Columbus sat down with The Hollywood Reporter and was asked the question that has been on fans’ minds for years.

And the answer? Kate McCallister!

“Back then, John and I had a conversation about it, and we decided on what the jobs were,” Columbus said. Catherine O’Hara’s Kate McCallister “was a very successful fashion designer,” as suggested by the mannequins in the family’s basement. As for John Heard’s Peter McCallister, he can’t say for sure. “The father could have, based on John Hughes own experience, worked in advertising, but I don’t remember what the father did.” He was able to rule out one profession, though, which people online speculated might have drawn criminals Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern) to the McCallister home in the first place: “Not organized crime — even though there was, at the time, a lot of organized crime in Chicago.”

Catherine O'Hara and John Heard as Kate and Peter McCallister in Home Alone — Credit: 20th Century Studios

What makes Mr. Columbus’s answer so amazing is that many people have always asked what Peter McCallister did to make that much money for his family. And, in the end, what he did wasn’t all that memorable. It was actually Kate who appeared to be the main breadwinner, which was a very progressive way to frame the narrative.

Is ‘Home Alone’ a must-watch Christmas movie for you? What do you think about Kate McCallister being a fashion designer? Share your thoughts in the comments!