A Christmas Story: Why it is Our Favorite Holiday Movie

Who could have imagined, "A Christmas Story" would have crept under our Christmas tree and become an old, cherished family ornament? This holiday movie has capture our hearts and spirits for over 24 years. It is as timeless as a official Red Rider, carbine action, two hundred shot range, model air rifle, BB gun.

Ralphie Parker and his friends Flick and Schwartz will forever be grade schoolers, trying to make it through until Xmas vacation.

Every Christmas season, since 1984, we get to watch Ralphie, lost in his day dreams of being that cowboy, with his trusty Red Ryder BB gun. Come Christmas morning, will Santa leave him his rifle, or not?

We get to see young Ralphie leaving Red Ryder ads for his mom to find in her magazines, writing a long winded excuse for the gun, as a homework assignment, blurting out what he wants for Christmas and in general; driving himself into a real state over this all consuming BB gun.

You have to feel for that Parker kid, he wants that gun so desperately, he can't help himself from driving himself crazy, in his desire to get it that rifle. The only feedback Ralphie seems to get on this topic is, "you'll shoot your eye out with it." It is hilarious when the department store Santa finally tells Ralphie this too.

Of course, when Ralphie gets the rifle, it is so real; it could have been me. Ralphie's father had to get it for him. The first shot young Mr. Parker makes, bounces back and breaks his glasses.

There are many, many subplots in "A Christmas Story". The movie is a non stop riot, usually taken from Ralphie's perspective and is narrated by Jean Shepherd, the writer who is the real Ralphie. It is a true nostalgic piece, that works for everyone one many different levels.

One of the funniest scenes in this classic, is the "Triple Dog Dare". It is recess time at the school. Schwartz dares Flick to stick his tongue to a frozen, metal flag pole. Flick may have been the one to say, a tongue wouldn't stick to it, but he does not wish to be that kid who tries it out.

After Schwartz "triple dog dares" Flick, he really has no choice. Flick must now conform to this socialized dare and accept it. Of course his tongue gets stuck on the pole. The fire department comes out and rescues poor Flick's tongue.

My favorite scene has to be "The leg lamp". Ralphie's dad wins a lamp, that is the shape of a woman's leg and lights up when plugged in. The old man goes crazy over it, much to Ralphie's mom's dismay, and puts this lamp in the livingroom window, so the whole world can see it. Mom accidently breaks the lamp and all hell cuts loose in the Parker household.

But, what is it, that brings us back year after, year to watch "A Christmas Story"? I think that answer is, we are the Parker family. The story takes place in the late 1940s and yet this family talks to us of something so familiar, we can not help but forget the time period and respond to it; because this story speaks to us from the heart.

Peter Billingsley portrayed Ralphie. He was all of 11 years old when he stepped into this timeless role. Today, Peter is a 36 year old man. He never left the business, working more behind the camera, than in front of it. Billingsley's more current work is as executive producer on the film, "Iron Man".

Melinda Dillon played Ralphies mom. She has been a Hollywood mainstay for years, appearing in any number of roles in movies and TV. Most of you might remember Melinda from her role as the young son's mother in "Close Encounters Of A Third Kind".

Darren McGavin portrayed, "the old man", Mr. Parker; Ralphie's father. McGavin had a very long history as an actor in film and Television, for decades. Darren passed away in February of 2006, of natural causes, at the age of 83.

We can all thank Jean Shepherd for "A Christmas Story", because this was his story, he helped to co-write, from his semi-autobiographical past. Jean died in 1999, but still lives on as the voice of a grown up Ralphie Parker, narrating "A Christmas Story".

Shephard does have a cameo role in "A Christmas Story". He's the guy in line, waiting to see Santa, that points out to Ralphie, where the real line to see Santa, begins.

You can see "A Christmas Story" all day, Xmas day on TBS. They do it every single year now. It truly is a classic.