Everybody has a favorite Christmas movie, be it one that they find funny, endearing, or one that truly fits the spirit of the holiday season.  But the film I’m going to talk about, though it is all of these things, is also a fantastic film and an interesting look into the way a child of the 1950’s sees the world.  Yes, my favorite Christmas movie of all time is A Christmas Story, and it is a movie at I believe can be viewed any time of the year, and still be an entertaining watch, regardless of it holiday setting and plot.

A Christmas Story follows a young boy named Ralphie, who lives in the generic American family of the 1950’s.  It is Christmas time, and the only thing that Ralphie wants for Christmas is a Red Rider BB gun, but his mother claims that it is too dangerous for a boy his age.  Thus, he becomes determined to get one, trying every method a young boy knows.  We then see the whole world through the eyes of a child, as he tries to decipher the capitalistic nature of the season and the reasons why certain things exist.

And that is one of the reasons why I love the film: the visualization of how the world looks through a child’s eyes.  His perception of certain situations, like his father’s “colorful” vocabulary, the local store’s Santa Claus, and the toys given from eating a certain brand of cereal, are exactly how you probably thought of those things when you were younger.  It makes the film very relatable, and the narration by an older version of the main character makes the character’s perception of himself seem for adult, though the solutions to these situations that he encounters are very innocent.

The performances in the movie are fantastic, encompassing the stereotypes of the different people of the time (the bully, father, mother, younger brother, teacher), but not in an over the top way.  They are funny, as they are as relatable as the main protagonist, and their comedy is enhanced by the extremely well-written dialogue and clever script.  It is one of the most quotable movies at I have ever seen, with every line funnier than the next.  My favorite scene involves the father’s new lamp, which puts the mother in a bit of a fervor to get rid of the thing.

To tell more jokes from the movie in this review would not do the movie justice.  This movie is a must see, even if you aren’t in the Christmas mood.  Now, if only they didn’t make a sequel.