I turned the lemons of mistimed outdoor walkabout plans into holiday-spiced lemonade a month ago by adding a visit to a local Binney’s Beverage Depot in suburban Chicago to my suddenly wide-open itinerary.

Like a child concentrated on a Christmas wish list, my in-store plan was focused: look for the coolest limited-edition holiday beverage packaging. And like Santa’s visit, it’s an event that goes as quickly as it comes.

Within minutes of entering the store I found what I sought even though 10 minutes earlier I had no idea what that would be. I saw it from afar, bypassing even my first intended stop at a between-rows display of gift-pack delights in the spirits aisle.

As I drew close, what appeared to be an impressive point-of-purchase (POP) attention-getter turned into a stack of 3-L bag-in-box wine available for $44.99.

It was like no BIB I’d ever come across.

The box was designed to look like the Griswold’s over-the-top, lights-laden house from that 1989 holiday comedy classic, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

It was a Wow.

I was giddy as a kid on Christmas morn before self-consciously looking around to see if anyone else noticed my glee. Thankfully the nearby clerk was focused on her computer, so my ready response “I’m a packaging editor so…” went unsaid.

The nifty details from humorous pairing suggestions to a couple of value-added bits including one that’s electrifying, all are unpacked in the short slideshow gallery.