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91 free Christmas Vacation Movie trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
15 free Christmas Vacation Movie trivia questions with answers. Ready to test your knowledge of the beloved holiday classic? Our Christmas Vacation trivia quiz will challenge even the most devoted fans of the Griswold family's hilarious antics. From iconic scenes to unforgettable quotes, see how much you really remember about this comedy masterpiece!
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Q 01Who played Rusty Griswold in Christmas Vacation, a role Leonardo DiCaprio reportedly auditioned for?
Johnny Galecki
Johnny Galecki played Rusty; the Griswold kids were recast in every Vacation film, with Anthony Michael Hall, Jason Lively and Ethan Embry taking the role in the 1983, 1985 and 1997 films.
Q 02Which animal causes chaos after being released in the Griswold house?
Squirrel
A squirrel hiding in the replacement tree bursts out and Eddie's dog chases it through the house; Clark ends up with it on his back before dog and squirrel bowl over Margo at the front door.
Q 03What does Clark Griswold primarily plan to use his anticipated Christmas bonus for?
A swimming pool
A swimming pool: Clark has already put down a deposit he cannot cover without the bonus, which is why the envelope from work sours his Christmas Eve.
Q 04What is Cousin Eddie's dog called?
Snots
Snots, Cousin Eddie's dog, drinks from the Christmas tree stand, and Eddie warns that if he lays into your leg it is best to just let him finish.
Q 05In Christmas Vacation, what has the dotty Aunt Bethany wrapped up as a present, which Clark works out by shaking the box?
Her cat
Her cat, which yowls from inside the box. The cat later chews through the Christmas-light cord and is electrocuted, leaving a scorched outline on the carpet.
Q 06In Christmas Vacation, what does Clark's boss send instead of the expected cash bonus?
A Jelly of the Month Club membership
A Jelly of the Month Club membership, which Cousin Eddie calls 'the gift that keeps on giving the whole year'. Clark's response is a rant of more than twenty insults, followed by a kidnapping.
Q 07What is the surname of Clark Griswold's boss in Christmas Vacation, the man who quietly cancels the bonuses and ends up kidnapped?
Mr. Shirley
Mr. Shirley, Frank Shirley, whom Cousin Eddie kidnaps and delivers to the Griswold living room. After a dressing-down he reinstates everyone's bonuses, plus twenty percent for Clark.
Q 08Clark's furious rant about his boss in Christmas Vacation runs through twenty-odd insults and ends with a demand for what?
'The Tylenol!'
'The Tylenol!', as in 'Where's the Tylenol?', after calling his boss everything from four-flushing to worm-headed. The headache is understandable.
Q 09What does Uncle Lewis accidentally set ablaze while lighting his cigar?
The Christmas tree
The Christmas tree, which burns to a skeleton in seconds, so Clark chainsaws a replacement from the front yard. Lewis's second match of the night ignites the gas in the storm drain outside.
Q 10What is the surname of Todd and Margo, Clark Griswold's yuppie neighbours?
Chester
Chester: Todd and Margo Chester are the childless yuppie neighbours whose windows keep getting smashed by Griswold mishaps.
Q 11Asked to say grace at the Christmas Eve dinner in Christmas Vacation, what does Aunt Bethany recite while everyone bows their heads?
The Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance, after first assuming they mean a woman named Grace, who she says died thirty years ago. The family dutifully joins in, hands folded.
Q 12Clark takes a chainsaw to which wobbly part of the house?
The newel post
The newel post, the upright at the foot of the staircase, which he saws clean off and announces, deadpan, 'Fixed the newel post.' It is about the only thing in the house he fixes all movie.
Q 13After the explosion outside, Aunt Bethany launches into which patriotic song?
Q 21What is Cousin Eddie's surname?
Johnson
Johnson: Eddie Johnson, played by Randy Quaid, is married to Ellen's cousin Catherine, which makes him a Griswold in-law rather than a Griswold.
Q 22What ruins the Christmas Eve dinner before things get worse?
