For Matt Dobberfuhl, it's just not Christmas if he and his family don't watch "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."

"You can't go more than two minutes without giggling about something," wrote Dobberfuhl, one of several dozen readers who responded when The Tribune asked for favorite Christmas comedy suggestions.

The low-budget movie about The Griswold family's plans for a nice Christmas -- which predictably turn into a big disaster -- has become a holiday classic. People buy moose-shaped mugs and black dickies to get into the spirit of the film, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. And there are so many classic lines that are spoken almost as often as verses of "Jingle Bells" or "Silent Night" are sung.

Take, for example, the words of Clark Griswold, played by Chevy Chase: "Well I'm gonna park the cars and check the luggage and, well, I'll be outside for the season."

Or how about this truthful nugget from his wife, Ellen, played by Beverly D'Angelo: "I don't know what to say, except it's Christmas and we're all in misery."

Toni Gull said her military father is usually pretty serious about most movies. But he could hardly stop laughing after seeing "Christmas Vacation."

"I thought we were going to have to call an ambulance when Clark W. Griswold flies down the hill, through the woods, across the street, through an outhouse with a big finish at the local Walmart on a Flexible Flyer Steel Saucer Sled," she wrote.

For years, Kevin Kirk's favorite Christmas movie was "Christmas Vacation," but he has a new favorite: "Bad Santa." "This movie has me in tears every time I watch it. The characters are hilarious, [especially the scene where] Bernie Mac is peeling and eating oranges. ... It makes me laugh just typing this."

Other Tribune readers argue that "A Christmas Story," featuring young Ralphie and his quest for a Red Ryder BB gun, is the funniest holiday movie, if only for its infamous line: "You'll shoot your eye out, kid." But there are other notable scenes, from the leg lamp to the metal flagpole prank, that make it a classic.

"I grew up in New England and my younger sister really did get her tongue stuck on a metal clothesline pipe," said Dawn Breck of West Valley City.

Mike Durrett, movie editor at www.About.com, put it at the top of his favorite Christmas comedy list. (See his full list above.)

Barbara Bybee wrote to say that she likes everything from the movie, from the child actors to the nostalgic scenery to the humor. "It all takes me back to my childhood in the '20s," she wrote.

Other readers offered lesser-known holiday classics that offer just as many laughs, from "A Holiday Affair" to "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" starring Jim Carrey.

One overlooked Christmas comedy is "Trapped in Paradise." The 1994 movie, about a friendly Pennsylvania town that foils three brothers' plan to rob a bank on Christmas Eve, stars Nicolas Cage, Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz.

"Although this movie is about a group of inept criminals, it has a redeeming message about doing the right thing with a comedic twist," wrote Peter and Angie Stefaniak.

Jan Frost Sorensen suggested the little-known "Annabelle's Wish." The 1997 cartoon tells the story of a poor farmer as he struggles to raise his orphaned grandson.

"It's a beautiful story that makes you laugh and cry and it has a wonderful message," said Sorensen. "My grandchildren love it and we watch it together whenever we can."

When Kathy Kirkman of Sandy was going through chemotherapy, she watched "Love Actually" " at least 20 times." She gave DVD copies of the movie, about eight very different couples dealing with their love lives, to friends for Christmas gift.

Mary Thompson's favorite Christmas comedy is "Mixed Nuts," starring Steve Martin, Rita Wilson, Madeline Kahn and Adam Sandler. It is set in a soon-to-close suicide-hotline apartment, with all the humorous characters and problems associated with that.

"No matter how sad their life is," said Thompson, "they still find each other and the peace that Christmas brings."

wharton@sltrib.com