The Harris Sisters are getting ready for the holidays, and we wanted to bring you an idea for a National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Themed Party. We figured if you're going to host a party anyway, why not GO BIG and host a party based on a famous Christmas movie? We have all the details to make your movie-themed Christmas party a success!
Hip, Hip Hooray for Christmas Vacation
Start with an invitation that matches your Christmas Vacation theme. Because people's calendars tend to fill up around the holidays, make sure to send your invitations well in advance of your party date. If you'd like for guests to come dressed as one of the characters from the movie, add "dress in your Griswold best" to the invitations. (That will add to the fun of the party!) Where can you find Griswold-themed Christmas Vacation invitations? Check out Etsy for your best customizable options.
What to Wear to a National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Party
Your outfit will most likely be dependent on the character you choose to emulate. And remember that each of the main characters wore several different recognizable outfits throughout the movie, so you'll have your pick of what to wear.
Some costume pieces will be easy to find on Amazon or at Walmart. And other pieces and accessories will need to be hunted down at thrift stores, eBay, or Etsy to keep with the 1980s vintage look of the movie costumes.
Whatever costumes you or your guests choose, make sure to get lots of photos (big group photos, small group photos, individual shots, etc.) Get shots of groups that would have likely gone together in the movie. (Clark and Ellen, Clark and Bethany, Todd and Margo, Rusty and Audrey, as well as groups of Clarks and groups of Eddies - you will likely have more than one of each!)
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| Audrey and Rusty |
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| Todd and Margo |
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| Aunt Bethany and Clark |
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| Cousin Eddie and Ruby Sue |
Here's a list of characters in the movie broken down into a few categories:
Women:
- Ellen
- Nora (Clark's mom)
- Francis (Ellen's mom)
- Cousin Catherine
- Aunt Bethany
- Margo (neighbor)
Men:
- Clark
- Clark, Sr. (Clark's dad)
- Art (Ellen's dad)
- Cousin Eddie
- Uncle Lewis
- Todd (neighbor)
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| Cousin Eddie X2 |
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| Clark X3 |
Girls:
Boys:
More unique choices (that are less likely to have duplicates):
- Mary (lingerie salesperson)
- Bonus Delivery Guy
- Frank Shirley (boss)
- Mrs. Shirley (boss's wife)
- Police Officers
- Griswold Family Christmas Tree
- Squirrel
- Snots the dog
- Aunt Bethany's Cat
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| The Squirrel |
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| Frank Shirley and Cousin Eddie |
What Music to Play at My Christmas Vacation Themed Party
Before your Griswold party, make a playlist with some of the classic Christmas songs from the movie. Here's a list to get you started:
- Christmas Vacation - Mavis Staples (opening title sequence and end credits)
- Hey, Santa Claus - The Moonglows (shopping sequence before Clark meets Mary, the salesgirl)
- That Spirit of Christmas - Ray Charles (Clark watches old footage of past Christmases while trapped in the attic)
- Mele Kalikimaka - Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters (Clark daydreams about his pool)
- Here Comes Santa Claus - Gene Autry (SWAT Team invades the Griswold's house to rescue Mr. Shirley)
Other songs featured in the movie:
- O Come All Ye Faithful (excerpt) - Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo (car ride to tree lot)
- Deck the Halls (excerpt) - Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo (car ride to tree lot)
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas (excerpt) - Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo (car ride to tree lot)
- Joy to the World (excerpt) - Chevy Chase (Clark plugs in the lights and they don't work)
- Hallelujah Chorus (excerpt) - (Clark plugs in lights and they DO work)
- The Star-Spangled Banner - Christmas Vacation cast (Griswolds see the lights of the sewage treatment plant)
The song you'd think would be featured in the movie because it's featured in other Vacation movies (but it's not):
- Holiday Road - Lindsay Buckingham
Since the movie was based in the 1980's, here's a list of 20 popular Christmas songs of that decade to round out your playlist:
- Last Christmas - Wham!
- I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - John Cougar Mellencamp
- It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Johnny Mathis
- Christmas in Hollis - Run DMC
- Hard Candy Christmas - Dolly Parton
- Winter Wonderland - Eurythmics
- Put a Little Love in Your Heart - Al Green and Annie Lennox
- Do You Hear What I Hear? - Whitney Houston
- Thank God It's Christmas - Queen
- Merry Christmas, Baby - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
- Christmas in Dixie - Alabama
- Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid
- Santa Baby - Madonna
- Peace on Earth / Little Drummer Boy - Bing Crosby & David Bowie
- Run Rudolph Run - Bryan Adams
- Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) - U2
- Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer - Elmo and Patsy
- Silent Night - Stevie Nicks
- Little Drummer Boy - Bob Seger
- Same Old Lang Syne - Dan Fogelberg
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Party Menu
Since this is a themed party, you'll have the most fun planning your party menu with foods that correspond to the movie. We also labeled each item with a scene from the movie and creative titles that sometimes included lines from the movie. (Note: two of our party foods were actually from the original Vacation movie, but we figured since these folks are all related via Cousin Eddie, it all works out in the end.)
Here's the menu we used for our Christmas Vacation Themed Party:
What Party Favors, Costume Prizes, and Gifts Can I Give at My Christmas Vacation Themed Party?
If you'd like to make your own DIY Christmas Vacation gifts to give out as party favors and/or to the guest with the best costume, here are a few ideas for you:
Mr. Shirley L-Shaped Gifts
We do this every year for Daddy and he gets a big kick out of it. For a few bucks and a couple of minutes of your time to wrap it "just so," you can have a gift that matches the gift that Clark gave his boss, Mr. Shirley, in the movie. What the heck do we make these gifts out of and how do we wrap them?
We've got a full tutorial here.
How to Wrap Christmas Vacation Themed Presents
Here's another idea for how to wrap Christmas Vacation themed presents. If you're exchanging gifts with everyone at your party, why not label the gifts with photos of the recipient in their costume? If this is an annual party, you can use photos from previous years. Or when you buy your costume pieces, simply try on everything (to make sure it fits) and snap a photo at that time!
Jelly of the Month Club - Jars of Homemade Jelly
If you're the crafty type, in the months leading up to the party you can devote some time to making homemade jellies and jams and labeling them with creative labels. BONUS! If you make pepper jellies, you can also use them as part of your menu for the day of the party. We used the Habanero Pepper Jelly, Pineapple Pepper Jelly, and Ghost Pepper Jelly as a party appetizer with cream cheese and crackers, and gifted the Spiced Christmas Jam to party guests.
Here are the recipes:
The Harris Sisters send you warmest holiday wishes and hopes for a very Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
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