John Abendshien may not be a household name, but you definitely know his house: the world-famous “Home Alone house” in Winnetka, Illinois, used for the McCallister home in the classic 1990 Christopher Columbus/John Hughes Christmas movie. John’s new memoir Home But Alone No More: The Untold Story of the Home Alone House (out September 12) focuses on his experiences during filming and what he’s learned in the decades since as the house became a destination for movie fans worldwide.

In celebration of the book, we asked John for his pros and cons of his whole Home Alone experience.

Pro: Getting to know the cast and crew

In my memoir I describe what it’s like to have Hollywood camping in your home. Getting to know John Hughes, Chris Columbus, and cast and crew at a truly personal level. Dumping my stereotypes about so-called “Hollywood” types. People who are, in so many ways, just like the rest of us—and nice people, at that.

Con: A total loss of “the normal”

With the non-stop invasion of cast, crew, equipment, and filming action at our property for over five months, I began to lose any sense of a normal life. I began to crave “normal”; I craved routine. Funny, isn’t it? How sometimes we can get just what we think we want and then discover that we miss what we had.

Pro: Watching and learning

Before the filming of Home Alone, I had no concept of how movies were produced. But watching various scenes being shot first-hand and being “tutored” by the likes of cinematographer Julio Macat, I gained a genuine appreciation for the challenges and complexities of movie production. I was also totally awed as I saw it all come together when I saw the movie that first time.

*Photo: John Abendshien on the Home Alone house steps. (Courtesy John Abendshien)*

Con: Clutter

“Lights, camera, action!” Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? I mean, who would want to miss out on the adventure of watching a movie being filmed in your own living room? Fun stuff for sure. But what I came to realize is that along with this excitement comes “clutter”. And that there are two kinds of clutter: There’s what I call the “things” clutter, with cameras, props, and other filming equipment strewn about our house for months on end. And then there’s the “action” clutter, i.e., the actual filming occurring at unpredictable times. Not to mention those God-awful klieg lights shining into our bedroom some nights during the shoots.

Pro: Sharing the gift

In the book I describe how, after my initial frustration and unhappiness with a loss of privacy, I come to the realization that my Home Alone experience was not a curse, but a gift. And a gift to share. I go on to describe how the gift extends in both directions: To the world travelers and wanderers who come to “the house”; and to me, who has had the privilege of meeting fascinating people from all over the world.

Con: Privacy? Gone!

Going into this whole movie thing, I had no illusions about what I knew would be a major loss of privacy during the actual filming. But what I totally failed to predict was (a) that Home Alone was destined to be such a blockbuster movie; and (b) that the home itself would emerge as a central character of the film and become a non-stop tourist attraction for months, years, and ultimately decades following the movie’s debut.

The Pros and Cons of Living in the ‘Home Alone’ House