John Williams planned to take a break from film scoring in the second half of 1990 to work on a concerto, but fate brought a screening of the comedy "Home Alone," and Williams could not resist the film about a boy who protects his house from burglars after his family accidentally takes off for Paris without him. The Maestro came to the project after Bruce Broughton had to step away due to scheduling conflicts, marking the second time in two years that Williams replaced Broughton on a film project. Williams writes two themes for the film that became Christmas-themed songs, one of the melodies being used for the film's action sequences before converting to a song about the star that guided visitors to the manger where Jesus was born. Host Jeff Commings counts the score as his fifth-favorite, noting that there isn't a false note in the music and it doesn't resort to overdoing it on the comedy aspect of the film.