National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation  isn’t just a Christmas movie—it’s the Christmas movie. It captures everything messy, funny, heartfelt, and downright absurd about the holidays and wraps it up in a tangle of lights and well-intentioned chaos. I actually saw this film during its original theatrical release, and that experience has stayed with me ever since. The laughter in the theater, the collective groans at Clark’s holiday disasters, and the warm buzz afterward all ce