History Film / NationalLampoonsChristmasVacation

* CoversAlwaysLie: [[http://cdn-6.nflximg.com/images/1518/2031518.jpg This]] is the actual cover art. When does that happen? And when does he dress up as Santa Claus in the first place?

[[quoteright:289:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/national_lampoons_christmas_vacation_468.jpg]]

* ArtifactTitle: It's part of the "Vacation" series, so it's called ''Christmas Vacation'', despite the fact that the Griswolds don't go on vacation.

** In contrast to [[TheOtherDarrin the Griswold children]], Eddie's eldest kids are still the same ones from the first movie, even though [[PutOnABus we only get to hear about their current exploits]].Vacation movie.

** In contrast to [[TheOtherDarrin the Griswold children]], Eddie's eldest kids are still the same ones from the first movie, even though [[PutOnABus we only get to hear about their current exploits]].

* [[EverythingsNuttierWithSquirrels Everything's Nuttier With Squirrels]]: Clark brings a Christmas tree into the house, which turns out to house a live squirrel. Hilariously, the entire scene is [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotHeinous played out almost like something out of a horror movie]].

* ClusterFBomb: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGxyIhsSAow "If any of you are looking for any last minute gift ideas for me... I have one."]]

** Could be said of Aunt Bethany too... though she does moreso qualify for a RalphWiggum as stated below.

* RalphWiggum: Aunt Bethany.
-->" Is this the airport, Clark? Is your house on fire, Clark? Is Rusty still in the navy? I just love riding in cars."
** Although she's more of a CloudCuckoolander due to the fact that her comments seem to be a result of old age (and probable senility) than genuine stupidity.

* RetroactiveRecognition: JulietteLewis is more obvious, but you can barely recognize a young [[TheBigBangTheory Johnny Galecki]] (I hope I spelled that last name right) as Rusty.
** The film was made very shortly before Julia Louis-Dreyfuss would become instantly recognizable as [[{{Seinfeld}} Elaine Benes]], though she'd already been on ''{{Saturday Night Live}}''.

* FreudianSlip: "We needed a coffin...I mean a tree."

** "I was just smelling...smiling! I was just blous...browsing..."

* WomenAreWiser: Ellen. Of course, ''everyone'' is wiser than Clark.

* ChainsawAndHockeyMask: Clark when cutting the Christmas tree down to size, in an obvious reference to the horror genre.

-->'''Clark''': Hey. If any of you are looking for any last-minute gift ideas for me, I have one. I'd like Frank Shirley, my boss, right here tonight. I want him brought from his happy holiday slumber over there on Melody Lane with all the other rich people and I want him brought right here, with a big ribbon on his head, and I want to look him straight in the eye and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey shit he is. Hallelujah. Holy shit. Where's the Tylenol?

Clark Griswald has decided to host nearly his entire extended family at his house for the holiday season, including his parents, his in-laws, his senile old Aunt Bethany and, eventually, possibly-inbred cousin-in-law Eddie. As can be expected, everything [[GoneHorriblyWrong goes horribly wrong]] in the most [[HilarityEnsues hilarious way possible]].

A perennial Christmas classic, and notably the only one of the ''Vacation'' series to take place at the Griswald home.

* ButtMonkey: The Griswald's next door neighbors.

* [=~Finagle's Law~=]

* RhetoricalRequestBlunder: Mr Griswold reacts to the news that he received a subscription to a Jelly-of-the-Month Club in lieu of a Christmas Bonus from his boss by ranting that he wished the boss was right there so he could chew him out. [[spoiler:His cousin-in-law promptly jumps into his RV and kidnaps said boss]]

* {{Yandere}}: Clark gets like this in the last act. Subverted, however in that he ''is'' a mostly nice person-he gets better pretty quickly when [[ThrowTheDogABone he finally gets a break]].

* WomenAreWiser: Ellen. Of course, ''everyone'' is wiser than Clarke.