Home Alone: The Holiday Heist

The Baxter family relocates from California to Rockland during Christmas season and settles into their new home. The parents, Catherine and Curtis, attempt to balance work and a fresh start while Finn and Alexis bring digital habits into the mix. The move sets up the haunted-by-ghost legend and a new life in a colder climate.

Finn befriends Mason, who fills him in on the local legend of a smothered gangster who haunts the Baxters' house. The tale foreshadows the danger looming over the family and frames the house as a potential trap. The exchange also marks Finn's first real social connection away from the adults and screens.

While the Baxters are out shopping for Christmas, three thieves break into the house in pursuit of a valuable Edvard Munch painting known as The Widow. They fail to locate the artwork in the basement safe, raising tension and setting up the night of peril for the family. The break-in introduces the central threat of the story.

The Baxters come home to find the thieves fleeing, believing they still have the upper hand. Finn and Alexis, due to a tense night of family conflicts, stay behind to ensure the house is secure but become trapped in their own peril. This marks the start of the children's struggle to survive the night.

Finn discovers a hidden room behind the basement safe while searching for batteries. Inside, the painting The Widow is located, and the moment is punctuated when Alexis accidentally triggers a trap that locks her inside the chamber. The discovery intensifies the danger and reveals the burglars' target.

A worsening snowstorm strands the parents at a Christmas party hosted by Catherine's boss, Mr. Carson, leaving Finn and Alexis to contend with the intruders alone. The isolation heightens the stakes as help seems remote. The party setting also creates a contrast with the home invasion.

Finn buys supplies from a hardware store with limited money and overhears Sinclair and Hughes planning their break-in. He calls his online friend Simon to warn him and starts improvising a series of booby traps around the house to slow the intruders. The traps begin to injure the criminals and disrupt their plan.

Curtis and Catherine eventually return, aware of the danger but choosing to contact the police rather than rely on Simon's help. Their decision helps coordinate the response and adds official involvement to the events. The tension builds as the standoff continues inside the home.

Sinclair and Hughes capture Finn and detain him in their SUV while the burglars attempt to reach the safe. Mason acts quickly by pelting Jessica with snowballs, disorienting her long enough for Finn to escape and rush back to warn Alexis. This marks a pivotal escape and turning point in the night.

Finn frees Alexis and triggers a trap that locks Sinclair and Hughes in the basement. Police monitoring the incident on Simon's TV witness the outcome, bridging family actions with law enforcement. The intruders are cornered with the help of clever traps and the kids' bravery.

Mason uses a headless snowman to trap Jessica and helps ensure the criminals are arrested. The dramatic capture leads to law enforcement arriving to take the intruders into custody. The community helps restore safety and hints at a restorative closure for the Baxters.

The Baxters are rewarded with four museum passes and $30,000, and Mr. Carson offers a plane ticket to Simon to return home for Christmas as a formal apology. The unexpected compensation underscores the resolution of the break-in and the community's support. The film signals a return to normalcy while acknowledging the trauma of the night.

On Christmas Day, Finn receives a snowboard and an expansion pack for Robo Infantry 3, Alexis gets a tablet, and Finn and his dad receive a camping guide. Finn also decides to take a break from video games and go snowboarding with Mason, cementing a friendship and a new outlook after the ordeal. The family enjoys the holiday despite the chaos earlier.

The offenders' mugshots are added into a portrait as a quiet, ironic closure to the break-in, symbolizing the end of the ordeal and the enduring memory of the event. The final image reinforces the sense of safety returning and the community's resolve. The film ends on a note of hopeful resilience.