This is my favorite Christmas movie. There are a lot of good ones, but this is the one that is watched every year. So here are some facts about the movie.

  1. It was based on a short story written by John Hughes back in 1980 called "Christmas '58." The movie pays homage to the short story when Clark is in the attic and finds the reel that says "X-Mas '59."
  2. There were no rehearsals for the actors in the movie. Chevy Chase's tendency to ad-lib lines made rehearsals basically pointless.
  3. Despite being the highest grossing "Vacation" movie in the US, making $71 million. It was never released in theaters in the UK. It went straight to video.
  4. If the Griswold house looks familiar, that's because it's on the Warner Bros' backlot and was also used as Sergeant Murtaugh's house in the Lethal Weapon movies.
  5. If the house in the family footage Clark finds in the attic looks familiar, well chances are you're old or are a really big fan of Bewitched. Same house.
  6. It was Mae Questel's final movie. You'll remember her as the lovable Aunt Bethany. Or if you really want to date yourself, she was the voice of Betty Boop way back in 1931.
  7. Chevy Chase's "And I wanna look him straight in the eye" scene used multiple cue cards throughout the set so he could do the whole thing in one take without stopping.
  8. The cat electrocution scene was almost cut from the film because the studio was worried about complaints of animal cruelty. Thank fried pussy cat they left it in!
  9. Todd is played by Nicholas Guest, who happens to be the brother of actor/director Christopher Guest.
  10. It's a Christmas movie that never actually reaches Christmas. The movie ends on Christmas Eve.

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