National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation expanded the Vacation franchise’s ensemble by introducing audiences to the larger Griswold family tree. John Hughes, who wrote the first Vacation film and co-wrote the second one (and also wrote the original Lampoon story that the franchise is based on), returned to pen the script for Christmas Vacation. This holiday-themed threequel imagines a disastrous Griswold family Christmas with a burnt tree, an overcooked turkey, and pesky lights that won’t go on when Clark wants them to.

The previous Vacation movies had focused entirely on Clark, Ellen, and their kids, but Christmas Vacation introduced audiences to the larger Griswold clan. This includes Clark’s parents, Ellen’s parents, an aunt, an uncle, and a cousin with a family of her own. However, it can be a little confusing to figure out which side of the family each set of in-laws is on, whose uncle is the one who unwittingly blows up the Christmas decorations, and how Cousin Eddie plays into the equation.

Clark W. “Sparky” Griswold, Jr.

The Griswold Patriarch

The Griswold patriarch, Clark Griswold – also known by his wife’s pet name, “Sparky” – is played by Chevy Chase (who played the character in every Vacation movie, including the reboot). Clark is Ellen’s husband and father to Audrey and Rusty. Since all the other Vacation movies revolve around family trips, Christmas Vacation is the first one to show Clark in the office; he works at a food additive company. Clark is known for flying off the handle and doing reckless, extreme things like kidnapping people in the name of family fun.

Christmas Vacation sees Clark wanting to have a perfect holiday vacation which includes the big reveal that, with the Christmas bonus he is expecting to get, he will be putting in a new pool for his family. Like most of the Vacation movies, Clark's own over-eagerness causes some problems. However, a lot of the bumps in the road that ruin his perfect Christmas holiday come from his extended family.

Ellen Griswold

Clark’s Loving Wife

Ellen Griswold (née Smith), Clark’s wife and Audrey and Rusty’s mother, is played by Beverly D’Angelo. Along with Chase, D'Angelo has been the other consistent part of this franchise, appearing in every Vacation movie including the reboot. Since Clark is the unhinged parent who goes off on rants and takes a chainsaw to the loose banister on the staircase, it’s up to Ellen to be the voice of reason. She’s the one who keeps everyone’s holiday spirits up as their yuletide celebrations fall apart.

She also often finds easy solutions to the things that frustrate Clark the most, such as flipping the one switch that is needed to make the Christmas lights work.

She tries to urge calm to Clark's more outrageous behavior, such as when she tries to temper his road rage on their way to pick up a Christmas tree. She also often finds easy solutions to the things that frustrate Clark the most, such as flipping the one switch that is needed to make the Christmas lights work. However, Christmas Vacation also sees her succumbing to the holiday stress as well, including sneaking off to the kitchen to smoke.

Audrey Griswold

Clark & Ellen’s Daughter

Clark and Ellen’s daughter, Audrey Griswold, is played by Juliette Lewis in Christmas Vacation. Audrey was previously played by Dana Barron and Dana Hill in the last two movies, and later by Marisol Nichols in Vegas Vacation and Leslie Mann in the reboot. Lewis is one of the most famous actors to take on the role of Audrey as she would go on to have her breakout role in Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear a few years later, then star in the likes of Natural Born Killers, From Dusk Till Dawn, and Yellowjackets.

The Christmas Vacation incarnation of Audrey is a typical rebellious teenager who rolls her eyes at her dad’s wacky antics. With the events of this movie set in the same year as the original Vacation movie, Audrey is a 14-year-old after being seen as an older teen in European Vacation, which can add to the confusion of the timeline and cast choices.

Russell “Rusty” Griswold

Clark & Ellen’s Son

Clark and Ellen’s son, Russell Griswold – better known by his nickname “Rusty” – is played by The Big Bang Theory’s Johnny Galecki. Rusty was previously played by Anthony Michael Hall and Jason Lively in the last two movies, and later by Ethan Embry in Vegas Vacation and Ed Helms in the reboot. Like Aubrey in this movie, Rusty is younger than when he appeared in the previous Vacation movie, European Vacation.

