Why we’re crushing on Kate McCallister from ‘Home Alone’

Home Alone, one of our favorite holiday movies ever, celebrated its 25th birthday this past Monday. The story of eight-year-old Kevin McCallister taking on a couple of bad guys and coming out on top has gone down in history as THE essential Christmas movie to watch every year – not to mention the movie that made ’90s kids everywhere think calling 911 was a backup option only if our booby-traps failed.

But as awesome of a protagonist as Kevin is, the real hero of the Home Alone movies is, in my humble opinion, his mother Kate. Because when you think about it, being a kid with a whole house to yourself is kind of awesome once you get over the initial scariness. But as a parent? That terror persists until you know your kid is safe, and Kate McCallister – aka Mom of the Century – handles it like a boss. Plus she’s played by the fantastic Catherine O’Hara, who nails it so hard we wish we were related.

Here’s why we’re celebrating Kate McCallister for this week’s #WCW!

She takes care of literally everything

Throughout both movies, Kate is the one to kind of take the reins on most of the household responsibilities. The first time we see her, she’s on the phone figuring out some logistics while Kevin is pestering her about a movie his Uncle Frank isn’t letting him watch. Kate is the one saddled with responsibility to the point where she basically has an heart attack on the plane when she realizes she left Kevin at home, while everyone else is like, “Aw it’ll be OK, he’s eight years old so that’s pretty much an adult anyway. Flight attendant, more peanuts?”

Related: She is a really understanding wife

Speaking of, Kate is a super understanding wife, because we have a bone to pick with Peter McCallister. Sir, why is your wife always the one hanging at the airport and flying around to get your kid, including in the sequel when you’re the one who left him in the airport? Why does she have to pay the pizza-delivery boy, AND be the one to remember to close the garage, AND be expected to take care of getting a power adapter for Europe? Then you have the nerve to be all, “LOL the kids and I took that morning flight and got here the same time as you even though you just went through hell, ISN’T THAT FUNNY!?”

Dude, if Kate loves you, we love you, but you gotta step up your game. Your obsession with batteries and fish hooks is not cute, and this may very well be why your kid steals toothbrushes in his spare time.

Her home and personal style are both on point

Both the exterior of the McCallisters’ iconic brick home (whose IRL counterpart was sold for $1.5 million in 2012) and its deliciously ’90s interior are drool-worthy. The only movie house that even comes close in terms of how much I wish I lived inside it is the house from Father of the Bride. But if we’re talking strictly holiday-film houses, the Home Alone house gives Clark Griswold’s house a run for its money.

Plus, can we talk about how put together Kate looks at all times? Even after spending most of the movie either chasing down kids, stuck in an airport or on a plane, or traveling in the back of a van full of very likely smelly musicians, she still looks amazing. We would read Kate McCallister’s Tips on Looking Great for the Holidays (Even When Your Kids and Husband Are Driving You Crazy): A Memoir.

She is outrageously calm and patient

Can you imagine riding in the back of a van with a bunch of polka players for 10 hours overnight on Christmas Eve, AFTER flying internationally and being awake for 60+ hours? How about having to constantly discipline your five kids (the youngest of whom thinks calling you a “dummy” is perfectly acceptable behavior) in a house full of six other kids and a handful of adults with questionable maturity levels? And if that’s not enough, Kate endures all these challenges with a (mostly) calm demeanor, snapping only when she’s truly reached the end of her rope – and we can’t say we blame her.

She is willing to do anything for her children

Although she is a firm matriarch, Kate is the type of mother who will stop at nothing to make sure her children are safe and happy. From bargaining with airport ticketing agents to giving away everything she has on her to an elderly couple to persuade them to take a later flight, to making sure Kevin’s suitcase is packed and even the seemingly innocent fact that she wants to make sure all the milk is drank before it spoils while the family is away, Kate is kind of a model parent. SHE EVEN FEELS BAD ABOUT MAKING HER KIDS SIT IN COACH WHILE SHE AND PETER ARE IN FIRST CLASS. And the best part is that she isn’t perfect, which is probably her most relatable quality. Like any parent, she has her drawbacks, but at the end of the day she just wants the best for her kids and will do anything to get it.

(Image via 20th Century Fox)