It’s that time of the year when TV streaming services are brimming with holiday season favorites. Within the ever-growing collection are select stories that offer important takeaways that we can all learn from. It really started with the film adaptation of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol which arrived on the Silver Screen in 1938. Since then, Hollywood has created a limited number of movies that the world can count as being official Christmas classics with undertones relating to emotional wellbeing. That selective list includes the likes of It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) and A Miracle on 34th Street (1947). But one of the most overlooked in the lessons-to-be-learned category is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. That’s right, John Hughes’ narrative functions as a cautionary tale for anyone who sits on the fence about taking care of their mental health. How? Through the trials and tribulations of the film’s lovable protagonist Clark Griswold.
Clark loves his family deeply and has a heart of gold with nothing but the best of intentions for the holidays. But as with any average Joe or Jane, Clark harbored underling issues that were left unchecked and resulted in a series of events that disrupted the season for those in his familial (and professional) circle. While the film had a happy ending, Clark and co. could have enjoyed an entire Holiday season free from anxiety and stress if only he had made counseling a part of this wellness regime. Think we’re exaggerating? Keep reading!
Disclaimer: This feature on a Hollywood holiday season classic offers a lighthearted look at how regular counseling can be beneficial for everyone, including the beloved Clark Griswold. As America’s leading virtual therapy platform we are certainly sensitive to the gravity of holiday anxiety and stress, but also know that laughter has scientifically-proven psychological benefits. Enjoy the following accordingly.
Movie images: Property of Warner Bros. Pictures
5 Times Virtual Counseling Could Have Intervened to Make Christmas Vacation Merrier for Clark Griswold and His Family
1. Correcting Forgetfulness from Seasonal Stress
Incident: The Christmas Tree
At the onset of Christmas Vacation, we find Clark Griswold taking his family to hunt for the perfect Christmas tree in a forest outside of Chicago (filmed in Breckenridge, Colorado near our HQ). This is where the first problem occurs – he forgot to bring an axe or saw. The film cuts to a sequence of the Griswold’s driving a fully uprooted tree down the highway en route back home. Having to pull the tree from its roots was effectively the root of many problems to follow for the Griswold clan. It resulted in broken windows in their home, introduced vermin into the house which escaped during Christmas Eve dinner, contributed to a household fire, and indirectly led to damage to their neighbor’s property.
All of this occurred because of Clark’s forgetfulness, which was likely the result of the anxiety and stress he experiences in the lead-up to and duration of the holiday season. The unfolding of unfortunate scenarios could have been avoided through counseling. Counseling can help with forgetfulness by providing strategies to improve memory and function, addressing underlying issues that can lead to it, like anxiety or depression, and by helping people cope with cognitive changes. Treatments such as cognitive rehabilitation and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) could have taught Clark practical skills to manage daily tasks (bringing an axe) and improve overall cognitive function.
2. Avoiding Setting of Unrealistic Expectations
Incident: The Christmas Lights
Clark Griswold is most guilty of wanting to create the perfect Christmas for his loved ones. It’s an admirable quality, but it also involves him setting often unrealistic expectations for himself that end up causing strife. A direct example of this is when he can’t get his extravagant Christmas light display to work, and erupts in a destructive manner that would leave Santa displeased:
In a recent feature about people who struggle to make it through the holidays (read here) the setting of unrealistic expectations is named as a contributing factor to compromised wellbeing. Many build up the holiday season in their minds through the months and weeks preceding the day or series of days that mean the most to them. This can lead to anxiety and stress when things don’t go exactly as planned. Had Clark understood that he exhibited perfectionism, all-or-nothing thinking, expectation to have control over situations, or idealized beliefs, he would have learned to manage expectations and the emotions experienced when things didn’t work as expected.
3. Overcoming Triggers Related to Relations
Incidents: Unpleasant Interactions In-Laws and Unexpected Family
For many, the holidays are when relations come together. It can be both wonderful and emotionally challenging at the same time. No one understands this better than Clark Griswold. From the moment of the arrival of visiting relatives he is met with passive aggressive comments from in-laws (“The little lights are not twinkling”) along with not-so-subtle hints for handouts from extended family.
While he appears to take it all in stride, Clark clearly buried emotional triggers which was bad for his mental wellbeing. Ignoring triggers prevented Clark from addressing the root cause, which caused suppressed emotions to surface later on. Had Clark referenced our guides to dealing with parents as an adult (view here) and managing anxiety triggered by being around in-laws during the holidays (view here) he would have developed healthier coping strategies.
4. Management of Responses to Unexpected Events
Incident: Reaction to Jelly of the Month Club
Clark Griswold exhibits issues with irritation often throughout the Holiday season, but it boils to the surface and explodes the moment that he receives his Christmas bonus envelope. Expecting a monetary bonus he needed for a swimming pool deposit, he was baffled to find that all it contained was a membership to the “Jelly of the Month Club”. Furious and at his breaking point, Clark goes on an unhinged rant about his boss, Frank Shirley, mentioning his name and that he lives on “Melody Lane” in an affluent Chicago neighborhood. His rampage shocks the family, but has another unintended consequence that could have ruined not only their current Christmas, but those to follow in 5-10 years (with the possibility of parole).
After related issues with anger in his past, including two meltdowns on a family Vacation to Wally World in 1983, along with a heated argument with Ellen on their European Vacation in 1985, Clark would have been wise to recognize the pattern and take corrective action via anger management. If he had, the next event on Christmas Eve may have been avoided.
5. Managing Impulsive Behavior of Loved Ones Too
Incident: Cousin Eddie Kidnapping Clark’s Boss
While Clark’s immediate family and in-laws watched as he vocally raged against the corporate machine, Clark’s cousin Eddie acted on pure impulse, screeching away in his 1972 Ford Condor II RV to kidnap Frank Shirley. Clark should have seen this coming. He had been well aware of Eddie’s issues for quite some time, noting a history of unstable employment and poor decisions relating to impulsive decision making where short-term pleasure is prioritized over long-term financial security. While Clark had offered to help cousin Eddie to buy Christmas gifts for his kids, he would have better served his kin by investing in a series family counseling sessions, where together they could have worked through Eddie’s issues with impulsive behavior.
It’s important to note that if there had been early intervention through counseling, the Griswold family could not just have enjoyed their Christmas Vacation of 1989, they may have avoided all sorts of issues to follow on their sojourn to Las Vegas nearly a decade later. Maybe next vacation Griswold clan!
If you relate to any of the above, avoid the hijinks to follow this holiday season by trying virtual therapy through Kindbridge. Connect to a care coordinator via your preferred form of contact below.
