A Christmas Story

My husband and I watched A Christmas Story for the umpteenth time yesterday and guess what? It's as delightful and funny as ever! In fact, I think this film is about as perfect as any movie could possibly be.

There's never a dull moment while watching Ralphie devise ways to make sure he receives that Red Ryder rifle for Christmas, no matter how many people warn him "You'll shoot your eye out." And the casting simply couldn't be better. Peter Billingsley as Ralphie, Melinda Dillon as his long-suffering mom and Darren McGavin as his furnace-fighting dad (the best performance of McGavin's career, in my opinion) fit their roles like they were born to play them. Author Jean Shepherd's wonderful narration is icing on the holiday cake. No wonder this is my all-time favorite family comedy.

Yes, indeed. Christmas means peace, love and joy in celebration of the birth of Jesus. But at our house, it also means taking another look at A Christmas Story.