However, there are still some discrepancies with the Griswold kids in this Vacation movie. Christmas Vacation is the only Vacation movie in which Rusty and Audrey aren’t the same age. This movie depicts Audrey as being a few years older than Rusty (and a lot taller than him). This adds a fun sibling dynamic between them as Audrey is constantly annoyed with having to share a room with her younger brother. Regardless of his young age, Rusty still seems to be more mature and level-headed than his father at times.

Clark Griswold, Sr.

Clark’s Father

For the first time in the series, Clark Griswold, Sr., Clark’s father, is introduced in Christmas Vacation, played by John Randolph. Randolph was almost another iconic comedy father as he was originally Seinfeld before the role was recast with Jerry Stiller. As a dorky dad who wants the best for his family, Clark, Sr. is like an older version of Clark. The only difference between this father and son is that Clark, Sr. doesn’t go off on a temper tantrum when things don’t go his way, whereas Clark, Jr. does.

He is a ive father, and while a lot of the other family add stress to this time of the year, Clark Sr. is shown to be an easygoing and fairly amiable man. It is also easy to see where Clark gets his spirited energy from as his father is constantly finding any excuse to encourage his grand attempts at making the ideal Christmas.

Nora Griswold

Clark’s Mother

Clark’s mother, and Clark, Sr.’s wife, Nora Griswold, is played by Diane Ladd. Ladd is one of the most accomplished actors in the movie, earning three Oscar nominations over her career, which includes movies like Wild at Heart and Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. Like Clark Sr, this is the first and only time that Nora appears in the Vacation franchise.

Like with Clark's father, it is clear that some of his traits come from, as Nora shares his strong love of family.

Nora is a classic overbearing mother who smothers her son with affection the second she walks through the door. Like with Clark's father, it is clear that some of his traits come from, as Nora shares his strong love of family. Unlike some of the other relatives, Nora does want to help out. However, she is prone to worry about various ailments, obsessively getting Clark to check a mole on her neck she thinks is changing color and offering Rusty "a whole quarter" to rub her feet.

Arthur “Art” Smith

Ellen’s Father

Ellen’s father, Arthur Smith, usually shortened to “Art,” is played by E.G. Marshall. Marshall is another accomplished actor in the ensemble, having appeared in movies like 12 Angry Men, Superman II, and Tora! Tora! Tora! Sadly, the actor ed away in 1998. As with the older generation of the extended family, this is the only movie in the Vacation franchise in which Art appears.

Christmas Vacation plays on the trope of in-laws not getting along. As soon as Clark’s parents and Ellen’s parents are under the same roof, the bickering starts. Ellen's parents are shown to be in contrast to Clark's as they do not have the same ive attitude. Art is particularly grumpy, wanting to take control of every situation and even pushing the family to leave Clark behind when they all go on a shopping trip.

s Smith

Ellen’s Mother

Ellen’s mother, s Smith, is played by Doris Roberts. Roberts is most famous for her Emmy-winning role as Marie Barone in the cast of Everybody Loves Raymond. Roberts ed away in 2016. Along with Art, s makes her debut in the Vacation franchise in this movie and hasn't appeared in the franchise since then.

s is a master of micromanagement, constantly criticizing Ellen and her family. She always finds things to complain about and seems determined to convince everyone that this is a terrible Christmas. Like her husband, s also seems to enjoy watching Clark fail, drunkenly laughing when his Christmas lights fail to come on. In fact, she is rarely seen without a glass in her hand the entire movie.

Catherine Johnson

Ellen’s Cousin

Catherine Johnson (née Smith), played by Miriam Flynn, is Ellen’s cousin who comes to visit for Christmas, completely unannounced. She also brings their pet Rottweiler, Snots. Catherine and her family live in rural Kansas, whereas the Griswolds live in the urban metropolis of Chicago – or, rather, just outside the urban metropolis in the ‘burbs. Flynn is another recurring figure in the Vacation franchise, first appearing as Catherine in the original Vacation and also reprising her role in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure.

