Bandits Posing as Gas Company Workers

First released in 1990, "Home Alone" — the tale of wayward Kevin McAllister, played by Macauley Culkin, who is accidentally left home by his family (and later, accidentally sent to New York) at Christmas and battles off a couple of crooks — has become a staple of December television. The traps, effects, and jokes have delighted audiences for 30 years. And as the movie became a standard, so have the rumors around it.

Happy holidays from Snopes — and watch your step.