Home Alone fans just noticed why Kevin got left alone in the first place

It's 1 December and you know what that means? The Christmas countdown is officially ON!

For those who celebrate the holiday season, it's now the right time to open your advent calendars, stick your tree up, and - most importantly - binge watch Christmas movies.

And one film which makes the best-loved list year after year - despite first being released a staggering 33 years ago - is Home Alone.

This festive blockbuster - starring the adorable child star Macaulay Culkin and Schitt's Creek icon Catherine O' Hara - sees a young Kevin McCallister having to defend his home from a pair of villainous robbers after his family accidentally left him behind during a Christmas trip to Paris.

This year, however, fans of the rib-tickling movie are flocking to social media in astonishment after only 'just realising' how chaos-causer Kevin first ends up alone in the first place.

Yes, that's right. Hundreds of viewers have leapt to X - formerly known as Twitter - in surprise after clocking the easily missed Easter egg which explains exactly why Kevin didn't make it on holiday with his family.

20th Century Fox

In the first movie, Kevin's parents, siblings and other family only realise mid-flight to Paris they've left him behind.

But why does it take them so long?

They woke up late earlier that day, with their alarm clocks having been reset by the electricity cutting out. They then had to rush out the house, perform a quick headcount of the children - unfortunately counting a neighbour and missing out Kevin - before rushing to catch their flight. Kevin also gets left behind in the sprint to the gate at the airport, distracted by his camera.

But it's none of these incidents which are the main factor in Kevin not making it on the same flight.

Fair enough, Peter (John Heard) and Kate (Catherine O'Hara) McCallister do have five children, but you they'd realise if they'd forgotten to check one of them in.

20th Century Fox

Unless something had happened to Kevin's plane ticket that is.

In the scene which takes place the night before the family's trip to the airport, milk is spilt over the family's passports and plane tickets after Kevin and his older brother Buzz get into a fight.

Of course, out of all the plane tickets which accidentally gets used in the clean-up, whose should it be but Kevin.

After using a bunch of red napkins - Kevin's ticket concealed within - to wipe up the spillage, Kevin's plane ticket ends up discarded in the garbage.

You can spot the ticket in the bin in a brief camera shot which zooms in on the wet napkin mess.

20th Century Fox

However, not all viewers spotted the Easter egg until now and have since flocked to social media gobsmacked over how they didn't realise the final nail-in-the-coffin and real reason Kevin didn't end up making his family's flight.

One user said: "Okay this is crazy lol and I'm sure people have found this Easter egg many times, but for me I just realized that in Home Alone, Kevin's dad accidentally threw away Kevin's plane ticket. Which explains how they didn't realize anyone was missing handing out tickets at the gate."

Another wrote: "I just noticed on home alone when they was eating pizza and Kevin started the fight with his brother, the dad threw Kevin plane ticket away im slow never noticed that."

X

A third commented: "30+ years later I just noticed that the dad in Home Alone throwaway Kevin’s plane ticket?"

A final responded: "That certainly adds context to a line Kevin had in the second movie.

"'Its a good thing that I have my own ticket, in case you guys try to ditch me'."