In most cases, when it comes to some of the best Christmas movies, I prefer to sit back and enjoy them without overthinking small details about the plot. And yet, there are films like Home Alone and its sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, that I’ve seen so many times, it’s hard not to question some things about the movie. It’s also amazing to me that 30+ years since the films released, I can still notice random tidbits that might explain a piece of the plot a bit better. In the case of this article, which follows my recent annual viewing of Home Alone 2, it has to do with the final scene of the movie, where Kevin and his family wake up in their fancy Plaza Hotel suite to find that a truckload of gifts has been delivered and arranged around their Christmas tree.
We Know Who Sent The Christmas Gifts
It’s clearly implied that the gifts came from Duncan’s Toy Chest, as the truck is seen outside the hotel along with a team of delivery people unloading presents. And then when Buzz looks at one of the gifts, he asks his mother “Who’s Mr. Duncan.” That's pretty firm confirmation that this massive haul comes courtesy of the kindly owner of the toy store that Marv and Harry robbed the night before. Also, since we saw Mr. Duncan find Kevin’s note explaining about the robbery and apologizing for the broken window, we're left to assume that this was his way of expressing gratitude to Kevin for helping catch the thieves.
But How Did Mr. Duncan Know Where Kevin And His Family Were Staying?
In less than a day's notice, Mr. Duncan managed to get all of those gifts to a child he'd only met once. How did he manage that?
I don’t think I ever noticed before my recent viewing — or if I did, I didn’t make the connection — but in the scene where Mr. Duncan reads the note left for him by Kevin, we can see that it's written on a piece of The Plaza note paper, complete with the hotel’s crest and name at the top:
Kevin also signed his full name at the bottom.
Presumably, all Mr. Duncan would’ve had to do was call the hotel, confirm “Kevin McCallister” and his family were still there, and arrange for the gifts to be delivered. And given how apologetic the hotel staff members were to Kevin and his family at that point, it’s likely they were happy to help.
I don’t know if I always really questioned how Mr. Duncan knew exactly where Kevin and his family were staying, or if I just shrugged it off and decided he’s the kind of guy who can make Christmas miracles happen when he wants to. I still kind of think that about him, actually, because even if Kevin did indicate his location with the letterhead, Mr. Duncan still managed to get all of those gifts wrapped and delivered to the hotel in a matter of hours (on Christmas Eve!).
A few years back, when I talked about some of the lingering questions I have about the Home Alone movies, this particular one didn’t come up. When it came to the closing scene of the sequel, I was clearly more focused on how that family was going to figure out who got what gift. I still wonder about that, and it kind of stresses me out (maybe even more so than wondering how Harry and Marv managed to survive all of their injuries). But at least now I can put to rest any lingering curiosity I might have had about how the presents found their way into that hotel room to begin with.
You can catch Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost In New York streaming with a Disney+ subscription.
