“This is my house, I have to defend it!” Welcome to Harbour Highlights, a series of cult and classic favourites, handpicked by the staff of Harbour Lights. For December, staff member Caitlin celebrates the 35th anniversary of a true Christmas classic with Home Alone. After wondering what his 10 year old son would do if he’d forgotten him as he got ready for a family holiday, writer John Hughes turned the eight pages of notes he had into a screenplay, later bringing on board director Chris Columbus (already a Harbour Highlights Christmas icon, having written Gremlins) and casting Macauley Culkin as the lead, having been impressed when he’d worked with him on Uncle Buck. Ditched by its original studio for being too expensive, the film would go on to become not only the highest-grossing film of the year but, at the time, the third highest-grossing film in history. Outside of financial success, the film immediately became a much-loved favourite, with everything from Kevin’s aftershave pose to his various traps to the fake film-within-a-film becoming iconic – not least of all Culkin who became a child megastar overnight. 35 years later, as the kids who grew up with it now have children of their own, the film has become a multi-generational Christmas classic, filled with everything you could want for a festive film – warmth, humour, heart and an incredible amount of violence.