People are flocking to social media in astonishment after only 'just realising' how Kevin first ends up alone in Home Alone.
Now, we've all watched Home Alone at least five times - if you haven't, you're clearly a Grinch so bah humbug to you.
Advert
However, despite binge-watching the series incessantly in the run up to the big day every single year, do you actually know the ins-and-outs of why Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) was left behind in the first movie directed by Christopher Columbus and released in 1990?
Home Alone fans have leapt to Twitter in surprise after clocking the easily missed Easter egg which explains exactly why Kevin didn't make it on holiday with his family.
In the first movie, Kevin's parents, siblings and other family only realise mid-flight to Paris they've left him behind.
Advert
But why does it take them so long?
They woke up late earlier that day, 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.
Advert
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.
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.
Advert
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.
However, not all viewers spotted the Easter egg until now and have since flocked to Twitter 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.
Advert
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."
"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," another wrote.
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'."
Topics: Home Alone, Home, Parenting, Christmas, TV And Film