Trivia About National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

 

 Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!

If you're familiar with that phrase, then chances are that you're likely a fan of the perennial modern classic Christmas comedy National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. And if you've seen the movie a number of times, you might be up for a quick trivia challenge associated with it.

The movie, which was originally released in theaters on December 1, 1989, turns 35 in 2024. And I couldn't let that pass without compiling a collection of trivia, behind-the-scenes information, a look at deleted scenes and bloopers in MERRY CHRISTMAS! SHITTER WAS FULL!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. The book, which contains well over 300 tidbits of intriguing information about the movie, is available in eBook, mass market paperback, and hardcover editions.

In celebration of the 35th Anniversary of the movie, below are 35 trivia questions to help test YOUR knowledge of this classic.

Post how many out of 35 that you got right in the comments below. (While the answers, of course, appear in my book, I won't be cruel about it and expect you to get the book to learn the answers. If you're stumped, there's a link to the answers below)

(1) The main Vacation franchise has 5 movies in it. Which number was National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation?

(2) The script for Christmas Vacation was based on a short story by John Hughes that was published in the December 1980 issue of National Lampoon magazine. What was the name of that story?

(3) The director of the film appears on the cover of People magazine, which is seen when Clark is reading in bed the night they bring the "Griswold Family Christmas Tree" home. Who was the director of Christmas Vacation?

(4) Besides GRISWOLD, there are a number of other names on the list that Santa consults in the opening animated sequence for the film. Which of those names is likely a nod/reference to a character from a previous John Hughes written and directed film?

(5) What song is being sung by Clark and Ellen as the film opens? And what's the second song that Clark immediately launches into when that song ends?

(6) When Clark explains to Rusty what the family is doing driving all the way out into the country to select the Griswold Family Christmas Tree, what words does he use to describe their station wagon?

(7) What does Audrey suspect her father is really seeking by driving all the way out here?

(8) Only two Christmas movies came out in 1989. What was the name of that other film, and which actor from Christmas Vacation was in it?

(9) The actors who play Audrey and Rusty in each of the Vacation movies are always cast by different actors? In this movie, they are played by Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki. What sitcom that premiered in September 2007 did Johnny Galecki star in that made him famous?

(10) Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki play brother and sister in Christmas Vacation. On which sitcom did they later appear in which they played a couple?

(11) In his encounter with the rednecks in the truck on the highway, what mis-stated insult does Clark yell at them when he's about to pass them?

(12) What did Clark forget to bring on their outing to get their Christmas tree?

(13) Which two horror icons does Clark emulate when he comes out of the garage with the chain saw to cut the roots off the Christmas tree?

(14) What are the names of the pretentious yuppy neighbors of the Griswolds?

(15) The actor who plays Clark's boss, Mr. Shirley is the older brother of which fellow Saturday Night Cast member that Chevy Chase shared the stage with?

(16) What is Mr. Shirley's first name?

(17) The same actor who plays Mr. Shirley also appeared in which other movie in the Vacation franchise?

(18) What's one of the five different names that Mr. Shirley calls Clark throughout the movie before, at the very end, he finally gets it right?

(19) What movie is Rusty watching on the living room television when the grandparents arrive at the house?

(20) Doris Roberts plays Ellen Griswold's mother. On which television sitcom which ran from 1996 to 2005 did she play the main character's mother?

(21) What does Frances, Clark's mother-in-law, say to the kids after Clark's first failed attempt to light up the house with Christmas lights?

(22) When Audrey defends her father by responding to Frances with "He worked really hard, Grandma," what does Art say in response to that?

(23) What dust-covered item does Clark discover in his secret hidey-hole spot in the attic where he is about to store recently purchased Christmas gifts?

(24) Which of the follow phrases does Art use on his son-in-law when Clark finally gets the Christmas lights to work? (Multiple Choice)

        a) It's a beaut, Clark.

        b) The little lights, they're not twinkling.

        c) That's the gift that keeps on giving the whole year.

        d) You're nutty.

(25) When Cousin Eddie asks if Clark is surprised by his family's visit, how does Clark respond?

(26) What medical condition does Cousin Eddie's son Rocky have?

(27) What does Clark offer (under his breath) to do after asking Eddie if he can refill his eggnog for him? 

(28) How does Clark describe Cousin Eddie's RV?

(29) Christmas Vacation holds the distinction of being the only sequel to have it's own sequel. What's the name of the sequel to Christmas Vacation?

(30) What is the name of Cousin Eddie's dog?

(31) What beer is Cousin Eddie drinking when he is emptying his RV's chemical toilet into the sewer? 

(32) What song is played on the tuba while Cousin Eddie is performing this chore?

(33) When Ellen says to Aunt Bethany. "Oh, Aunt Bethany, you know you shouldn't have done that?" How does Aunt Bethany reply?

(34) What does Aunt Bethany recite when Clark asks her to say Grace?

(35) What does Clark discover that the company's Christmas bonus has been replaced with this year?

BONUS QUESTION (36): After Clark is disappointed by the swap-out of his company's Christmas bonus, how many unique insults does Clark use in his rant describing Mr. Shirley?

  

Anatomy of an Author Photo: Die Hard Trivia Book

I do try to put careful consideration into which author photo goes on which book.

My author photo for The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles for example, was relatively easy. All I had to do was take a shot of me reading the book with a backdrop from the scene at LGA where Del Griffith (John Candy) and Neal Page (Steve Martin) first meet (at least officially).

So when I was creating my author photo for Yippee Ki-Yay Motherfucker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard I wanted to come up with something that would "speak" to the look and feel of the original Die Hard film, if not the franchise in general.

 Here's what I did for that shot.

1) I used fake blood/paint and splotches of grime onto an undershirt

2) I purchased a Baretta brand BB gun so that I could take the same stance that John McClane (Bruce Willis) takes on several of the more popular versions of the movie poster.

3) I splashed some water onto my face to denote sweat (and even added a few post-photo beads of sweat onto my face)

4) I purchased a Toronto city-scape piece of stock art as well as stock art of explosions and had explosions at the top of the CN Tower. (I figured why not make it a more local/Canadian backdrop since the author is Canadian). I also went with an orange colorized sky like in several of the movie posters. My attempts at creating a multi-colored sky ended up distracting too much from the buildings in the background, so I opted for a single shade of orange.

5) John McClane's skull in a top-hat tattoo isn't visible in the movie posters, and is only seen in fleeting glimpses throughout the movie. But it does appear in a few of the Die Hard 2 promo images. So I added that in.

6) John McClane isn't bald until the later films in the franchise, and he never had facial hair. But I wasn't about to shave or grow back my receding hairline for the photo. And besides, I'm a huge fan of Weird Al, and he's done plenty of parodies over the years without losing that trademark Weird Al mustache.

7) I thought the photo should be framed by something and so went with bits of broken glass, to call out that "Welcome to the Party, Pal!" scene from the film.

8) And though I didn't end up in the same pose as John McClane for the more popular movie posters, I felt that this shot of me (from the out-takes seen below) at least had enough of the trepidation in my eyes to convey something similar to the look Bruce Willis was conveying.

Here are a few of the out-takes from the photo shoot I did in my home office. (I used an Android S21 propped up on my standing desk with a 5 second time delay for the shots, and a small USB ring-light and of course, a green screen tacked in to the ceiling in front of my book cases). I took perhaps a dozen shots.

Putting together an author photo for a specific book can be a lot of fun.

Are you interested in venturing any guesses as to what I'll be doing for the author photo for my 2024 release of Merry Christmas! Shitter was Full! A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation?