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A garage workbench holds tangled coloured Christmas lights, orange cables, a red staple gun and a holly mug. Snow drifts through the open doorway beside it.

Essential Christmas · 1989

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

87/100Festive FactorWhy it scores 87 ↓
UK certificate 12A97 min
Comedy

The loudest Christmas film we score, and the most honest about what the day costs.

On Sky Cinema · extra subscription →
Plan this film night ↓Can the kids watch? ↓
Explore this film 13 sections

The CineClaus Christmas score

Festive Factor

Christmas, right to its heart.

Two paper elves inspect a miniature snowy garage with a magnifying glass. Tangled Christmas lights, an orange cable, a red staple gun and a mug crowd its workbench.

A little magic in the making.

Five ingredients make the Festive Factor.
Open an ingredient to find out more.

Christmas in the storyIt can't exist without Christmas.30/30

What we ask: Take Christmas out. Does the plot survive? Worth up to 30 of the 100 points.

A world dressed for ChristmasVisibly Christmas for effectively all of it.20/20

What we ask: How much of the running time is visibly Christmas? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

The little seasonal details7 of the 10 kinds of Christmas icon we count turn up on screen.11/15

What we ask: How many kinds of Christmas icon turn up on screen: trees, lights, snow, carols and the rest? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

A Christmas heartHow far the ending rests on goodwill, family and belief: substantially.15/20

What we ask: Does the ending depend on what Christmas means: goodwill, family, redemption, belief? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

A returning traditionEveryone looks it up in December (250,000+ searches).11/15

What we ask: Is it actually watched at Christmas in the UK? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

77/100

Cosiness Rating Rating

Warm in tone. Moderate threat. A happy ending.

How we score →
What do these scores mean?

Festive Factor measures how Christmassy a film is. Five ingredients add up to 100: story (30), setting (20), seasonal details (15), emotional heart (20) and returning tradition (15).

Cosiness is a separate score for warmth of tone, sense of safety, visual comfort, a reassuring ending and how easily you can settle into it.

How the Festive Factor works →
Your next film night

Where to watch

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The story

About National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

A well-meaning suburban father sets out to give his family a perfect, old-fashioned Christmas, with an enormous tree, a house covered in lights and both sets of grandparents staying over. The plan unravels once uninvited in-laws turn up in a camper van and the work bonus he has been counting on fails to arrive.

The CineClaus verdict

The loudest Christmas film we score, and the most honest about what the day costs.

Chase plays a father who wants the full old-fashioned version and gets both sets of grandparents, uninvited in-laws in a camper van and a work bonus that never arrives. Hughes wrote it from his own magazine story, and the Christmas is the whole engine: every disaster is a festive ambition going wrong.

Some of the relatives have aged badly. The lights still earn their place every December.

The family desk

Can the kids watch?

12A

Our take: rated 12A. Slapstick peril and a police raid played for laughs, plus infrequent strong language and some moderate sex references. More grown-up than its reputation. Twelve and up.

BBFC advice: Infrequent strong language, moderate sex references.

Content advice & accessibility
Where the advice comes from
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).
Our age guidance
Editorial, separate from the official 12A certificate, and never looser than it.

The series

The National Lampoon's Vacation films

3 films, in release order

  • 1985

    The film before

    National Lampoon's European Vacation

    1985

    The third film in the Vacation series.

    Not in our catalogue yet
  • 1989

    You’re here

    National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

    1989

    You’re on this film’s page
  • 1997

    The film after

    Vegas Vacation

    1997

    Chevy Chase returned as the same father in the fourth film.

    Not in our catalogue yet
A first look

Watch the trailer

Official trailer from Warner Bros. Rewind.

A paper garage workbench holds tangled glowing Christmas lights, extension leads, a mug and a red staple gun, with snow beyond the open door.

Trailer

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Watch on YouTube (opens in a new tab)Nothing from YouTube loads until you press play.
The people behind the film

Cast and crew

The faces in front of the camera, and the people who brought the story to life.

Main cast

In billing order
Chevy Chase smiling in round wire glasses and a grey-green jacket over a black top, with coloured alphabet blocks blurred behind him.Chevy Chaseas Clark Wilhelm Griswold, Jr.
Woman with swept-up blonde hair and pale blue eyes, in a black velvet-collared jacket, looking to the side against a white backdrop.Beverly D'Angeloas Ellen Griswold
Head and shoulders photograph of a smiling man with a long brown beard, dark-framed glasses and a camouflage bucket hat, wearing a grey T-shirt.Randy Quaidas Cousin Eddie Johnson
Miriam Flynnas Cousin Catherine
William Hickeyas Uncle Lewis
Black and white studio portrait of a young woman with short wavy dark hair and wide eyes, lips pursed, one hand raised to her chin, in a soft feathered wrap.Mae Questelas Aunt Bethany
An older woman with long blonde hair, tinted sunglasses and a cream cap, wearing a red jacket with a blue polka-dot scarf and a beaded necklace.Diane Laddas Nora Griswold
John Randolphas Clark Wilhelm Griswold, Sr.

