Was the Snow Real in Christmas Vacation?

By Michael Ferguson

If you’re a fan of the holiday classic Christmas Vacation, you may have wondered if the snow in the movie was real or fake. The answer is a bit of both.

The Indoor Scenes

For the indoor scenes, which make up the majority of the movie, fake snow was used. The production crew used a combination of different materials to create this effect, including shredded plastic and foam. They also added glitter to give it that extra sparkle.

The Outdoor Scenes

For the outdoor scenes, however, real snow was used. The movie was filmed in Colorado during the winter months, so there was plenty of natural snow available. However, there were times when they needed more snow than what Mother Nature provided.

To make up for this, the crew used a combination of real and fake snow. They would lay down a layer of real snow as a base and then cover it with fake snow to create a more consistent look.

The Benefits of Fake Snow

Using fake snow has some benefits over using real snow. For one thing, it’s much easier to control. The production crew can create exactly what they need without worrying about weather conditions or other external factors.

Fake snow is also less expensive than real snow. While it may seem like buying bags of shredded plastic and foam would be costly, it’s actually much cheaper than trucking in tons of real snow.

The Downsides of Fake Snow

Of course, there are some downsides to using fake snow as well. For one thing, it’s not very environmentally friendly. Most types of fake snow are made from non-biodegradable materials that can harm wildlife and pollute water sources.

Fake snow can also be difficult to clean up once filming is done. Real snow will eventually melt away on its own, but fake snow needs to be removed by hand.

The Final Verdict

In the end, it’s clear that both real and fake snow were used in Christmas Vacation. While the indoor scenes relied solely on fake snow, the outdoor scenes used a combination of both.

Regardless of whether the snow was real or fake, there’s no denying that it added to the movie’s overall charm and festive spirit. So next time you watch Christmas Vacation, take a moment to appreciate all the hard work that went into creating those snowy scenes.