OK, I'll Start It: "A Christmas Story"

Its a Christmas Day tradition at my house ...... even though my kids are now getting out of college age ... lol.

Merry Christmas, John.

Jim

It's already run at least once but will be watch again tonight.

THE ONE movie I saw one time, and never saw again. That's my "Christmas Story" tradition. When it coes to this movie, call me Scrooge

Already saw it once on the big screen at the Redford Theatre this year, but I'm sure we'll be watching it again tonight.

You can be sure I'll be watching "A Christmas Story" along with a complete Chinese food dinner. Since I suggested having Chinese food last Christmas, my wife said she loved it and wants to do it again this Christmas day. Merry Christmas to everyone!

My girls could watch Christmas Story 24/7 and they are 22 & 14! Last year we saw the play in Chicago, very good!!

Watched the DVD Thursday during the blizzard with the kids.  They laughed alot.

Sunday (12-23) the FED EX man dropped off a large wooden crate at the neighbors that had F-R-A-G-I-L-E painted on the outside....... I wonder what was inside??

I dont want that darn bb gun, I WANT the Lionel trains in Higbee's window!  I think there was a Hiawatha set running as well as the UP streamliner.  We havent watched it yet this year, but just watched badder santa.  But that one is definatly not a kids movie for sure.  When I was younger, I wanted to rewrite that movie so that Ralphie wanted an electric train instead of a BB gun.  Merry Christmas   Mike and Michele T

Some tv channel usually plays it back to back all day Christmas day.  We visit some friends who have a friend Manny who is in the movie, he walks by as part of the crowd in the opening scenes, so all day we periodically hear "there's Manny!"  A pretty funny tradition.  I think they filmed least that scene in Ohio somewhere.

my sister went out and purchased the infamous LAMP and oruudly display it every year in their front and center picture window

Thanks, Jim. And Merry Christmas to you.

My kids (older, too) always groan when I pop in the DVD.  But they still watch!

A tradition here. Last year I gave my grandson (6) the CD, the Lionel set and the Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. His 1st train. The BB gun didn't go over well with my daughter-in-law but 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

Larry

The Christmas story, the worst Christmas movie I ever saw. My favorites are the polar express, holiday inn, miracle on 34th street, both old and new version, and a Christmas Carole with Alistare Sim. 

Postwar Lionel and A Christmas Story:

That's a nice tribute in your layout!

--Greg

My wife is a HUGE CS fan and we have every CS building and accessory ever made.

If you like the movie, suggest you visit www.christmasstoryhouse.com and you'll find more CS info and gifts than you can imagine. The original CS house is on the near West Side of Cleveland, Ohio and open to the public as a museum. When we lived in Cleveland,we visited several times a year. They have a CS convention every other year (Thanksgiving weekend) in Cleveland and many of the actors are there to mingle and sell their CS wares, autographed photos, etc. Lotsa fun.

And now there's CS2...Christmas Story II.

A Christmas Story 2 is a 2012 film directed by Brian Levant.^[1] The movie is a sequel to the 1983 film A Christmas Story and was released straight to DVD on October 30, 2012.

Check out the movie trailer here...

http://youtu.be/YHJNBZ2rrMM

I have not seen the CS2 yet so cannot give a review comment.

Merry Christmas.

Walter M. Matuch

Actually, A Christmas Story 2 is not the true sequel.  The true sequel is the 1994 movie My Summer Story starring Charles Grodin, Mary Steenburgen, and Kieren Culkin.   It was written by Jean Shephard (and he narrates as well) and was also directed by Bob Clark (who directed A Christmas Story).  The only actor to reprise their role was Tedde Moore who is Miss Shields (the teacher).  If you are a fan of the characters I strongly recommend reading the original books by Jean Shephard:

- In God We Trust, All others pay cash

- Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories and other disasters

- A Fistful of Fig Newtons

- A Ferarri in the Bedroom

IMO--if you are able to watch A Christmas Story 2 as a separate movie and divorce yourself from comparing it to the original it is pretty entertaining for Christmas fare.  If you look at it as a sequel then you will be disappointed.

--Greg

Interesting. I didn't know about the 1994 follow-up movie.

Trivia: This is fairly well known to the some of the forumites from our previous holiday threads, but the author, Jean Shephard, makes a cameo in the department store scene. He's the gentleman who tells Ralphie and his brother to go to the back of the line of kids waiting to see Santa.

I always watch it as often as I can, along with Holiday Inn,White Christmas and of course It's a Wonderful Life.

