One of the greatest (and funniest) Christmas movies of all time explains our collective holiday situation pretty well. Whether your extended family is staying at your house, you find a squirrel in your Christmas tree, your grandmother accidentally wraps her cat, or your cousin Eddy kidnaps your boss, we've all felt Clark Griswold's struggle at least once. So, here are ten National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation gifs that describe the winter season:
1. Your mom's (and, apparently, everyone else's) frustration
Because everyone's tired, and Christmas Day isn't even here yet. Even before all the disagreements, your mother is probably chopping those veggies a little too forcefully, but can you blame her?
2. Your dad's obsession with real Christmas trees
Even though they look great and ultra-festive, in the end, the process is a real pain. But, what dad says goes. And, I guess it isn't so bad unless he makes you hike into the forest, resulting in frozen eyelids, to get it.
3. Your extended family staying in your house
Because the holidays are all about being together, right?! Maybe, but the loss of personal space can be a bit of a bummer. If you don't think about putting gramps in a hotel at least once, is it even really Christmas?
4. The lights...
Maybe your dad was too intense about the Christmas tree, but that's got nothing on the outdoor decorations. If stringing lights onto every inch of the house was an Olympic sport, he would win gold every year.
5. That one slightly insane family member
Okay, so maybe you don't really want to drive him out to the middle of nowhere, but, when he parks his RV in your front yard, it's kind of hard to imagine anything less. As long as he doesn't expect to stay forever, you should be good...
6. Speaking of that insane family member...
So, maybe he isn't the most eloquent person in your life, but he is family. Even when he wears a robe and empties his sewage in your front yard, he's still family. And, you love him anyway, right?
7. The unexpected visitor
Remember that real Christmas tree that dad wanted so much? Well, it came with its own present for the family. Since the dog is too rambunctious and the cat got fried by the Christmas lights, now is the perfect time for a new pet, anyway.
8. Your annoying neighbors
We all have those neighborhood Scrooges that hate all of the fun parts of Christmas. So, technically it's their own fault that their window was broken and their carpet is wet. Maybe they'll learn how to be festive next year.
9. The Christmas bonus issue
Because everyone wants a swimming pool for Christmas, but not everyone wants their cousin to kidnap their boss in order to get it. A Christmas bonus isn't worth having the SWAT team show up on Christmas Eve.
10. 'Tis the season
But, regardless of this month's power bill, all those broken windows you have to fix, all that sap, and the burnt turkey, you've still got your family. That's all that really mattered, in the first place, it just took some time to realize it.