11 Things National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Got Right

Everyone has their favorite holiday movie. Maybe you lean toward romantic stuff like Love Actually, or traditional fare like It's a Wonderful Life. Or maybe the idea of the holidays makes you want to curse and hide under your bed. If you're feeling the latter, rewatch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and recall how correct it is about life during the holidays!

Untangling Christmas lights is the devil's work.

Cutting down your own tree on a farm isn't even kind of worth it.

Your cousins' dog is a disgusting creature.

No matter how rosy your memories of your childhood holidays, your parents were definitely drunk the whole time, as Clark's dad tells in the film.

Your weird neighbors think you're even weirder. But it'd still be awesome to live next door to Julia Louis-Dreyfus!

Keeping a budget for all those gifts (like a pool!) is wildly stressful... not that you should kidnap your boss over it.

Keeping a turkey moist during the cooking process is difficult for even a veteran cook.

Your old relatives have no idea what's going on during most of the festivities, but it may be better that way.

Randy Quaid is kind of nuts, after all.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a wonderful movie! This scene, of Clark looking out the window at a hot chick in a red bathing suit near a pool, is a clear homage to the high-school classic, even though it had only come out 7 years before Christmas Vacation.

John Hughes, who wrote this movie along with Home Alone the following year, is a freakin' genius.