No offense to all you A Christmas Story people, but National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation was always the #1 Christmas movie in my house growing up. It’s got everything you want in a Christmas movie: Late-’80s visual tackiness, teenage Juliette Lewis, and an ever-more-wound performance by Chevy Chase that culminates in an epic shit fit after his Clark Griswold is presented with, instead of his anticipated bonus cheque, a membership for a jelly-of-the-month club.
The movie’s aesthetic, down to the moose-shaped eggnog mugs and Randy Quaid’s fetching holiday dickie, has been mined thoroughly by Oakville-based merch company Retro Festive. But they’ve outdone themselves with their latest creation: A uniquely Canadian jelly-of-the-month club subscription (actually an all-in-one box) stuffed with 12 jars from Niagara-on-the-Lake company Greaves Jam, who’s been in business for 70 years and still operates a store on the town’s adorable main drag.
It’s $39.99 for a set, and if that’s not your thing, don’t worry – they’ve got leg lamps, too. Hallelujah, holy shit!
nataliam@nowtoronto.com | @nataliamanzocco