Trivia pt 2 - the director, Bob Clark has one as well - he's the neighbor who the Old Man talks to while watching his 'major award' from the street. 

--Greg

Three views of the "Christmas Story" scene at the Whippany Railway Museum (NJ).

Cool, never knew that.

If you go to the official website for Christmas Story 2 and click the tab for partners, Lionel trains is listed as one of the four partners. (what that means, I have no idea).

From what I recall, there were no trains in this new version.

I thought the movie was not that bad, however, my wife hated it!

On TBS right now for 24 hrs.

John

I'm old enough to have had the pleasure of reading Jean Shepherd's stories,

as well as listening to his 10:00 p.m. radio show nightly on WOR in New York.

A lifelong fan!

     Hoppy

I got to see him do a one man show at Edison, NJ high school in the 60s.

I'm not into one upsmanship but my friends and I would go on occasional Saturday nights to see Jean at the Limelight in Greenwich Village. There was a web site with a bunch of his old WOR radio shows that guys recorded back in the 60's using a microphone next to the radio.  I downloaded a bunch of them before the site went away and still enjoy listening to his voice. A Christmas Story is still my favorite seasonal movie. Excelsior, you fatheads. (a Jean Shephard salute)

From the department store window.

I'll second that. never wanter a BB gun, but I'd sure take those trains! Chinese food for Christmas dinner...sounds like a plane for next year! watched it several times during the marthon. and I had already watched my DVD before that.

The theme of A Christmas Story was, as everyone knows, Ralphie wanting a BB gun

for Christmas, and his efforts to convince his parents (and Santa) to get it for him.  I had a BB gun in the 1950's, but I definitely remember that phrase "you'll shoot your eye out" being used by my mother. She disapproved of the whole idea, but thanks to my dad, I got one anyway.  Mom eventually come around, because dad made sure that I was supervised.  That phrase was used many times in the 1983 version of the movie (I assume also in the remake-I haven't seen it).  Obviously the phrase had been around for some twenty-five or thirty years before the movie.  Scut Farkas and his little troll buddy, Grover were so

typical of the ubiquitous school bullies in the 50's. Using soap to wash out a kid's mouth after being caught using foul language was also apparently a regular practice.  Boy, how times have changed!  Bullying and the soap treatment would come close to being criminal offenses these days. 

Something else you rarely see anymore are the department store window displays

full of toys and trains.

This movie is probably one of the best sources for Christmas-time nostalgia that a

baby-boomer could hope for.

For the true nostalgia buff--at least those among us who grew up in the late 40s and 50s--there is no better Christmas movie.  If you were a young boy in that period, it's just about certain that there are a number of scenes in that film you can immediately relate to.

Allan, it's funny you should say that because I thought that movie was about me.

I would defintely take the M-10000 over a Red Rider BB Gun.  My favorite line in the move:......"Wow-Weee! A Zeppelin!" 

I doubt we'll ever see the day again when a kid might ever say that while looking under a Christmas tree.

Allan is right regarding growing up in the late 40's & 50's.  The

movie for me is a pleasure to watch.   Great memories.  Next

Christmas will be here before we can say "You'll shoot your eye

out kid".

Many thanks,

Billy C 

Agreed with the sentiments above.

One of the things about this movie that I remember explaining to my kids was the whole idea of “going downtown” to look at department store windows during the Christmas season. I’m old enough to remember doing that although I’m young enough that it was sort of the last hurrah for that activity as ‘shopping centers’ (and later, malls)  were starting to come into vogue.

Plenty of nostalgia in the entire movie, but that opening scene really evokes a Christmas tradition that has gone the way of, to quote the post above, the toy Zeppelin!    

Watching A Christmas Story is somewhat of a tradition here, too.  The film was not real warmly received when first released, but has apparently achieved somewhat of a classic status now.  I tried to get a copy for a gift after Christmas and was told at K-Mart, "That sells out real fast."

So far doing the holidays I have watched

1. Miracle On 34th Street

2. November Christmas

3. Prancher

4. The Santa's Suit

5. A Season Miracles

6. Moonlite and Mistletoe

7. The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

8. Jingles

9. Mrs. Miracle

10. Mrs. Miracle #2

11. The Home Coming (A Christmas Story)

12. White Chritmas

!3. The Christmas Card

14. A Christmas Visitor

15. Deck The Halls

16. A Dog Named Christmas

17. Silver Bell

18. A Christmas Wish

19. Farewell Mr. Kringle

20. Annie Claus Is Coming To Town

21. Match Maker Santa

22 A Christmas Heart

I love the Hallmark Channel especially this time of the year.