10 Life Lessons from National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation”

Hint: Emptying “the shitter” isn’t one of them.

Christmas Vacation movie advertisement, distributed by Warner Bros.

I’m not much for celebrating holidays, but I do love a holiday movie. One of my favorites is “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”, a film which you might be surprised to learn is a treasure trove of life lessons that we can all learn from.

First, if you’re not familiar with the movie, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is a holiday comedy that tells the story of suburban father Clark Griswold, a man who just wants to have a nice “old fashioned family Christmas”, but can’t catch a break.

Written by John Hughes, the 1989 film has a powerhouse ensemble cast that includes Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Randy Quaid, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Johnny Galecki, Diane Ladd, and many more comedy favorites.

Christmas Vacation movie advertisement, distributed by Warner Bros.

Here are ten important life lessons you’ll learn by watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation:

1. Don’t spend your bonus before you get the check. In the film, the family patriarch Clark Griswold decides to spend his annual holiday bonus to purchase a swimming pool for his family. He puts down a…