Cousin Eddie is a Christmas Angel
The odd man is the odd hero
Hello! Odd to see you! :)
On the surface, Cousin Eddie is a wacky addition to the madness, another goofy ingredient to an already goofy cocktail of mishaps in the Christmas Classic “Christmas Vacation.” Yet, Cousin Eddie isn’t merely an offbeat side character. He’s so much more.
Cousin Eddie is the hero of the movie. Yes, THE hero. Without him, the whole thing falls apart and is a tragedy instead of a comedy of errors. Don’t believe me? Please put on your trapper hat, and let’s dive in!
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An Angel Magically Arrives
Cousin Eddie sneaks into the Griswold Christmas and de facto the movie. How does he pop in with his family, a giant dog, and a loud, rusted RV? It’s because he’s an angel, or at least the Hollywood Christmas angel trope. They tend to pop in unannounced.
This type of angel is an unsuspecting and seemingly benign character that creates a series of difficult circumstances so that the protagonist gets his comeuppance and a happy ending ensues. In this, Cousin Eddie is in good company with Clarance from “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Cash in “The Family Man,” and Dudley in “The Bishop’s Wife.” But how does he do it?
The Head of a Hero
In the scene where Clark greases up his sled with the “new non-chloric, silicon-based kitchen lubricant” that “creates a surface 500 times more slippery than any cooking oil.” Eddie mentions that the VA replaced the metal plate in his head with a plastic one. Funny little tidbit, right? Wrong.
Why would Cousin Eddie need a plate in his skull, and why would the VA perform the surgery? Cousin Eddie served in the military. Could he have been awarded a Purple Heart? Additionally, everyone thinks he’s a bit off, but that may be because of his head trauma. I believe Cousin Eddie acts the way he does because he was injured in the line of duty doing something heroic. Why not? Here’s how it adds up…
A Character with Character
Here are a couple of examples of Cousin Eddie’s angelic character:
When Cousin Eddie kidnaps Frank Shirley, Clark’s boss, Clark quips that Cousin Eddie’s “heart is bigger than his brain,” to which Cousin Eddie proudly thanks Clark. In addition, Cousin Eddie takes all the blame for kidnapping Clark’s boss, putting himself in danger to help Clark. That’s the kind of guy he is. Could Cousin Eddie’s big heart be the reason for his injury, perhaps by putting himself in danger for another, as mentioned above? Who knows?
When Clark is about to cut open the turkey that Cousin Eddie’s wife Catherin has cooked, Cousin Eddie says, “Save the nick for me!” He didn’t ask for the heart, yet when Clark pokes around inside the charred carcass, he says, “There’s the heart.” Cousin Eddie didn’t need a turkey heart since he’s the turkey and he already has more heart than everyone. After all, he encourages his wife in that embarrassing moment, showing his devotion to her.
An Angel at Work
Still not convinced? Here are some things that Cousin Eddie does which, stacked upon each other, lead to the heartwarming ending:
Clark is worried about his bonus, or lack thereof. Cousin Eddie reveals to Clark that he (Eddie) lost his house, and they’re living in the RV and have no money for Christmas presents. Clark realizes that, in comparison, he has much to be grateful for and switches from a woe-is-me attitude to generosity.
Cousin Eddie dumps his sewage in the rainwater gutter system, creating a powderkeg of gas which, at the end of the movie, provides the explosion that propels Santa and reindeer into the sky, thereby substantiating Clark’s claims that he heard Santa was seen in the sky. This, plus the presents from Clark, restore Cousin Eddie’s children’s spirit of Christmas.
Cousin Eddie brings his dog Snot, who eradicates the terrorizing squirrel and drains the Christmas tree of water, making it a tinderbox. This puts Clark over the edge and exposes him as the Grinch, making Christmas unbearable - both Clark’s wife Ellen and his dad tell him as much. Clark had a perfectly good tree in his lawn, a fine substitute in a pinch, but he blew his top about it all, most likely due to the stress of his non-bonus.
Lastly, Cousin Eddie kidnaps Frank Shirley, Clark’s boss, and brings him with a bow, just like Clark requests. Shirley is confronted with the consequences of his greedy actions and gives Clark a bonus plus 20%. Not only is Clark now able to cover the cost of his pool (the source of his anger), he’s given more money to boot. Cousin Eddie asks nothing in return.
Cousin Eddie has little to give, but he gives generously, much like the Bible's parable of the Widow’s Mite. How’s that for an angelic parallel?
The Heart of a Hero
For all his goofiness, Cousin Eddie is stalwart throughout. He is eternally optimistic, radically helpful, and humble to a fault. Is he the smartest guy? No. But he shows us that there are times when the heart should win out.
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Until next time, stay oddly beautiful!
Jason