1. The Griswolds – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is the quintessential Christmas comedy for a reason: it perfectly encapsulates the purgatory of the extended family Christmas in a way that is both timelessly relatable and consistently quotable.
In the true spirit of Christmas, there’s no toxic behavior, just the waking nightmare of having too many relatives invading your happy place, and that’s more than enough to cement the Griswolds as the most dysfunctional family ever to celebrate Christmas.
Whether we’re talking about the elderly relative badly wrapping household appliances (or pets), the malfunction (and destruction) of various Christmas decorations, or the illegal dumping of human waste into a storm drain, Christmas Vacation has it all, and all of it is perfectly well-intended. It’s exactly the sort of dysfunction that practically everyone can relate to in some form or another, and it all comes with the most festive of subtexts: family is what Christmas is all about, for better or worse.
That’s the list! Thanks for reading, and let us know in the comments if there’s any particularly dysfunctional families you feel got slighted by our festive round-up. Follow Corner of Film on the social medias or subscribe by email (if that’s your thing) to keep up with all of the great content we’re putting out!
Leave a Reply