American Airlines

American Airlines could easily be the big culprit here. What kind of airline doesn't take attendance on an airplane? I remember staffers on pre 9/11 flights taking some form of attendance. How did the gate agent not notice the 12 year old with the same last name as the largest family on board not in attendance. Don't airline gate attendants page unaccounted for passengers? When I check in for a flight they usually ask, "how many people are you traveling with?" and usually before takeoff they use the loud speaker to say things like,"paging passenger Kevin Macalister to the ticket desk please."

Annoying Neighbor

"Did you hear the McCalisters are going to France for Christmas?"
"Does this thing get good gas mileage?"
"Gee I dunno kid, hit tha road!"

In my humble opinion, it's the shuttle-obsessed neighbor across the street's fault that Kev gets left in the dust. The McCalister family is already in a tizzy when the shuttles pull up, the power has gone out, and the Christmas spirit is on the verge of doom. Let's let bygones be bygones and realize this morning, though frantic, is in fact a new day. Yes, Buzz was a jerk, Frank was a cooljerk (ahead of myself here), and Kevin is sentenced to seclusion on the 4th floor, but things always look brighter in the morning, right?

Had neighbor joe not been so nosey, meddling through the suitcases, asking 20 questions, posing as a passenger, Heather a) would not have counted him and 2) Buzz's antics wouldn't have mattered. Where were his parents? It's 7am on Christmas Break, I'm sure THEIR power was out as well, and their 8 year old kid is free to roam about Chicago?

I blame you, neighbor kid, for Heather's assumption "Eleven, including me. Five boys, six girls, four parents, two drivers, and a partridge in a pear tree."

Maybe it was UNCLE FRANK!!

The Case of Uncle Frank:

Frank the cheapskate was there from the beginning. He is always looking for a way to save a dime, and Frank was the one who bailed on paying for the $122.50 pizza ordered for the whole McCallister clan, leaving his brother-in-law with the whole bill. Even on the airplane to France, Frank tries to STEAL crystal silver wear from American Airlines. Now I know form experience that American Airlines doesn't mind if you take the American Way Magazine "in the seat pocket in front of you," but crystal stem wear? Pretty sure American is counting every crystal piece they own right now.

The case for Frank is that Frank had a little Coca Cola spilt on him from Buzz and Kevin's dispute on who ate Kevin's Cheese Pizza. Frank's temper came out and made a point to raise his voice and practically scream, "LOOK WHAT YOU DID, YOU LITTLE JERK!" This prompted the entire family to basically freeze and watch. Everyone's eyes on Kevin and his mom really put the pressure on Mrs. McCalitster reaction, the overwhelming pressure from all the family's judging eyes forced her to set an example for her and her son by showing she is a strong and strict mother who disciplines her children.

For if Frank wouldn't have silenced the crowd with his baritone voice then Mrs. McCalister wouldn't have had to put Kevin upstairs in the first place. Perhaps things could have been different that Christmas. What do you think?