Do you remember seeing Little Ralphie’s friend's tongue frozen to a street pole in agony? Or maybe you remember: “Be careful with that BB gun, you’ll shoot your eye out, Son!” Or perhaps it was the memory of that ugly Leg Lamp the father owned!
For me, it was the laugh-through-tears dinner they have at the Chinese restaurant because the dog ate the turkey.
I’m talking about the Jean Shepherd classic, “A Christmas Story.” It is a tale that delights children and adults everywhere. While there are a lot of memorable Christmas stories like “It’s a Wonderful Life or “Home Alone, “A Christmas Story” stands out because of the richness of Jean Shepherd’s personal story, as well as the deep richness of his voice as he delivered it as narrator. It is amazing to realize that this story started as a real-life tale that was told to Jean’s audience on the radio back on Christmas Eve 1974. This very personal childhood story comes from his book: “In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash,” and was published in 1960 as an excerpt in Playboy, believe it or not! It is also responsible for inspiring the creation of “The Wonder Years” television show years later.
When I was working my way through college at night, I used to listen to Jean Shepherd on the late-night ride home. He was entertaining and personable, all while making you feel as though you were hearing his story in the privacy of your own home, enjoying the personal descriptions that his enthralling voice shared. Below is a link to the trivia related to this movie, and it will inspire you to rethink some of what you watched, and smile at what you remember. http://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com/a-christmas-story-movie-facts/trivia/ If you ever get the opportunity in your travels around the internet, check out some of his radio shows and allow yourself to be transported back in time to the stories of another generation. You will be surprised to find that generations are not that much different.
Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Happy Holidays!