History Film / NationalLampoonsChristmasVacation

* OnlySaneMan: Ellen is about the only normal and consistently level-headed person in the family.

* FiveSecondForeshadowing: In the distant shot showing off the Griswold house's excessive amount of Christmas lights, you can see Eddie's RV already parked in the driveway. About ten minutes later, Eddie and his family show up, taking Clark by surprise.

* FiveSecondForeshadowing: In the distant shot showing off the Griswold house's excessive amount of Christmas lights, you can see Eddie's RV already parked nearby. About two minutes later, Eddie and his family show up, taking Clark by surprise.

* AbsurdlyBrightLight: Once Clark gets his house's battery of Christmas lights to work, they turn night into day, blind his neighbors and can be seen from space.

* FantasySequence: ''"[[Creator/BingCrosby Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say, on a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day…]]"''

* BackhandedCompliment: In one scene, Clark says that Eddie's "heart is bigger than his brain." To which Eddie replies [[SarcasmBlind "I appreciate that, Clark."''

* BackhandedCompliment: In one scene, Clark says that Eddie's "heart is bigger than his brain." To which Eddie replies "I appreciate that, Clark."

* AbsurdlyBrightLight: The house's battery of Christmas lights (when they work).

* ArtisticLicenseEconomics: The film makes fairly decent points about Clark's boss canceling the Christmas bonuses without telling anyone being a really jerk move. Omitted are any points where it would be an extremely ''foolish'' business move as well. Upon arriving back in the office after getting back from Christmas, the company would be experiencing a massive amount of people searching for other jobs, embezzlement, and other forms of sabotage, and that's possibly ''with'' even giving advanced notice (if the company isn't experiencing an economic downturn, and there are no indications that it is, arbitrarily removing bonuses signals ominous signs about future prospects). Deliberately letting employees find out the hard way their salary was unexpectedly cut would have probably led to... bad things for a business. Possibly downplayed by the fact that the film itself seems to be [[LampshadeHanging aware of this]], with everyone, ''even the Boss' wife'', CallingTheOldManOut on his idiotic, selfish decision.

* BigEater: Snots the dog and cousin Eddie, the only two not bothered by the turkey.

** The sewer that Cousin Eddie dumps his RV's waste down. It later blows up.

%% * BigEater: Snots the dog and cousin Eddie.

%%** The flammable sewer gas.
%%** Clark's remark about the tree drying up.

%% * CrappyHolidays: That might be an understatement for Clark.
%% * CringeComedy: As usual.

** Todd refuses to assault Clark, so Margo goes over to against his wishes [[LaserGuidedKarma resulting in her getting mauled]]. She responds by punching him square in the face and locking him out of their housee.

* ElderlyAilmentRambling: When Clark and Ellen's parents arrive for the big family Christmas, the Griswolds are "treated" to a chorus of complaints about spinal taps, moles, and hemerrhoids.

* FantasySequence: ''"Mele Kalikimaka is the thing to say, on a bright Hawaiian Christmas Day…"''

%%* FromBadToWorse: The whole movie is the family's holiday doing this.
%%* FromTheMouthsOfBabes:
%%** "Sorry. Shittin' rocks."
%%** From the same scene: "Sometimes I think all that Santa crap is just bull. If he was so real, how come we didn't get squat last year? We didn't do nothin' wrong, and we ''still'' got the shaft."

%%** Not to mention, [[spoiler:Aunt Bethany's cat...]]

%%** Played straight with Margo.

%%* SlasherSmile: Clark, in the last act.

-->'''Ellen:''' Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. And forgive my husband. He knows not what he does.\\

* OddballInTheSeries: The only ''Vacation'' movie to depict the Griswold family vacationing at home rather than traveling somewhere.

* AnimatedCreditsOpening: Courtesy of [[WesternAnimation/TechnologicalThreat Kroyer Animation]] [[WesternAnimation/FerngullyTheLastRainforest Studios]], showing that even SantaClaus isn't immune to the comic misfortune that permanently surrounds the Griswold family. The opening cartoon show his disastrous attempt to deliver their Christmas presents.

* ShamedByAMob: Clark's boss is treated to a collective DeathGlare from the Griswolds and their extended relatives, all of them disgusted by how he [[spoiler:suspended the usual Christmas bonuses and gave none of his employees advanced notice. Not just in Clark's case, but because a lot of people usually need them. Seeing the actual end result of his attempt to save money makes Mr. Shirley realize it was a shitty thing to do, and he decides to reinstate them with a small increase.]]

* AxCrazy: Clark kinda gets a little chainsaw happy at the height of his SanitySlippage. [[Downplayed]] in that he doesn't actually hurt anyone.

* AxCrazy: Clark kinda gets a little chainsaw happy at the height of his SanitySlippage.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Thanks to a RhetoricalRequestBlunder, Eddie [[spoiler:kidnaps Clark's boss, Frank, for not giving Clark a Christmas bonus so expected that every employee considered it part of their salary]]. Of course, when [[spoiler:said bonus was cut out, that meant Clark was bankrupt. Clark actually admits that businesses aren't ''legally'' required to give bonuses, but cutting them ''without telling the employees in advance'' is [[TheGildedAge 1900s]] robber baron ''bullshit'']].

* ElderlyAilmentRamvling: When Clark and Ellen's parents arrive for the big family Christmas, the Griswolds are "treated" to a chorus of complaints about spinal taps, moles, and hemerrhoids.