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Check this darling National Lampoon christmas Vacation themed Tree with some SVGs that will help you recreate your own!
Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year and what better way to bring the spirit of this beloved film into your own home than with a National Lampoon Christmas Vacation-themed tree? This movie is my husband’s favorite so I figured it was time to highlight all the fun quotes and moments!
With twinkling lights, quirky ornaments, and a touch of Griswold family chaos, this tree is sure to be the highlight of your holiday season. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how to create your own National Lampoon Christmas Vacation-themed tree, from start to finish. So grab a cup of eggnog and get ready to make your home the ultimate Christmas stop!
Themed Christmas Trees
I love creating themed trees! It’s so fun to put together all my favorite quotes and movie moments on a Christmas tree! This is my 5th themed tree! Just click on the names below to see my other trees!
One of my favorite parts is creating an SVG cut files bundle with all the quotes so you can easily recreate the trees! And I literally could not stop making them for this tree!
Supplies to make Christmas vacation-themed Christmas Tree
Putting together the National Lampoon Christmas tree
One of my favorite things about this movie is the giant tree! If you have ever cut down a real tree, they are so deceiving out in nature! They always look so much bigger in your small house! Lol!
I have two artificial trees. One is larger than the other. I ended up putting the bottom two pieces of my big tree together. Added the middle piece of the smaller tree, then added the top of my big tree. They are a little different in colors and look, but size wise- worked perfectly. My tree reached all they way to top of my ceiling! Definitely looks great. little full. lotta sap!
I added some garland pieces around the tree to help disguise the two different trees. Once I added the lights and the decorations of the tree, they tied together pretty well!
I wanted the big lightbulbs—I was going for a tree with a slightly more retro look. (This movie was made in 1989!) I also added tinsel and some candy canes.
Then, it was time to create the fun elements of the tree!
How to make the burned cat
You could recreate this black paper or black fabric.
I had black flannel leftover from another project so I just spread it out and cut out a cat silhouette.
Taking my glue gun and strips of white fur, I hot glued the fur all around the edges. This was such an easy project!
Recreating the Griswold car
I found this unpainted car at Dollar Tree and thought it would be perfect for this
How to make a paper mache turkey
The dry turkey
- balloon
- tin foil
- newspaper or scrap paper strips
- flour
- water
Start by blowing up a balloon, taking some pieces of tin foil and scrunching them up to create the legs of the turkey. Place it on a cookie sheet on a cooling rack. Once you have it all ready to go, I mixed my homemade paper mache mix. It is one part flour to two parts water. Mix it so there are no lumps.
Dip each paper strip into the mixture and wipe off any excess. Drape over the balloon and smooth out any wrinkles. I used long strips to hold the tin foil onto the balloon where I wanted the legs to be. I just added strips until the whole balloon had quite a few layers all over. Let dry. This will vary but at least 24-48 hours!
Once it’s all dry, I painted it to look like a cooked turkey.
Cut a hole with a knife up the middle to look like a dried cracked over-cooked turkey!
Creating the quotes
The main part of the tree is all the fun quotes! There are so many great ones in Christmas vacation!
I created SVGS for all my favorites and you can find them in my shop! I have so many!
Upload them in my software and cut them out with my silhouette cameo! Weed away any extra vinyl that isn’t part of the quote and then take your transfer tape and use it to apply to your wood blank!
Other things you can make to add to your tree:
- Jello mold with kitty litter (you can use lucky charms!)
- Eddie’s hat
- toupee
- Chainsaw
- Red Swimsuit
National Lampoon Christmas Vacation-themed Tree
Okay! Let’s see it all put together plus a close up of some of the cut files and props!
Clark Griswold cardboard is snuck in the side of the tree.
The top reaches the ceiling, so Id didn’t add a star. Instead, I stuck a Santa hat at the top with the Griswold family Christmas tree quote.
I did find a few pictures, like this family picture that I printed out and added to the tree!
The picture of Clark peering into the tree to find the squirrel popped up in my google search and I had to include it. I just shoved it back to the tree to fill and empty spot.
The Bottom of the tree had the fried cat, plus the present that is “meowing!”
I also had a round sled that I added to the bottom with the quote about being a professional!
The meow, the sled quote, and this jam picture are cut files but I just printed them out instead!
I also included some shirt printables that you can just cut out and add to your tree!
I found this santa and reindeer garland that I thought would be just perfect for the one that shoots across the sky! The yellow and orange tissue paper helps create the “flames”.
Hope you enjoyed my tree! I had so much fun making it!
