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It’s a question that’s plagued us since November 10th, 1990: how the heck did the parents from Home Alone afford their massive, luxurious house nestled in the picturesque suburbs of Chicago? (Not to mention a Christmas vacation to Paris for nine people) Seriously, what impressive job title could Kate and Peter McCallister possibly have to make all this happen? In a recession, no less.

There have been several memes dedicated to this headscratcher, along with a few theories—including one arguing that Peter McCallister must have been involved in organized crime—but finally, we now have a definitive answer.

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While appearing on a recent episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, prolific filmmaker Chris Columbus (who directed both Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York) revealed what Kevin’s parents did for a living.

“Back then, [screenwriter] John [Hughes] and I had a conversation about it, and we decided on what the jobs were,” Columbus shared.

Kate, everyone’s favorite neglectful mom, made iconic by Catherine O’Hara, “was a very successful fashion designer." In fact, we see clues to her profession in the film, when Kevin places mannequins in the windows to trick the Wet Bandits into thinking there was a holiday party afoot.

Filmmakers weaving hints into the story via set design, color scheme, costume choices, etc., otherwise known as “Easter eggs,” is a storytelling technique that’s been around since the art form began, essentially. But it’s a concept that’s taken on a life of its own with the introduction of social media. After all, there are entire Youtube channels dedicated to finding and breaking down these hidden clues mere days after a show or movie’s release—especially with comic books or fantasy series, which are franchises with a ton of lore to excavate.

Corporations that churn out these pop culture behemoths, like Disney, have undoubtedly caught on to this, and infuse Easter eggs into a lot of their movies, hoping to make bank off of the intrigue it incites. Does actual substance get sacrificed for this marketing ploy? Sure. But is it effective? Often, yes.

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Point being: perhaps if Home Alone had premiered today, in the digital age, we might have never wondered so much about the McAllister’s jobs in the first place.

As for the late great John Heard’s Peter—Columbus’ memory is a little foggy. “The father could have, based on John Hughes’ own experience, worked in advertising, but I don’t remember what the father did,” he told THR. Still, we can definitely put one fan theory to rest, as Columbus said Peter’s income did NOT come from “organized crime, even though there was, at the time, a lot of organized crime in Chicago.”

While that settles one quandary involving this legendary house, since it was recently sold for around $5 million, we are left once again wondering who might possibly be able to afford living there…and if their place of employment is currently hiring.

Again, living in the age of Google, it’s easy to find at-length breakdowns behind virtually every piece of modern day pop culture out there. Whether you’re hunting down origin stories to alternative endings to meanings behind obscure references, the answers are fairly easy to find. Which is what makes these little reveals about older pop culture mainstays so satisfying. Often they come after years of dedicated fans relentlessly asking questions.

Take for instance the ultra viral “mystery song” that played during an episode of The X-Files, which took a whopping 25 years to solve, and involved hunting down the original call sheet that listed every person who participated in said episode. That simply would not happen with a show today. Not likely, anyway.

Just saying, when thought is carefully put into it, a story becomes enduring. That’s the reason why we are still captivated by these shows even years after.