The greatest feat achieved in Home Alone wasn’t the successful hoodwinkery of Kevin McAllister and his destruction of two adult robbers, but the fact that he was able to buy two full bags of groceries for $19. Yippee Ki-Yay, ’90s kids! You’re officially old now. 

A lot has changed over the years for us ’90s kids, especially in the holiday department, but that doesn’t stop us from feeling the warm glow of nostalgia in our chest every Christmas season. We all licked the frozen street poles and shivered at the thought of Mr. Freeze ruining the holiday cheer, but as we become real adults, the feeling of childlike wonder never fades. Our first ankle smacking from our Razr scooter on Christmas morning still stings, our favorite holiday movies haven’t changed, and we can still taste the condensed milk from the overly-sweet 7-layer bars Mom used to make. 

Crows-feet may be gathering at the corners of our eyes, but those laugh lines are from all the smiles generated from circling the toys we wanted in the Toys-R-Us catalog. Happy moments highlighted the Christmas season back in the analog days, and although the tech of today is convenient, we still sometimes dream of a Polly Pocket holiday and a Christmas pajama sleepover party with our friends. Because despite our emo tendencies and heartfelt ways, we still believed in Santa Claus, rode our bikes in the snow, and witnessed a true miracle on 34th Street.