NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION: 20th ANNIVERSARY ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITION (1989, Blu-ray released November 3, 2009 – MSRP $49.99)

It wouldn’t be Christmas without the Griswold‘s, as far as my family is concerned. We have a few films that we make sure to catch every holiday season and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is at the top of the list. And now, with this Ultimate Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Disc tin, we can not only enjoy the film we love so much but we’ve got a whole lot of Griswold paraphernalia to celebrate with!

In 1989, Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo made a return to their characters of Clark and Ellen Griswold (along with two new actors playing their children, as is par for the course in the series) in the third of National Lampoon’s Vacation films. This Christmas edition, teaming the Griswold’s suburban family with their RV traveling, backwater cousins and some eccentric seniors made for some pretty great gut-busting. A jello cake full of cat treats, a blinding amount of holiday lights and the biggest Christmas tree anyone has ever packed into a tiny living room set the stage for some classic holiday humour.

All right, look. I’m not really here to review National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation or the Blu-ray disc it’s on. Not exactly. This release that I’m tackling includes the disc, yes, but it’s more like I’m telling you about a big metal gift basket filled with goodies and holiday treats. The Blu-ray disc inside the tin is the same one that Warner Home Video released in December of 2006. It’s not the best looking or sounding disc on the market but anyone who is picking up this gift set is clearly a fan of the film and won’t be disappointed by the transfer. It’s the best representation of the film available on home video. But it’s extremely unfortunate that we’re not getting any further special features than the old, previously available commentary track on this 20th Anniversary Blu-ray. It’s not a bad track by any stretch of the imagination, despite the absence of Chase. It’s just that it would have been amazing to finally see some of the cut scenes we’ve heard so much about make their way to disc! Or to see a retrospective featurette. Anything more would have been welcome. Sigh…

As I mentioned above, this Ultimate Collector’s Edition isn’t just about the film. Oh no! Aside from a copy of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on Blu-ray disc, the tin also contains a ton of goodies that will get you into the spirit of the Griswold festivities: