A Christmas Story… Christmas?

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A Christmas Story Christmas (2022)

The holiday classic, A Christmas Story (1983), and its sequel, A Christmas Story Christmas (2022), highlight the Christmases of Ralphie Parker as both a kid and adult. The similarities between the two movies are uncanny, while there are some small differences.

Ralphie’s mom, “Mother Parker,” is a different actor from the first movie due to Melinda Dillon wishing not to participate. And that’s where the differences stop.

In A Christmas Story Christmas, aspiring published writer, Ralphie Parker, struggles to make ends meet around Christmas to buy presents for his loving family. This is similar to the way Ralphie’s parents struggle in the first movie, A Christmas Story, as his mom stays home and his dad works long shifts.

Out of all the infamous A Christmas Story scenes, the scene where Flick sticks his tongue on the telephone pole stands out. Flick is highlighted in the new movie as Ralphie’s friend (again) as they hang out at his local bar, Flick’s Tavern.

Ralphie’s father had a big impact on the way he views Christmas. He receives a call about the death of his father and must make a trip home to be with his mom for the holidays on Cleveland Street. Ralphie goes to Flick’s Tavern and brainstorms ways to have a good old fashioned family Christmas to honor his dad.

Christmas goes awry right away as the tree is disheveled and his kids, Mark and Julie, get bullied by the mean neighborhood villains. As a kid, Ralphie and his brother are also hassled by bullies Farkus and Grover Dill.

The dreamy flashbacks that Ralphie visualizes are in both movies, as well as the sly look he gives when these flashbacks are over. The Red Ryder BB gun is an original flashback as he fights away robbers and the new movie features a scene where his new story he is writing is finally successful.

The “Bumpus hounds” also make a feature in both movies; in the first when they try to eat the turkey and in the second when they attack Ralphie outside his home.

Ralphie and his wife go shopping at Higbee’s for gifts while his kids wait in line to meet Santa, just as he and his brother did as a child. The song while they are looking at Higbee’s Christmas toy display is the same as the original, creating a magical mood for the toys Ralphie looked at in the window as both a child and an adult.

Ralphie’s story, My Old Man, talks about the life and impact his father had on him as a child. This story is featured in the newspaper as Ralphie’s wife sent it in to be published. The story goes, “My old man didn’t just celebrate Christmas, he indulged in it. Brought it to life for his family. One Christmas in particular stood out as the gold standard. And it all started back in the good old house on Cleveland Street.”