The holiday classic A Christmas Story (1983)dir. Bob Clark, is easily the most watched movie in my household during the Christmas season.

My family owns countless merchandise based on the film, from A Christmas Story Monopoly to a few leg lamps hung on the Christmas tree. We have even eaten Chinese for Christmas dinner on a few occasions, although for us this was always the plan, no Bumpus dogs involved. I’ve gone so far as to have a desk sized leg lamp at my apartment at school. With this film what’s not to love?

The 1940s setting, the crazy antics that the Parker household finds themselves in, the main character Ralphie’s hilarious day dream sequences, and “The Old Man”, played perfectly by the late Darren McGavin are a few of the many things I love about this movie.

This film gives the viewer a ‘slice of life’ into American society during this time. This is evidenced by Raphie’s first item on his list, spoiler alert: it isn’t a football. No, what this nine year old desires this holiday season is a “Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time” aka a sundial. This Christmas wish stirs up controversy in his home and school work as the adults in his life, including Santa Claus himself, reply “You’ll shoot your eye out.” These remarks disheartens our young hero which many of us can agree with. After all I’m not counting on Santa to pay off my student loans.

Part of what makes A Christmas Story so great are it’s out of this world characters. We have the Parker family complete with our protagonist Ralphie, his younger brother Randy, and their parents Mrs. Parker and Mr. Parker aka ‘The Old Man.’ Ralphie’s parents interactions are some of the best parts of the film from the famous leg lamp unboxing scene to the simple moments where the family is sitting down for dinner. Ralphie’s friends also add great elements to the film, after all who can forget the infamous ‘Flick’s stuck to the telephone pole’ scene. After countless viewings, I still sometimes have to look away when they pull it off! However, one of my favorite characters is Raphie’s Aunt Clara who, although is never seen in the film, gives one of the best Christmas presents ever put to film, a pink bunny suit.

Although there are countless holiday classics that I love, such as It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) dir. Frank Capra and stop motion Christmas specials like Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer (1964) dir. Larry Roemer & Kizo Nagashima and A Year Without a Santa Claus (1974) dir Arthur Rankin Jr. & Jules Bass, A Christmas Story is the one I most look forward to watching while being home for the holidays. I’m fortunate that my family has many holiday traditions that make the holiday season an exciting time, such as gingerbread house making with my Nana, but for me my favorite thing to do as the snow falls Christmas morning, is turn our TV to TBS to watch their 24 hour Christmas Story marathon, even if it’s just background noise. For me, it’s not Christmas without it.