Much like Ellen, Catherine is the relatively normal voice of reason opposite her zany husband. She is a lot more soft-spoken and reserved than the obnoxious and boisterous Eddie. She also wants to contribute to the Christmas dinner by making the turkey. Unfortunately, her cooking skills are not great as she completely overcooks it.

Eddie Johnson

Catherine’s Husband

Catherine’s husband, Eddie Johnson – commonly referred to as “Cousin Eddie” – is played by Randy Quaid. Quaid is an accomplished comedic actor, having appeared as a cast member of Saturday Night Live and maintained a strong acting career with performances in Independence Day, Brokeback Mountain, and The Last Detail, for which he received an Oscar nomination. Quaid first played the role of Eddie in the original Vacation and was the lead in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure.

Cousin Eddie is the rare extended family member to appear in multiple installments of the franchise.

Eddie is the classic comedic stock character of the well-meaning buffoon. He empties his RV’s toilet into the street, stinking up the whole block; he brings his dog into the house and it promptly destroys the Christmas dinner; and he kidnaps Clark’s boss to fulfill an absurd Christmas wish that was made in anger.

Rocky Johnson

Catherine & Eddie’s Son

Catherine and Eddie bring their son, Rocky Johnson, played by Cody Burger, to the holiday celebrations. Burger is a child actor who also appeared in movies like Heavyweights and Forever Young. Despite Eddie and Catherine having a son in each one of their Vacation appearances, this is the first and only time Rocky appears in the franchise.

In the original Vacation, the son's name is Dale, while it is Clark in Christmas Vacation 2. Rocky doesn’t have a single line in Christmas Vacation; he communicates non-verbally. Perhaps the most memorable gag involving Rocky’s character is his lip fungus problem.

Ruby Sue Johnson

Catherine & Eddie’s Daughter

Catherine and Eddie also bring their daughter, Ruby Sue Johnson, played by Ellen Hamilton Latzen. She is another quiet young child but delivers one of the most touching moments in the movie when she tells Clark that she didn't get anything from Santa Claus last year despite being well-behaved. It is a moment that further spurs Clark's Christmas spirit and leads him to make it a special Christmas for Ruby Sue as well.

Rocky and Ruby Sue aren’t Catherine and Eddie’s only kids; they’re just two of the youngest. Vicki, who appears in the original movie, is also mentioned in Christmas Vacation as being in rehab. However, this is the only time that Ruby Sue appears in the franchise, as the original Vacation included Cousin Daisy Mabel Johnson as the other daughter, who was born without a tongue. While Ruby Sue is quiet, she does speak, confirming that she is not the same kid.

Uncle Lewis

Clark’s Uncle

Clark’s Uncle Lewis is played by William Hickey. Hickey is also part of another holiday favorite as he voiced Dr. Finkelstein in the cast of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Uncle Lewis is another character who makes his one and only appearance in the franchise in this movie. He also comes into the movie quite late, appearing only for Christmas Eve dinner.

Uncle Lewis fits the archetype of the cranky older relative who complains about everything. Throughout the movie, Uncle Lewis chain-smokes cigars, which leads to a hilarious payoff when he tosses a match that sparks a gas explosion that launches the Santa’s sleigh decoration into the sky.

Aunt Bethany

Uncle Lewis’ Wife

Clark’s aunt, and Uncle Lewis’ wife, Aunt Bethany, is played by Mae Questel. Christmas Vacation marked Questel’s final film appearance before her death in 1998. Aunt Bethany shows symptoms of dementia throughout the film; she doesn’t even seem to realize it’s Christmas. She is also heard of hearing as the family has to basically yell at her to make the Christmas Eve dinner blessing.

Like Uncle Lewis, Aunt Bethany is a late addition to the movie but quickly steals the show with her cheerful energy but complete obliviousness.

Like Uncle Lewis, Aunt Bethany is a late addition to the movie but quickly steals the show with her cheerful energy but complete obliviousness. She also gets one of the biggest laughs to end the movie as the flaming Christmas decorations soar through the sky, Aunt Bethany leads the family in a performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”