The turkey is overcooked
The turkey is overcooked: Catherine's bird is so dry it collapses in a puff of steam when Clark carves it, and the family chews politely through it.
Q 23What does Clark gather the family to recite after his father's talk?
"The Night Before Christmas"
'The Night Before Christmas': cheered by his father's admission that his own Christmases were never perfect either, Clark opens the book to read it, only for Eddie to burst in with the kidnapped boss.
'The Star-Spangled Banner'
'The Star-Spangled Banner', as the flaming plastic Santa and sleigh sail overhead like the rockets' red glare. Everyone, including the SWAT team sent for the kidnapping, stands and sings.
Q 14In Christmas Vacation, what does Cousin Eddie empty from his RV into the storm sewer while wearing a bathrobe?
Sewage
Sewage, and Clark warns that it is illegal and pities anyone who lights a match within ten yards of it. Uncle Lewis does exactly that, and the blast sends the plastic Santa into the sky.
Q 15In his tirade about the missing bonus, Clark wants his boss brought to the house with what on his head?
A big ribbon
A big ribbon on his head: Cousin Eddie takes the request literally and delivers the boss in his bathrobe and pyjamas, tied up with a bow.
Q 16The 1989 film was based on a John Hughes short story published in National Lampoon under what title?
"Christmas '59"
The original 1983 Vacation came from his earlier story 'Vacation '58'.
Q 17Who directed Christmas Vacation after Chris Columbus quit over a clash with Chevy Chase?
Jeremiah S. Chechik
Jeremiah S. Chechik, a commercials director making his feature debut, took over after Columbus walked away rather than work with Chase.
Q 18About how much did Christmas Vacation gross at the box office?
$73.3 million
$73.3 million: a solid hit that opened in second place on December 1, 1989, and became a holiday television staple in the years after.
Q 19How many lights does Clark string on the outside of the house?
25,000
25,000 imported Italian twinkle lights, 250 strands of 100 bulbs each, which refuse to light at all until Ellen flips the switch in the garage.
Q 20What are the names of Cousin Eddie's two children who arrive in the RV?
Ruby Sue and Rocky
Rocky and Ruby Sue, Eddie and Catherine's kids, who arrive unannounced in the RV; Eddie admits to Clark that the family has been living in the camper since he lost his job.
Q 24Whose call brings a SWAT team storming into the Griswold house?
Helen Shirley's
Helen Shirley, Frank's wife, who reported her husband kidnapped; the SWAT team crashes through the windows, and Frank then declines to press charges after reinstating the bonuses.
Q 25What does Uncle Lewis say the distant light really is, correcting Clark's 'Christmas Star'?
A sewage treatment plant
A sewage treatment plant: 'That ain't the friggin' Christmas star, Gris, it's a light on the sewage treatment plant', says Lewis, before tossing his match into the storm drain.
Q 26Which four Christmas Vacation actors had played the same roles in an earlier Vacation film?
Chase, D'Angelo, Quaid and Miriam Flynn
Chase, D'Angelo, Quaid and Miriam Flynn, who plays Eddie's wife Catherine; the Griswold children were recast for every sequel, so their actors were new to the series.
Q 27Which actress played Clark's mother Nora, though barely eight years older than Chevy Chase?
Diane Ladd
Diane Ladd, born November 1935, played Nora Griswold; Chevy Chase was born October 1943, so his screen mother was under eight years older than him.
Q 28What is Ellen Griswold's maiden name, shared by her parents Art and Frances?
Smith
Smith: Ellen's parents, Art and Frances Smith, arrive alongside Clark's parents, and the two couples bicker from the moment they hit the door.
Q 29Aunt Bethany was played by which actress in her final film role?
Mae Questel
Mae Questel, the longtime voice of Betty Boop and Olive Oyl in the Fleischer cartoons, played Aunt Bethany in what proved to be her last film.
Q 30The Colorado exteriors were shot in Summit County, including which ski town?
Breckenridge
Breckenridge: the opening tree-hunting scenes, with the family wagon skidding along mountain roads, were shot around Breckenridge and Frisco in Summit County.