Few writers have ever truly nailed the essence of the American family quite like the late John Hughes did, and I’d wager an even smaller percentage have managed to capture the sheer chaos of spending the holidays with said family then when Hughes penned National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, the third chapter in the Chevy Chase Vacation series that first began in 1983.
World’s above its 1985 predecessor European Vacation, this entry again finds the Griswold family (again lead by Chase and Beverly D’Angelo as his wife, Helen) just wanting to spend a “quiet” Christmas at home with family. But with the addition of each new relative appearing in the household (including Randy Quaid, reprising his role as the dimwitted Cousin Eddie from the first film), more and more madness ensues.
From chopping down the perfect Christmas tree, to dodging yuppie neighbors (including Julia-Louis Dreyfus in one of her earliest roles) and chasing after every animal known to man from dogs (“Snot!”), cats, and yes, even squirrels, there’s no shortage of characters to add to the charades.
It’s been three and a half decades now since the film’s initial release on December 1, 1989, and in that span of time the movie has become a beloved annual classic for families across the globe, often quoted at nearly any and every Christmas function imaginable. And each year department stores seem to push more and more Christmas Vacation-related merchandise for shoppers far and wide with everything from games, apparel, mugs, and much more.
By now the film has no doubt been overplayed to death with annual showings on cable TV and elsewhere. But despite this, it’s still an enjoyable enough seasonal must-watch every year (please excuse me while I go watch it for the 809th time). Happy holidays!
