Christmas Vacation Griswold Family Tree Explained: Meet Clark’s Holiday Clan
Clark and Ellen at home
Clark Griswold, played by Chevy Chase, is Ellen’s husband and the father of Audrey and Rusty. Known as “Sparky” to Ellen, Clark works for a food additive company and is prone to reckless, over-the-top reactions.
Ellen, played by Beverly D’Angelo, often acts as the calmer counterweight to Clark. She tries to steady him when he gets carried away, and sometimes finds simple fixes for problems, including the switch that lights the Christmas decorations.
Audrey and Rusty’s roles
Juliette Lewis plays Audrey, the Griswolds’ rebellious teenage daughter in this film. She rolls her eyes at her father’s antics, and the account gives her age as 14.
Johnny Galecki plays Russell, usually called Rusty. The article says he is younger here than in European Vacation, but its final sentence about the children’s ages is cut off, so it does not provide the full comparison.
The wider Griswold clan
The film introduces Clark and Ellen’s parents, along with an aunt, an uncle and Cousin Eddie, who has a family of her own. The account does not specify which side of the family each set of parents belongs to, or clearly identify the uncle who accidentally blows up the Christmas decorations.
Extended-family visits contribute to the problems that disrupt Clark’s hoped-for holiday. John Hughes, who wrote the first Vacation film and co-wrote the second, returned to write Christmas Vacation.
Key points
- Christmas Vacation expands the story from the immediate Griswold household to a broader family gathering.
- Clark and Ellen are parents to Audrey and Rusty, whose ages differ from their portrayals in earlier films.
- The extended relatives include both sets of parents, an aunt, an uncle and Cousin Eddie’s family.
- The account leaves some family connections unclear and ends before completing its discussion of the children’s ages.