Most of us can relate to Ralphie Parker, the main character in “A Christmas Story”. We’ve been the kid coveting a certain something for Christmas: a special doll, a new bike, a certain something for our collection, a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle. So we can shoot our goddamn eyes out.

Forty years later and a well-received revisit in 2022, “A Christmas Story” is alive and well and watched by millions leading up to Christmas and of course for 24 hours on Christmas Eve. “A Christmas Story” is so big that in 2012 it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. That’s one helluva award.

If you don’t know by now the story revolves around Ralphie (Peter Billingsley), a 9-year-old boy living in 1940’s Hohman, Indiana, whose only wish for Christmas is to receive the aforementioned Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle. Which his mother (Melinda Dillon), teacher (Tedde Moore) and even Santa Claus is afraid he’ll use to shoot his eye out. Interestingly enough his father The Old Man (Darren McGavin) never mentions his worry about this. Probably because he was too preoccupied with his fra-gee-lay Italian Major Award.

There are so many memorable moments throughout the film, from Flick getting his tongue stuck to the flagpole to Ralphie beating the shit out of Scut Farkus. Fudge, anyone? I always thought Randy got the shit end of the stick. After all, he was stuffed into his winter coat by his mother until he looked like a tick about to pop, forced to eat like a pig and hid under the kitchen sink. It’s amazing he turned out to be a rich bastard as portrayed in the 2022 revisit.

And let’s not forget the Bumpus’s hounds and The Old Man and his turkey…

“A Christmas Story” truly brings back memories of Christmases past and how it used to be for so many. Such simpler times of listening to Little Orphan Annie, drinking Ovaltine and having your biggest worry be whether you’ll get your Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle and not shoot your eye out.