10 Underrated Christmas Vacation Scenes

I don’t know about you, but I question the taste of anyone not claiming “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation“ to be their all-time favorite Christmas movie. The very first time I laid eyes on this cinematic masterpiece I knew my life would never be the same.

The thing about a good movie is that it’s deep. It has layers, complexity. There are nuggets of awesomeness that sometimes get lost in “everyone’s favorite scene/line.” Christmas Vacation is full of those. For that reason, allow me to share ten scenes that make this movie beautifully and hilariously complex.

 > Underrated Scene #10: Voice of an Angel
It makes sense to start this list with a scene at the beginning of the movie. The family traveling out to the middle of nowhere for a giant redwood is one thing, but the bravado with which Clark W. Griswold, Jr. belts out “Oh Come, Let Us Adore Him” is simply stunning.

 > Underrated Scene #9: Jason Returns
Our first introduction to the Griswolds’ high-society neighbors, Todd and Margo, also gives Clark the chance to grab his chainsaw and do some tree-trimming dressed as Jason Voorhees. He might take a little off the bottom…or he might go and murder half the neighborhood.

 > Underrated Scene #8: The Karate Kid
Obviously, one of the funnier parts of the movie is how long it takes Clark to get his home’s holiday exterior lighting operational. The scene where he channels his inner ninja and judo chops and kicks Santa and his reindeer to vent frustration is great. I think he even misfires on a couple of kicks.

 > Underrated Scene #7: Hide-n-Seek
It probably wouldn’t be as fun if we just laid our gifts, naked in their boxes, under the tree. So we wrap them. But our boy Clark takes things one step further. He hides his wrapped gifts in the attic. Bet he was awesome at hide-n-seek…

 > Underrated Scene #6: Prayer Hands
I could easily do an entire post on the greatness of Eddie. Who is Eddie, you ask? He’s the guy doing the “Here is the church, here is the steeple” routine just before Aunt Bethany says “THE BLESSING(!).”

 > Underrated Scene #5: Government Plastic
Eddie has a way with words. If he had a blog, I would read it faithfully. One of his best lines in the movie comes when he explains the reason why doctors replaced the metal plate in his head with a plastic one. Seems he would soil himself when the wife “rev up” the microwave. TMI, Ed. Just trying to do a little sledding.

 > Underrated Scene #4: The Arrival
The grandparents arriving really kicks the movie into overdrive. There are so many memorable observations. Bribing the grandchildren with quarters, hemorrhoid revelations, having pints of back fluid removed, and so much more. I only hope my parents age as well.

 > Underrated Scene #3: Drumroll, Please….Drumroll
Clark’s grand “first lighting” of his 25,000 imported Italian twinkle lights didn’t go off as planned. He gets no sympathyfrom his father-in-law, who compares him to a washing machine. His father makes himself available…but only if Clark comes and wakes him up first. And Russ? Well, Russ would help if he didn’t have to wash the car, pay some bills, and feed a mysterious hog.

 > Underrated Scene #2: Elaine Benes
Todd and Margo discovering their wet carpet probably produced one of the most quoteable lines from the entire film…at least for me. If you ever ask me why something is the way it is, my go-to respose will probably be, “I don’t know, Margo.” And I’ll leave it at that.

 > Underrated Scene #1: The Clothes Make the Man
Eddie’s dickie.

That’s it. It was difficult to pick just ten, but I really feel these are both underrated and extremely responsible for the movie being the best movie of all time. Yeah, you read that correctly.

Your turn- what did I leave off? What would you put on the list?