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Fox News’ The Five spent part of a recent holiday episode doing what it does best: turning a little cultural nostalgia and a bit of household etiquette into a broader conversation about who we are as a people. The panel riffed on whether Americans still send thank-you cards for Christmas gifts and then dove into a fresh behind-the-scenes revelation from Macaulay Culkin about the making of Home Alone. That mix of manners and movie lore might sound small, but it’s exactly the kind of cultural ground that shapes communities and families during the holidays.
The Home Alone revelation itself is a reminder that Hollywood has always been more stagecraft than mysticism — Culkin confirmed the longtime rumor that he used a stunt double, a grown man named Larry Nicholas, and admitted he once mistook the double for a teenager on set. Fans who grew up on Kevin McCallister’s pranks will be surprised in the way only grown-up film trivia can surprise, but the truth is harmless: movies are made by professionals making clever illusions. Reporting on these small truths about a beloved film should be fun, not a moral panic.
Culkin also cleared up other bits of Home Alone lore — some lines were scripted while others were improvised, and the crew even used a boy made up to look like a girl for Buzz’s “girlfriend” to avoid needlessly humiliating a real child. Those practical choices show a production that cared about craft and common sense, not the performative cruelty too often cheered by social-media mobs. Hollywood isn’t immune to mistakes, but we shouldn’t pretend every behind-the-scenes detail is proof of some deep cultural rot.
Meanwhile, the panel’s take on thank-you cards cut to the heart of something conservatives should defend vigorously: ordinary civic virtues. Writing a quick note of thanks after receiving a gift is not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake — it’s a practice of gratitude that binds families and neighbors together, and undermines the entitlement that corrodes communities. If we let manners slide because they’re “old-fashioned,” we lose the small rituals that teach responsibility and appreciation to the next generation.
What’s striking about The Five’s segment is how it highlights a larger media choice: celebrate the glue that holds America together, or feed the outrage machine that profits from division. Debating whether to send a thank-you card or sharing an old movie anecdote is a thousand times healthier than breathless coverage of manufactured controversies. Conservatives should applaud media moments that reinforce family, gratitude, and common-sense storytelling rather than those that deliberately inflame.
If you’re looking for something practical from this whole dust-up, here it is: pick up a pen and write the thank-you card. Rewatch Home Alone with your kids and explain the craft behind the comedy. Those are small acts, but they’re the ones that keep our culture rooted in decency, humor, and the kind of shared traditions that actually deserve our attention and protection.
