The Griswold family — Clark, Ellen, Rusty and Audrey
Start with the family at the center of the chaos. The Griswold kids were recast in every Vacation movie, and the 1989 pair went on to bigger things — one of them to the biggest sitcom of the 2010s.
Q1.Who plays Clark Griswold?Tap to reveal
Answer: Chevy Chase
Christmas Vacation was his third outing as Clark after Vacation (1983) and European Vacation (1985).
Q2.Who plays Clark's wife, Ellen Griswold?Tap to reveal
Answer: Beverly D'Angelo
D'Angelo played Ellen in every theatrical Vacation film.
Q3.Which future Big Bang Theory star plays Rusty Griswold?Tap to reveal
Answer: Johnny Galecki
He was about 14 when the movie filmed, long before playing Leonard Hofstadter.
Q4.Who plays Audrey Griswold?Tap to reveal
Answer: Juliette Lewis
She earned an Oscar nomination just two years later for Cape Fear.
Q5.What does Clark do for a living?Tap to reveal
Answer: He designs food additives for a food corporation
His big project is a "non-nutritive cereal varnish" that keeps cereal crunchy in milk.
Q6.What does Clark plan to buy with his expected Christmas bonus?Tap to reveal
Answer: A swimming pool
He's already put down a deposit before the bonus arrives — which is why the jelly club hits so hard.
Q7.The Griswolds live in the suburbs of which US city?Tap to reveal
Answer: Chicago
The opening tree-hunting trip takes the family into the snowy countryside outside the city.
Q8.What goes wrong with the Christmas tree the Griswolds bring home from the country?Tap to reveal
Answer: Clark forgot a saw, so they dig up the whole tree — roots and all — and it's far too big for the living room
It smashes through the window glass the moment the twine is cut.
Q9.Which movie in the Vacation series is Christmas Vacation?Tap to reveal
Answer: The third
It followed Vacation (1983) and European Vacation (1985), and is the only one that doesn't involve a road trip.
Cousin Eddie and the relatives — the houseguests from hell
Every family has relatives who show up unannounced; the Griswolds have Eddie, who arrives in an RV with a Rottweiler and an empty septic tank. This round covers the extended cast that turns Clark's "fun old-fashioned family Christmas" into a siege.
Q1.Who plays Cousin Eddie?Tap to reveal
Answer: Randy Quaid
Quaid first played Eddie in the original 1983 Vacation and stole the sequel with the role.
Q2.What is the name of Eddie's dog?Tap to reveal
Answer: Snots
The Rottweiler with a sinus condition drinks from the Christmas tree stand and chases the squirrel through the house.
Q3.What are the names of Eddie's two kids who come along in the RV?Tap to reveal
Answer: Rocky and Ruby Sue
Ruby Sue tells Clark she's worried because Santa skipped their house some years.
Q4.What is Eddie doing in his bathrobe when he delivers the line "the sh*tter was full"?Tap to reveal
Answer: Emptying his RV's chemical toilet into the storm sewer
That sewer gas later ignites and launches the plastic Santa lawn ornament into the sky.
Q5.Which elderly relative accidentally sets the Christmas tree on fire?Tap to reveal
Answer: Uncle Lewis
He lights his cigar right next to the tree and torches it in seconds.
Q6.What does Aunt Bethany recite when she's asked to say grace?Tap to reveal
Answer: The Pledge of Allegiance
The whole table stands and joins in rather than correct her.
Q7.What living thing has Aunt Bethany accidentally wrapped as a Christmas gift?Tap to reveal
Answer: Her cat
She also wraps a lime Jell-O mold — the cat later chews the light cords with electrifying results.
Q8.Mae Questel, who played Aunt Bethany, was famous decades earlier as the voice of which cartoon icon?Tap to reveal
Answer: Betty Boop
She voiced Betty Boop from 1931 and also voiced Olive Oyl in the Popeye cartoons.
Q9.What does Eddie wear under his thin white sweater at the mall?Tap to reveal
Answer: A black dickey
Clark's deadpan compliment of the fake turtleneck is pure gritted-teeth politeness.
Iconic scenes and quotes — lights, sleds and the jelly of the month
This is the round people answer in full quotes. The exterior illumination, the lubricated sled, the attic, the squirrel — the set pieces that made the movie an annual rewatch.
Q1.How many imported Italian twinkle lights does Clark staple to the house?Tap to reveal
Answer: 25,000
When they finally work, the power surge forces the local utility to tap into auxiliary nuclear power.
Q2.Why don't Clark's lights turn on at first?Tap to reveal
Answer: The extension cords are plugged into an outlet controlled by a switch in the garage
Ellen flips the switch — and the house lights up while Clark isn't even looking.
