As the world waits with excitement for Christmas to arrive again this year, it’s time for all those looking to get into the Christmas spirit to take part in their annual holiday movie rewatches. There are countless Christmas and holiday classics that exist and are available to rewatch, both nostalgic and new, but in that mix are a select few that I always find myself rewatching without fail. A good holiday movie is one that balances the magic of Christmas that makes you feel like a kid again, and makes you laugh. A movie that never fails to put those two feelings together is ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”
The movie begins with a family of four, the Griswolds, preparing for a traditional, old-fashioned family Christmas that they are hosting for their extended family. Clark Griswold, the over-enthusiastic and Christmas-loving father sets expectations and goals high for the season despite the absolute chaos that having parents, in laws, cousins and elders in the house brings. Of course, the juxtaposition of the perfect Christmas Clark is looking to achieve with the unorganized and unenthusiastic attitudes of the rest of the family leaves a lot of room for some extremely memorable Christmas comedy.
From getting a Christmas tree from the middle of the snowy woods to being locked in the attic when hiding gifts, to even having their Christmas dinner destroyed by both faulty cooking and the Christmas tree catching on fire from the spark of a lit cigar, this movie won’t let you go without laughing for more than a minute. Even something as simple as having the Christmas lights Clark spends the entire day setting u p, not working unless the light and continues to be every year.
Through all the jokes and gags, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” still holds the magic of a Christmas movie you can enjoy with your family. Seeing the family come together as the chaos gets more and more intense is a holiday staple, especially with the absolutely absurdly funny and random things that the Griswolds endure throughout the course of the movie. If you’re looking for a film to make you laugh and simultaneously get you into the Christmas spirit, look no further than this movie. Every person can relate to the hecticness of family and in-laws that the holiday season brings, but it’s also nice to care about the small things that make Christmas feel like Christmas. You get the best of both words inChristmas Vacation , so give it a shot if you’ve never watched it.
If you have, watch it again and laugh, you won’t regret it.
