Synopsis: After the affable Eddie is bitten by a monkey--his lab-mate at a nuclear-research testing facility--his boss (Willard) tries to ward off a potential lawsuit by offering Eddie and his family an all-expense paid trip to the South Pacific for the Christmas holiday.

Thrilled at the prospect of escaping chilly Chicago and finally going on a real vacation, Eddie and Catherine (Flynn) are joined by their brainy son Third (Thomas), their cousin, Audrey (Barron), a voluptuous tour guide (Hi Lee) and Eddie's crusty Uncle Nick (Asner), whose wife (Garland) has just left him for the Christmas tree delivery man.

But Eddie can't seem to go anywhere without causing chaos, and their dream vacation quickly turns into a tropical nightmare when the family gets shipwrecked on a South Sea island. While the hilariously inept Eddie tries valiantly to fulfill his wife's wish to just have food and shelter for Christmas, the rest of the family tries to survive the elements--and each other--while keeping up their yuletide spirits.

Just when there's hope of a rescue by wealthy Australian businessman (Stone), Eddie unintentionally sabotages the rescue efforts. Then the fate of his family is in his bungling hands as his tries to return them safely to civilization from a Christmas vacation they'll never forget.

The Cast:
Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie
Miriam Flynn as Catherine

Production Credits:
Matty Simmons, who produced "National Lampoon's Animal House" and the "National Lampoon Vacation" films, is the writer and executive producer. Nick Marck (Malcolm in the Middle, Gilmore Girls) directs.

Airdates:
It debuted on NBC on Saturday, December 20th, 2003 at 8:00pm ET.