Growing up, there was always one movie that made the holiday season complete for us. Of course, we were excited kids waiting for Christmas, so it was hard not to lap up whatever was in store for us. But those 24-hour A Christmas Story marathons didn't come out of thin air! So some movies clearly rose above the pack for us.
And once you've seen enough of them, it doesn't take long to notice that our Christmas favorites usually have at least one adorable kid to tug at our heartstrings. And when we see them, it's hard not to wonder how they made out in life all these years later. Well, wonder no more!
Karolyn Grimes (Zuzu Bailey, It's A Wonderful Life)
A then-six-year-old Grimes delivered the iconic line "every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings" as George Bailey's youngest daughter Zuzu, but left the acting world behind at the age of 14 after some serious challenges in her personal life.
But since the movie's return to popularity in 1973, Grimes has embraced its legacy and written both a children's book and a cookbook themed around her character.
Macaulay Culkin (Kevin McCallister, Home Alone)
Kevin McCallister was just one of the roles that made Culkin a household name in the '90s, but he spent a long period in retirement after disentangling his finances from his parents' control.
One of his pursuits at that time was a pizza-themed cover band called the Pizza Underground, but he made his dramatic return in 2019 and now has a son, Dakota, with actress Brenda Song.
Kieran Culkin (Fuller McCallister, Home Alone)
The younger Culkin brother broke in as Kevin's bedwetting cousin in Home Alone, but chose a different path from Macaulay and continued acting throughout the decades since.
That persistence eventually led him to smash success in the hit HBO series Succession, where he plays the rebellious youngest son of the Roy dynasty, Roman.
Hillary Wolf (Megan McCallister, Home Alone)
In the years since her character refused to help Kevin pack his suitcase, Wolf retired from acting at the age of 15 and instead pursued Judo. She would represent the United States through this sport in both the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games.
By her 40s, she would also start a family and write a book titled The Not So Zen Mom.
Michael C. Maronna (Jeff McCallister, Home Alone)
Although he was recognizable for calling Kevin a "disease," much of Maronna's early fame came from co-starring in The Adventures of Pete & Pete.
But while Maronna has acted off and on since then, his career would largely take him behind the scenes, and he now specializes in lighting for film and TV.
Josh Peck (Wayne Alworth, Snow Day)
After his acting debut in this forgotten gem, Peck made his name through the beloved sitcom Drake & Josh.
But while a reunion with his former co-star doesn't seem likely, Peck has been acting steadily ever since. Most recently, his work included a starring role in the Disney+ remake of Turner & Hooch.
Zena Grey (Natalie Brandston, Snow Day)
Grey's quest against her snow-plowing archnemesis was only her second acting role, but she would become a familiar face in movies and TV as the 2000s and 2010s rolled on.
This culminated in a recurring role on House, and since 2018, Grey has made the transition to editing TV projects rather than acting in them.
Corey Feldman (Pete Fountaine, Gremlins)
Considering the sheer number of high-profile roles Feldman scored as a child during the '80s, it's easy to forget that he was the kid who kicked everything off in the Christmas horror-comedy Gremlins.
Feldman has stayed as busy as ever in movies and the reality TV circuit since then but has also attracted some notice for his music career.
Daniel Tay (Michael Hobbs, Elf)
After serving as a foil to Will Ferrell in Elf, Tay carried on acting for the remainder of the 2000s lent his voice to Rockstar Games' Bully and Grand Theft Auto IV.
Since 2010, however, Tay has devoted his life to teaching and private tutoring after securing a BA in economics from Yale.
Dylan Blue (Carter Finch, Deck the Halls)
Blue secured one of his first roles in the 2006 family comedy Deck the Halls and spent the following decade in similarly comedic fare such as the Will Ferrell-produced series Big Lake and the short-lived Michael J. Fox Show.
In recent years, however, Blue has been producing and directing his own upcoming short films.
Taylor Momsen (Cindy Lou Who, How The Grinch Stole Christmas)
Momsen stood out as the endlessly sweet Cindy Lou Who at the age of seven but graduated to playing the role of Jenny Humphrey on CW's Gossip Girl in her teens.
Momsen was still there when she formed the rock band Pretty Reckless in 2009, but her ongoing pursuits with them led her to retire from acting entirely two years later.
Alia Shawkat (Madison Finch, Deck the Halls)
By the time of her appearance in the family comedy, Shawkat was at what seemed like the end of her star-making turn as Maeby in the cult series Arrested Development.
She's been a reliable performer in movies and television in the decade and a half since the holiday romp, particularly in the acclaimed series Transparent and Severance.
Brett Kelly, (Thurman Merman, Bad Santa)
After adding some much-needed heart to the dark Christmas comedy, Kelly continued acting throughout the 2000s. He would later enjoy a career resurgence after a long-awaited Bad Santa sequel came in 2016.
He now plays paralegal Cecil Patterson in the legal drama Family Law, which is produced in his native Canada.
Eric Lloyd (Charlie Calvin, The Santa Clause)
After reprising his role as Charlie Calvin in The Santa Clause 2 and 3, Lloyd took acting jobs as the right opportunities arose. However, recent years have largely seen him run a film and music production studio and start a band called RadioMason.
Still, one such opportunity obviously came as Lloyd's back as Charlie in The Santa Clauses on Disney+.
Margaret O'Brien (Tootie Smith, Meet Me in St. Louis)
This Christmas classic gave us "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," but it was just one step of O'Brien's wildly successful career as a child actress that saw her recognized by the Academy in 1944.
Although leading roles would elude her once she came of age, she's built an impressive resume as a stage and screen actress and is still working today.
Mara Wilson (Susan Walker, Miracle on 34th Street)
She's better known as Matilda, but Wilson's turn in this remake of a Christmas classic served as another feather in her cap before she retired from acting in the early 2000s.
Since then, she has reinvented herself as an author and playwright who's lent her voice to projects like Bojack Horseman and Welcome to Nightvale.
Johnny Galecki (Russ Griswold, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation)
Although joining the Griswold clan provided a big break for Galecki, you'd be forgiven for knowing more about his later work and not even realizing this kid was him all along.
But while his work on The Big Bang Theory and Roseanne/The Conners have cemented his status as a household name, Galecki seems busier as a producer lately.
Juliette Lewis (Audrey Griswold, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation)
Although the laugh-riot Christmas Vacation set Lewis on a rise to prominence that included Natural Born Killers and What's Eating Gilbert Grape, her career seems to be in the midst of a renaissance.
She's a reliable star in the streaming era and that's proved especially true after the smash hit series Yellowjackets began.
Thomas Brodie Sangster (Sam, Love Actually)
Although Sangster still gets recognized as the lovelorn Sam thanks to this cozy romantic comedy, his star has only seemed to rise further since his childhood role.
Not only did he secure a role in Game of Thrones and co-star in the popular Maze Runner series, but both he and the game of Chess got a big boost from The Queen's Gambit.
Peter Billingsley (Ralphie Parker, A Christmas Story)
Although Billingsley has acted steadily after A Christmas Story became such a cultural phenomenon, he's also made a name for himself as a producer and director in the decades since that classic.
But he's recently pulled double duty on A Christmas Story Christmas, which he produced with childhood best friend Vince Vaughn and starred in as Ralphie for the first time in almost 40 years.
Miffy Englefield (Sophie, The Holiday)
Although Englefield continued acting for about five years after warming hearts in The Holiday, she mentioned that those opportunities seemed to change after she started embracing punk aesthetics.
But she hasn't let that slow her down, as Englefield is now represented by the Valkyrie Models agency and welcomed a daughter into the world on April 23, 2020.
Zack Ward (Scut Farkus, A Christmas Story)
Ward's intimidating turn as Scut Farkus was just the start of a long and fruitful career in movies and especially television, but he still considers the character an important part of his life.
Not only did he reprise the role in A Christmas Story Christmas in 2022, but also he's used Scut to raise money for bullying prevention programs for over a decade.
Ian Petrella (Randy Parker, A Christmas Story)
Petrella's turn at Ralphie's little brother came during a prolific period of childhood acting, but he took a long break aside from some occasional roles when the '90s rolled around.
But in the years between his semi-retirement and his big return in A Christmas Story Christmas, Petrella worked as an independent puppeteer for over ten years.
Scott Schwartz (Flick, A Christmas Story)
After convincing us his tongue was stuck to a pole in A Christmas Story, Schwartz took on a string of childhood roles in the '80s and far more adult fare by the next decade.
Although it seemed he would retire after this, he returned to acting in 2014 and became president of the child actor advocacy organization A Minor Consideration before reprising Flick in A Christmas Story Christmas.
Jake Lloyd (Jamie Langston, Jingle All The Way)
Before he took on the role that would haunt him in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Lloyd coveted the hard-to-get Turbo Man doll in the Schwarzenegger comedy Jingle All The Way.
Sadly, Lloyd quit acting, but he was still known to greet fans at conventions. Matters in his personal life have since led him to retreat from the public eye.
Erik Per Sullivan (Spike Frohmeyer, Christmas With the Kranks)
Sullivan came as the enemy-turned-ally of the titular Kranks came while he was also steadily working as Dewey in the beloved sitcom Malcolm in the Middle.
But while his work was captivating enough to nominate him for two Young Artist Awards, that apparently didn't mean he wanted to keep it up. Since 2011, Sullivan has not acted and largely avoids the public eye today.
Noelle Parker (Harmony, Ernest Saves Christmas)
In the years since co-starring in one of the most memorable Ernest movies, Parker has established herself as a veteran actor with a daytime Emmy to her name.
As such, she's been able to parlay her experience into a teaching and coaching career to help other actors hone their skills.
Joseph Cross (Charlie Frost, Jack Frost)
Even if you don't recall his misadventures with an animatronic snowman, Cross's career as an actor has been prolific enough that you've probably seen him somewhere.
His respectable career has particularly ramped up since the late 2000s and has seen him appear in Academy Award-nominated films like Milk, Lincoln, Mank, and Licorice Pizza.
Taylor Handley (Rory Buck, Jack Frost)
After getting his start as Charlie Frost's bully-turned-friend, Taylor Handley has enjoyed a steady career as a television actor that has only become more successful since his time appearing in the film Jack Frost.
He is best known for co-starring in the period drama Vegas and the crime series Mayor of Kingstown.
Alex D. Linz (Alex Pruitt, Home Alone 3)
Linz was given the thankless role of trying to replace Kevin McCallister, but he's also known for starring in Max Keeble's Big Move a few years later. He continued acting until 2007 when he focused more on his education.
In recent years, Linz has been working a series of government jobs geared towards regional planning and public policy.
