Yes, and it is the easiest case on this list, which is why it goes first. Take Christmas out of Home Alone and the plot goes with it: the family only leaves because it is Christmas, the house is only empty because everyone has gone away for it, and the ending only lands because it happens on Christmas morning.
Where it loses points is cosiness. There is snow on every street, a church on Christmas Eve and a boy eating a microwave dinner on his own, but there are also two burglars and a great deal of household injury. The rubric scores that honestly: very high on the Christmas, lower on the blanket.
It is also one of the films the rubric is calibrated against, so our answers are held to a pinned score. Change any you disagree with and watch the numbers move.
Sources
- Transcript, checked 14 October 2026
- Soundtrack track listing, checked 14 October 2026
- BBFC classification record, checked 14 October 2026
- How Festive Factor is scored
Updated 14 October 2026
