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Home Alone is a series of family comedy films directed by Chris Columbus. The first movie is primarily a coming-of-age story about an 8-year-old boy named Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin). He is the youngest of five children who is frequently tormented by his older brothers and sisters. Home Alone 2 was set one year after the first film. Kevin McCallister loses track of his father at the airport. He then mistakenly gets on a plane headed for New York City—while the rest of the McCallisters fly to Florida. The story of this young boy, his family and some
bandits occur before and during Christmas time.
Even though, the decline of Christianity in a country predominantly recognized as a
Christian nation, Christmas time still remains as one of the main celebrations in the United States. Thus, any attempt to examine Christmas without any reference to Christian religion would lack coherence. Both films bring this coherence by portraying a white, U.S., and upper middle class family celebrating the emotional, experiential, financial, and religious elements of the Christmas festivity.
As Latina/os, we are also embedded in Christmas narratives. Traditionally, we celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus with great enthusiasm, veneration, and spirituality. U.S. Latina/os recall Jesus’ birth religiously and familiarly. They invite families and friends to rejoice with Christmas rituals that include traditional music called Villancicos, and also with gifts and food.
It’s also well known that the Mi Pequeño Angelito (as Home Alone was translated from English into Spanish) films are one of the favorite movie series still watched by many Latina/os in or around Christmas time. However, in the context of the United States and the contemporary commodification of faith, how do US. Latina/o community celebrate Christmas in the midst of social struggle and discrimination? How do they negotiate their traditional cultural and religious values brought here from their Latin American countries with the values presented in the films?
Do they assimilate western Christian culture and religious rituals? In other words, how does the Latina/o community, especially, Evangelicals/Pentecostals read and interpret Mi Pequeño Angelito (Home Alone) film through their Hispanic Eyes?