Ralphie's House

So, where else do you go when in Cleveland other than the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Ralphie's house from "A Christmas Story." Yes, it still stands, as well as many of the other sites that were used in the filming of the movie, including the Chinese restaurant and Higbee's Department Store (pictured: Ralphie's house today).

Since the movie opened in 1983, it has snowballed into a must-see Christmas movie for many Americans. It is surprising to learn that when it was released a week before Thanksgiving in 1983, the movie was received to moderate success. By Christmas, a few weeks later, it was only being shown in a few theaters across the country. Because of television reruns, the movie has had a chance to percolate in people's hearts, enough so that by December 2007, AOL ranked the film their #1 Christmas movie of all time.

The movie is endearing to me because it depicts an imperfect family, quirks and all. Even though the characterization of many of the people in the film are cartoon-like, their faults were redeemed by the end of the movie. The father's "cuss like a sailor" dialogue and the mother's overprotecting qualities made it real for many. I wasn't raised in the mid-west in the 40s like Ralphie, but I grew up in the 60s in Orange County, California where many of the same characters were scattered throughout my neighborhood: bullies, wild dogs, mythical school teachers and best-buddies. The biggest character in the movie was Christmastime...and we all love that time of year. Thanks to Ted Turner, "A Christmas Story" is always on during the holidays.

After the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Brenda and I are going across town to pay a visit to Ralphie's house. Christmas will come a little early this year.