National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation Ornament

Twenty-Five Thousand Twinkle Lights

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation opened on December 1, 1989, with a script by John Hughes and Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold, a father determined to give his family a perfect old-fashioned Christmas. Its best-remembered moment is the house: 250 strands of lights, 100 bulbs a strand, 25,000 imported Italian twinkle lights that refuse to switch on until they finally light up half the neighbourhood.

For many households the film has become a December ritual of its own, quoted at dinner and rewatched every year, and that is exactly the moment this ornament captures.

The film was the third in the National Lampoon’s Vacation series, after Vacation in 1983 and European Vacation in 1985, and it gave the Griswolds their most-loved outing. Fans still trade the lines: Cousin Eddie’s RV parked in the drive, the squirrel hiding in the Christmas tree and Clark’s Christmas bonus turning out to be a membership in the Jelly of the Month Club.

The Scene

The ornament shows the Griswold house with every roofline and window outlined in coloured lights, a ladder still leaning against the gutter, a snowman and trimmed evergreens in the yard, and Clark in a Santa hat with his arms flung wide. The family station wagon, wood panels and all, waits in the drive with a tree strapped to the roof.

A green-and-red plaque reading National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, with a smaller “Holiday Lights” banner and sprigs of holly, finishes the front, and a gold loop at the top takes a hook or ribbon.

Hanging and Storing

Give it a strong branch near the front of the tree, where the scene can be read from across the room, or hang it from a shelf hook next to the movie. Wipe it with a dry cloth and wrap it in tissue when it goes back into storage so the small details are protected.

Movie Fan Questions

Which scene does it show?

Clark’s triumph: the house fully lit, Clark celebrating in the yard and the wagon with the tree in the drive.

Is the film title on the ornament?

Yes. The plaque at the base carries the full title with a “Holiday Lights” banner below it.

Is it a good gift for a movie-night host?

It suits anyone who puts the film on every December, especially as a small extra alongside a holiday card.

Can I hang it outdoors?

Keep it indoors; the fine details and painted surfaces last longest away from rain, frost and strong sun.