Did They Really Decorate the House in Christmas Vacation?

By Robert Palmer

Christmas Vacation is a classic holiday movie that has been entertaining audiences since its release in 1989. The movie stars Chevy Chase as the bumbling and lovable Clark Griswold, who is determined to have the perfect family Christmas. One of the most memorable scenes from the movie is when Clark finally turns on the thousands of Christmas lights he has painstakingly put up around his house, only to have them all fail to light up.

But did they really decorate the house in Christmas Vacation? The answer is yes, they did! The production team actually decorated an entire house in Los Angeles for the exterior shots of Clark’s home.

The process of decorating the house was no small feat. It took a team of workers several weeks to hang over 25,000 individual Christmas lights on the house and surrounding trees. The lights were carefully placed to create an intricate design that would look impressive both during the day and at night.

To add even more holiday cheer to the set, several other decorations were added to Clark’s front yard. A large inflatable Santa Claus was placed on the roof, along with a giant illuminated reindeer and sleigh display.

All of this attention to detail paid off in creating a truly iconic Christmas movie moment. The scene where Clark finally gets his lights working and they illuminate his entire neighborhood has become one of the most recognizable and beloved scenes from any holiday movie.

In addition to the elaborate exterior decorations, several interior scenes were also filmed in a specially designed set that recreated Clark’s living room. This allowed for more control over lighting and camera angles during filming.

Overall, it’s clear that a lot of time and effort went into making Christmas Vacation a visually stunning movie that captures all of the magic and wonder of the holiday season. From Clark Griswold’s hilarious antics to his beautifully decorated home, this movie has become a holiday classic that will continue to entertain audiences for generations to come.

Summary:
Christmas Vacation is a beloved holiday movie that has captured the hearts of audiences for over 30 years. The production team went to great lengths to create a visually stunning movie, including decorating an entire house with over 25,000 Christmas lights. The attention to detail paid off in creating iconic movie moments that continue to delight audiences to this day.