5 Lessons From “A Christmas Story”

The nostalgia is real

I had never heard of this movie until 3 years ago

A Christmas Story. Where did it come from? Had I been living under a rock? Three Christmases ago, my older brother made our entire family watch A Christmas Story. We were skeptical. We’d thought we’d seen all there was to see. What could be left in the Christmas movie department to digest?

It was wonderful

Not like It’s a Wonderful Life wonderful, but wonderful in its own way. I was overcome with a deep feeling of nostalgia. It kind of became The Sandlot of Christmas movies for me. This movie made me long for the past. It made me feel like a kid again.

Here are 5 lessons to take from A Christmas Story:

1. Life in a Factory Town

What is it about that town? I kept asking myself that throughout this film.

Terre Haute, Indiana. The neighborhood, the schools, the houses, the people, etc. It gives you that sting of nostalgia. This is how people lived in the midwestern part of the United States. Clearly, this family lived in a factory town. The houses all look the same. The schools look the way they always used to. There is a clear sense of community. People who lived in factory towns like this worked hard and received their piece of the American dream. Many people in towns like this, made similar wages and lived similar lives. Adults watched each other’s kids. I miss these kinds of communities. Sadly, with so many factories closing, this has become a thing of the past.

2. The Dad

The dad is my favorite character in the movie. He is how I remember dads back in the day. I imagine he works at the local factory, and this makes him a bit disenchanted. It’s a good job and it puts food on the table, but it requires long hours and repetition. It pays well enough.

He is a good father, and he is available to his children but he keeps a level of mysteriousness about him. He is a disciplinarian but still wants his son to have the BB gun. He is unconcerned with Ralphie shooting his eye out…that’s for Ralphie’s mother to worry about.

3. Children Playing Outside

Where did the kids go? Kids used to love playing outside. What happened?

A Christmas Story does an EXCELLENT job of portraying childhood in the 80’s. I grew up in the 90’s but it was similar.

• Playing outside in the snow
• Avoiding bullies (together) on the way home
• Wanting a BB gun for Christmas
• Using the neighborhood as your babysitter (everyone looked after everyone).

This is the way it used to be…back in the good ‘ol days. This is how kids should play, in my opinion.

Unfortunately, most children are addicted to their iPads and video games. You see less and less kids playing outside.

4. The Wonder & Awe of Christmas

Most everyone loves Christmas, but has it changed?

There used to be a magical element to Christmas.

the unknown

…maybe that’s the difference. Ralphie had to go to the mall, wait in a long line, and ask Santa for his BB gun. He had to wait for the perfect time to bring the BB gun up to his father at the dinner table. He slipped up and blurted it out to his mother.

nothing was guaranteed

In this world of Amazon and instant gratification, kids know what to expect on Christmas. Heck, some of their parents skip the entire Santa thing and let their kids fill up the Amazon cart themselves. Santa Claus has been replaced with Jeff Bezos…Claus.

5. The Discipline

Kids will be kids. That should never change. But there used to be a healthy fear of discipline. Ralphie blurts out the “F-word” in front of his father while they are changing a tire on the family car. I love the way his father handles the situation. He calmly says, “I thought that’s what you said” and lets Ralphie worry about the potential punishment. “I’m dead” Ralphie thinks. But the punishment is my favorite part.

Ralphie’s mother administers a “wash your mouth out with soap” punishment. Back in the day, they literally put a bar of soap in your mouth.

Man, I miss the good ‘ol days