The Poncan to show “Christmas Vacation” Dec. 19

The Poncan Theatre will have a special showing of "National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation" at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19. Tickets will be $5 a person, sold at the door. Holiday coffees and hot chocolate will be available at the concession stand.

With Christmas only a few weeks away, Chicago resident Clark Griswold ( Chevy Chase ) decides it is time to get a Christmas tree. He gathers his wife Ellen ( Beverly D’Angelo ), daughter Audrey ( Juliette Lewis ) and son Rusty ( Johnny Galecki ) and drives out to the country where he picks out a huge tree. Realizing too late that they didn’t bring any tools to cut the tree down, they are forced to uproot it instead.

Soon after, both Clark’s and Ellen’s parents arrive to spend Christmas. Clark maintains a positive attitude, determined to have a "good old-fashioned family Christmas." He covers the house’s entire exterior with 25,000 twinkle lights. The lights temporarily cause a city-wide power shortage.

While standing on the front lawn admiring the lights, Clark is shocked to see Ellen’s cousin Catherine ( Miriam Flynn ) and her dense but bighearted husband Eddie Johnson ( Randy Quaid ), as they arrive unannounced with their children, Rocky and Ruby Sue.

Clark begins to wonder why his boss, Frank Shirley ( Brian Doyle-Murray ), has not given him his yearly bonus, which he desperately needs. After a disastrous Christmas Eve dinner, he finally receives an envelope from a company messenger, who had overlooked it the day before. Instead of the presumed bonus, the envelope contains a free year’s membership for the Jelly of the Month Club. This prompts Clark to snap and go into a tirade.

Eddie forcibly brings Frank to Clark’s house and Clark confronts Frank about the cancellation of the employees’ Christmas bonuses. Meanwhile, Frank’s wife, Helen, calls the police, and a SWAT team storms the Griswold house and holds everyone at gunpoint. Frank decides not to press charges and explains the situation to his wife and the authorities, who both scold him for his decision to scrap the bonuses, and decides to reinstate them.

After several other twists, Clark looks at the sky, happily smiling toward the stars and saying: "I did it."