Behind the camera

Directed by
Jeremiah S. Chechik
Original score
Angelo Badalamenti
Writing & production credits
Producer
John Hughes
Photo credits

Portraits via Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence, approved for this page by a person. Sources and full photographer credits:

Chevy Chase · David Shankbone · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 3.0 (opens in a new tab).

Beverly D'Angelo · The Drama League · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Randy Quaid · Eliza George Matter · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab).

Mae Questel · Maurice Seymour · Source image (opens in a new tab) · Public domain.

Diane Ladd · Angela George · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab).

Step into the story

Filming locations

The real places behind National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Choose one to explore.

Find it on the mapBreckenridge, Colorado

© OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in a new tab)

Open larger map ↗ (OpenStreetMap, opens in a new tab)

Map shows the selected place. Drag to explore; use + and − to zoom.

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Photographs of the real places

There’s more behind the film.
Explore the next place.

Photo credits & location sources

These are photographs of the places, not film stills. Dates vary; photographs do not show current conditions or guarantee access.

Breckenridge, Colorado · Av9 · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab) · AFI Catalog production notes (opens in a new tab)

Frisco, Colorado · The Cinemaholic (opens in a new tab)

Warner Bros. Ranch, Burbank · AFI Catalog production notes (opens in a new tab)

Map pins mark the place, not a camera position or a route. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), including any pin positions read from OpenStreetMap.

A little more National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Film facts &
behind the scenes

For the fans who stay after the credits.

On set

A different director started the shoot

Chris Columbus was hired first and began filming before leaving after a strained working relationship with Chevy Chase. Some of his establishing shots stayed in the finished film, and weeks later John Hughes handed him the script for Home Alone.

Read the story

Source: AFI ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Movie magic

The snow on the street was cotton batting

The Griswolds' house and its neighbours on the Burbank backlot were covered in cotton batting, then dusted with sawdust and sparkles to pass as snow. Night exteriors were shot on the finished set a month after the Colorado location work.

Read the story
On your next watchThe roofs and lawns in the night scenes, which look soft rather than icy.

Source: AFI Catalog production notes ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Movie magic

A golf course played the tree lot

In Breckenridge the production dressed the local golf course as a Christmas tree lot and used a ski slope for the sledging run. Interiors of the family home were built on two Burbank soundstages.

Read the story

Source: AFI Catalog production notes ↗ (opens in a new tab)

On set

Four Saturday Night Live alumni in one cast

Chevy Chase, Randy Quaid, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Brian Doyle-Murray all had Saturday Night Live on their records. Diane Ladd, who plays Chase's mother, is only a year older than him in real life.

Read the story

Source: AFI ↗ (opens in a new tab)

On set

Mae Questel's final film

Aunt Bethany was Mae Questel's last screen role. She was best known for voicing Betty Boop and Olive Oyl in classic cartoons.

Read the story

Source: AFI ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Music & sound

A theme sung by Mavis Staples

The opening animation and the end credits carry a title song sung by Mavis Staples. Angelo Badalamenti wrote the score, and Ray Charles, Bing Crosby and Gene Autry are among the licensed Christmas songs.

Read the story

Source: AFI Catalog ↗ (opens in a new tab)

And at a glance

The Christmas in it
Snow on screen. Carols and songs heard: Joy to the World, Hallelujah Chorus, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Snowy mountain scenes for the tree hunt and the sledge run were shot in Summit County, Colorado. The film's song credits include Joy to the World, the Hallelujah Chorus and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Releases and certificates
: In cinemas (US). Opened in US cinemas at the start of December 1989.
: On disc, rated 12A. Warner's UK 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray edition.
Sources & a note on these facts

Each production story is linked to its source, in our own words. Ending details stay behind a spoiler reveal.

Gifts for film lovers · National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Something for the National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation fan

Little gifts for someone whose Christmas always includes National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

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Good to know

Questions about National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Is National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation a Christmas film?

Yes, an essential one. The whole story is a father's attempt at a perfect family Christmas going wrong, and every disaster comes from a festive plan.

What age rating is Christmas Vacation in the UK?

It is rated 12A in the UK. The BBFC's advice is infrequent strong language and moderate sex references.

Who directed and wrote Christmas Vacation?

Jeremiah S. Chechik directed it and John Hughes wrote and produced it. Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo and Randy Quaid lead the cast.

Where was Christmas Vacation filmed?

The snowy outdoor scenes were shot around Breckenridge and Frisco in Colorado, while the family's street and house were sets on the Warner Bros. Ranch backlot in Burbank, California.

Is Christmas Vacation part of a series?

Yes. It is the third Vacation film, following National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985), and was followed by Vegas Vacation (1997).

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