I could see him getting from the airport to the house by cab. but how did he get back? you can't just walk out into the street in that neighboorhood and hail a cab on christmas night. you would have to call ahead and tell them to come pick you up.
If he was there on 12/25/96, I think he was there at least several days prior and not with his family. I do think Christmas Night is an odd time to choose for such what happened. One might expect tons of people around, etc. But, this guy is a clever one, apparently.