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It’s Almost Time for ‘Christmas Vacation’
This perennially popular film originated as a magazine article
Ahhh, Christmas: That magical time of year when lights twinkle everywhere, children anxiously await Santa Claus — and millions of folks watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
This 1989 Christmas comedy has become a legitimate Christmas classic. I know this from personal experience; growing up, my daughter memorized every line of the film and insisted we view it each year at Christmastime. I still look forward to getting some laughs from watching the film as the holiday approaches.
The story behind Christmas Vacation dates back to a now all but forgotten humor magazine, National Lampoon.
It’s the story of how a magazine grew into an American humor dynasty that included radio broadcasts, a stage show, movies — and a cadre of comedians and comedy writers who later influenced television shows like The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live.
How National Lampoon started
Before National Lampoon, there was Harvard Lampoon — a scurrilous satire magazine written by Harvard University students that began in 1876 and is still published today. Harvard Lampoon became known for not just its own bawdy humor but full-length parodies of such…
