Few Christmas movies ignite the holiday spirit quite like ‘Christmas Vacation’, the tale of an eternal optimist that holds the holidays in the highest esteem and places an insurmountable amount of pressure on his family and friends to achieve his goals of a fairy tale family Christmas. Clark Griswold is deeply embedded into the hearts of so many Christmas junkies. His enthusiasm and respect for the big day have inspired so many to deck the halls and string the lights long before society accepts the Christmas spirit.
Clark is a family man. He embraces the little moments but suffocates them with the overwhelming pressure of perfecting them. I, myself, feel that I’ve got a little Griswold in me and am more than happy to embrace the early arrival of Christmas music at Macy’s. I feel like we all can relate to Clark’s vigor for the holidays; it’s a magical time of year that can awaken even the grumpiest of Scrooges. It’s a time of hope.
While ‘Christmas Vacation’ is my favorite Christmas movie for many reasons, I’ve found that it offers its viewers more than just witty banter and quotable comedy; if you watch close enough there are actually many lessons to be learned within the dialogue of the Griswolds’ family Christmas.
Are they geniuses? That’s still to be determined, but their luster for the holiday season offers more than just the warm and fuzzies for the Christmas season. Here are 13 lessons the Griswold’s are still teaching us almost 20 years after their inception.
13 Life Lessons The Griswolds Taught Us In ‘Christmas Vacation’
- Always come prepared. Whether you’re sawing down a Christmas tree from the distant, remote woods or taking a simple road trip, preparation is always key and planning is essentially vital.
- The act of giving is the greatest gift. So what if your great aunt, Betty, gifted you a cat sweater and you searched for hours in order to find her the perfect tens unit that will rid her of her crippling sciatica? Clark bought his brother Eddie’s, entire family’s Christmas presents (that included a substantial amount of dog food). Gifting karma is a beautiful thing and cat sweaters are always annoyingly cozy (also, pretty sure they’re making a comeback thanks to Taylor Swift).
- Never put the cart in front of the horse. Ambition is great and optimism is a characteristic that holds immense value but both are useless when applied to the concept of reality. Perhaps you shouldn’t put all of your eggs into one basket like Clark. The luster of an in-ground swimming pool is undeniable but the reality of paying for said pool is… Painful.
- Always mind your manners. Listen, not everyone cooks like Martha Stewart. If you slice through what you will believe will be a savory sweet piece of turkey but are actually gifted with a cooked bird drier than a desert, just (wo)man up and swallow that bite without gagging, okay? A lot of time and effort go into cooking Christmas dishes and not participating in their devourment is downright rude.
- If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. No one likes a quitter and defeatist attitudes aren’t welcome guests during the holidays. So what if you’ve just strung 25,000 Christmas lights around your house and they still won’t light (weird, because that’s their only job, right?)? Get your act together and conquer the laws of electrical current.
- When it rains it pours. “Look around, Ellen, we’re in the threshold of hell.” Do yourself a favor and never utter the words “it could be worse,” as they will inevitably make your life, well, worse.
- Cherish every moment spent with family. Ellen pleaded with Clark, “Audrey’s frozen from the waist down,” as Clark uprooted the family Christmas tree. Clark simply embraced the moment. “That’s all part of the experience, honey.” He ensured her as the family stared lovingly at the chosen tree. Embrace every moment, even the awkward and sometimes numbing ones.
- Eggnog is grossly undervalued. The holidays are the one time of year when it is socially acceptable to get tipsy in front of Grandma. Enjoy the booze while it lasts, for it is the elixir that makes family awkwardness tolerable.
- Never set the bar too high. Clark is a bit of an overachiever when it comes to celebrations, though he’s oblivious to this characteristic. “You set standards that no family can ever meet,” Ellen pleads. Confused, Clark asks, “When have I ever done that?” Perturbed at Clark’s oblivion, Ellen responds, “Birthdays, parties, funerals, weddings, anniversaries, vacations, graduations…” I’m all for enthusiasm but let’s not expect Santa to slide down the Chimney and disco dance while leaving us all new iPhones under the tree. Let’s be realistic.
- Family is everything. Whether your family feuds over waxing routines or constantly complains about their bunions and bowel movements, they’re still your family; family, for better or for worse, is absolutely everything. Sure, they may all be miserably crammed into a stuffy room while sitting next to a tacky tree, but the point is that they’re together. That togetherness is by far the most important (and awkward, sometimes annoying) aspect of Christmas.
- Hard work pays off. Clark Griswold is an American family man. He works hard in every aspect of his life–from the Christmas decor, to his family gatherings, to his occupation. Clark consistently applies 100 percent of his ethic to his day to day life, and though he isn’t always richly rewarded, he is (mostly) satisfied with his effort alone.
- Pay attention to details. This lesson applies in so many aspects of life. The details of life are what keeps it interesting. Though Clark neglected to check simple things, such as breaker boxes, he was incredibly involved in every daunting detail of hosting his family’s Christmas.
- Cats are highly flammable. Does this one really need an explanation?
