Christmas Vacation is one of those Christmas movies that families for years and years have gathered around to watch every holiday season to get in the Christmas spirit. It is a staple in the Christmas movie genre and has some of the most quotable moments in the history of comedies.
If you enjoy watching this holiday classic as much as we do, then you're going to enjoy this ranking of the 10 most memorable moments from the film. There will be laughs, endearing moments, and plenty that involve Cousin Eddie and his wild antics. Here are the 10 Most Memorable Moments from Christmas Vacation, Ranked.
The Family Car Getting Stuck Under A Truck
In classic Griswold fashion, they end up in quite the pickle at the very beginning of this Christmas film. While on their way to cut down the perfect Christmas tree before their relatives come to stay for the holidays, Clark gets into a comical take on a road rage incident.
His reactionary nature only served to cause more trouble, though, when they find themselves trapped under a huge big rig truck and they have to drive the perfect speed to keep up with the truck or else they'll be crushed.
There are screams, prayers said, and heart-pounding action that is somehow still hilarious to watch regardless of the circumstances.
The Squirrel Takes Over
At one point during the film's events, something happens to their tree -- we'll come back to that later -- and Clark goes a bit crazy because of it. He decides to cut down a tree right outside their home to replace it, using a chainsaw and everything.
The biggest problem in him deciding to do this is what came in with the tree. There was a live wild animal in that tree -- a squirrel -- that causes chaos to ensue in their home.
Clark's mom has to play dead while Aunt Bethany is delightfully unaware of her current surroundings. Meanwhile, everyone else is losing their minds at the situation.
The Uneventful Lighting Ceremony
One of Clark Griswold's biggest goals for Christmas was to have the ultimate light display for their home, showing off their Christmas spirit in the most festive way possible.
So, Clark with the help of his son, Rusty, decorate their entire house in Christmas lights and other decorations until there is no space left. Clark makes a big deal about plugging in the lights for his entire family...only to have them not light up at all. He's immediately deflated and everyone thinks his master project has failed. Eventually, it's realized he needs the breaker switch for the lights on, and when it lights up, it wipes out the electricity everywhere.
Clark’s Vision Of Their Future Pool
For most of the movie, Clark has big hopes for his Christmas bonus he gets every year, hoping to use the money to put an in-ground pool in his family's backyard.
He begins to fantasize about what that pool would be like and while most remember the "dream girl" of this fantasy -- the saleswoman from the mall -- what was even more memorable to us was Cousin Eddie in his speedo with his tank top tucked into it.
Both he and his brood are the black sheep of the family, so it's no wonder they are getting up to no good and making us laugh while they do it, even in Clark's fantasy.
When Clark Gets Stuck In The Attic
This scene had a way of tugging at the heartstrings while simultaneously being hysterical to watch. Both reactions are because of the situation Clark finds himself in when he gets stuck in the attic of his house.
He had gone up there to hide presents and was locked in during the process. Everyone had left for shopping so he was left to freeze up there. His solution? Go through old boxes of women's winter clothes and wear them as he watches old home movies from Christmas' pasts.
The movies were touching while him wearing the ridiculous clothes and then falling when someone opens the attic door was too funny for words.
Uncle Lewis Setting The Tree On Fire
Uncle Lewis was quite the character. He played the part of the grumpy old man perfectly and it was obvious he wasn't totally aware of what was going on half of the time. Which is precisely why he was the ultimate demise of Clark's beloved Christmas tree.
While smoking a cigar, he ends up lighting himself and the tree on fire, sending it up in flames. They put Uncle Lewis out but the tree was a lost cause. The funniest part had to be Uncle Lewis having burn marks on his jacket for the rest of the film.
Not to mention, this was what led to the infamous squirrel scene…
Eddie Kidnapping Clark’s Boss
Clark was seriously depending on his Christmas bonus for replacing an advance he took out to put a down payment on a pool for the summer. When time keeps ticking by and he hasn't gotten his bonus, he grows concerned.
Then, on Christmas Eve, it is delivered to him. But he does not receive the bonus that he was expecting. To his surprise, he is gifted with a year membership to the "jelly of the month club". He becomes infuriated and goes on a tangent, ending it by saying 'he would like his boss delivered to him wrapped in a bow so Clark can insult him to his face.'
Eddie took that request quite literally and does just that for Clark. While this is insane and hilarious, it actually does prompt his boss into realizing his mistake and righting his wrong.
The Ruined Christmas Dinner
Ellen's redneck cousin, Catherine, took the lead on their Christmas dinner by cooking the turkey. It looked cooked to perfection, but as the family sat down for their dinner on Christmas Eve, that was soon proven to be false.
Clark does the honors of slicing into the turkey, only to have it explode into a dried-up mess. Even though poor Catherine was upset, it was hilarious to see its demise, while Eddie wonders what made Catherine upset all of a sudden.
Even better is watching the entire family still try to eat it to spare her feelings. Comedic gold, we tell you.
The Sled Ride
In one of the most iconic scenes of the entire film, Clark and his family decide to take their kids sledding. He ends up using kitchen lubricant on the bottom of his sled to decrease the friction between his sled and the snow. What he doesn't realize is it's not just going to make him go faster but is going to send him flying through the air at a dangerous speed.
He goes so far and so fast that by the time he's done gliding through the snow, he finds himself at the front of a Wal-Mart store that was far and away from his start position. It was by far one of the funniest scenes in the whole movie.
Eddie’s Christmas Greetings To The Neighbors
Oh, but of course Cousin Eddie's most memorable scene is making the top of this list. The famous quote he utters during this moment has gone down in history as one of the most comedic lines to be said in any of the Vacation films.
See, while emptying the contents of waste from his family's RV into Clark's sewer, Eddie is wearing nothing but a short robe and a trapper hat, and yes, a cold beer in his hand. He proceeds to wish Merry Christmas to the neighbors who are looking on and then explains in a less than classy way what it is he's doing.
His delivery of this line combined with the nature of the circumstances he's in makes this the best moment from the film that we aren't soon to forget.