Q3.What happens to Aunt Bethany's cat?Tap to reveal
Answer: It's electrocuted chewing on the Christmas light cord
Uncle Lewis notices the smell; the scorched patch on the carpet gives it away.
Q4.What does Clark spray on his metal saucer sled to make it dangerously fast?Tap to reveal
Answer: An experimental non-caloric silicone-based kitchen lubricant from his company
He rockets across a field, through a parking lot, and off into the night trailing sparks.
Q5.Where does Clark get trapped while hiding Christmas presents?Tap to reveal
Answer: In the attic
He passes the time watching old family home movies in a turban and pink gloves — until the floor gives out.
Q6.What animal comes flying out of the replacement Christmas tree?Tap to reveal
Answer: A squirrel
Clark chainsawed a tree from the yard to replace the burned one and brought the stowaway inside with it.
Q7.What are the names of the yuppie neighbors whose house keeps getting collateral damage?Tap to reveal
Answer: Todd and Margo
Their stereo, carpet and window all fall victim to Griswold Christmas cheer.
Q8.Margo is played by which future Seinfeld star?Tap to reveal
Answer: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
She filmed Christmas Vacation the same year Seinfeld's pilot aired; Elaine came shortly after.
Q9.Instead of a cash bonus, what does Clark's company give him?Tap to reveal
Answer: A one-year membership in the Jelly of the Month Club
Eddie's verdict: "It's the gift that keeps on giving the whole year."
Q10.How does Eddie "fix" the bonus situation for Clark?Tap to reveal
Answer: He kidnaps Clark's boss, Frank Shirley, and delivers him to the house wrapped in a ribbon
He took Clark's furious rant about wanting his boss brought over literally.
Q11.What happens when the Christmas turkey is carved?Tap to reveal
Answer: It's so overcooked it splits open and collapses with a hiss
The family politely chews through the dried-out bird anyway — "a little dry" is the understatement of the film.
Q12.At the end of his unhinged rant about his boss, what does Clark ask for?Tap to reveal
Answer: The Tylenol
"Hallelujah! Holy sh*t! Where's the Tylenol?" caps one of the most quoted monologues in Christmas movie history.
Behind the scenes — writers, music and the aftermath
The production trivia rewards the true devotees. Christmas Vacation started as a magazine short story and ended up out-earning both earlier Vacation films at the box office.
Q1.Who wrote the screenplay for Christmas Vacation?Tap to reveal
Answer: John Hughes
He wrote it the same decade he made Ferris Bueller and, one year later, Home Alone.
Q2.The movie is based on a John Hughes short story published in which magazine?Tap to reveal
Answer: National Lampoon
His story "Christmas '59" followed "Vacation '58," which had inspired the original film.
Q3.Who directed Christmas Vacation?Tap to reveal
Answer: Jeremiah S. Chechik
It was his feature directing debut; Harold Ramis had directed the 1983 original.
Q4.In what year was Christmas Vacation released?Tap to reveal
Answer: 1989
It opened December 1, 1989 and topped the US box office.
Q5.Who sings the animated opening credits song, "Christmas Vacation"?Tap to reveal
Answer: Mavis Staples
The cartoon Santa title sequence is the only Vacation film opening done in animation.
Q6.Who plays Clark's stingy boss, Frank Shirley?Tap to reveal
Answer: Brian Doyle-Murray
He's the older brother of Bill Murray and a Caddyshack co-writer.
Q7.When Frank Shirley reinstates the Christmas bonuses, what does he add to Clark's?Tap to reveal
Answer: An extra 20 percent
It's his on-the-spot apology after the kidnapping — plus the pool deposit is saved.
Q8.The 2003 made-for-TV sequel centers on which character?Tap to reveal
Answer: Cousin Eddie
Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure went straight to television, with Randy Quaid returning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best Christmas Vacation trivia questions for a family game?
Lead with the visual gags everyone remembers — the lights, the squirrel, the sled, the cat. Save cast and production questions (Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Margo, Mae Questel as Betty Boop) for a bonus round for the film buffs.
Is Christmas Vacation trivia appropriate for kids?
Mostly — the movie is rated PG-13, so a couple of famous quotes need family-friendly paraphrasing. The scene-based questions in rounds one and three work fine for kids who've seen the movie.
How many questions should a Christmas Vacation trivia game have?
For a post-dinner game, 15-20 questions is the sweet spot — about 25 minutes. Use all 38 here if you're running it as a full quiz night round with teams.
Can I play this Christmas Vacation quiz online?
Yes — the quiz widget on this page runs the full set free with automatic scoring, so you can play online solo or head-to-head while the movie is on in the background.
What other trivia pairs well with Christmas Vacation questions?
General Christmas movie trivia, 80s trivia, and Home Alone questions — same era, same John Hughes DNA. A mixed "holiday movies" round keeps non-superfans in the game.
