A Christmas Story is a true story. The story of Jean Shepherd’s childhood. Jean actually negotiated the movie deal so that he could narrate the film. So that hilarious voice you hear in the old classic is the grown up Ralphy himself (although the name was changed for the film). The book is a few select tales of his childhood that were written before (and were the inspiration for) the film. Some circumstances differ slightly, but the book is for the most part a deeper, grander, and equally hilarious jaunt down memory lane.

The very short book is as charming and hilarious as the film! I had many a good chuckle with this one! Heartily recommended!

See my review of the film: https://boxd.it/1xV7WF

If you are a fan of the movie, " A Christmas Story", and you have been watching the movie for almost 40 years then you must read this book. This book is a collection of the original short stories that Jean Shepherd wrote in the 1960s describing his upbringing in NW Indiana in the fictitious town of Hohman.

The author paints a colorful picture of what it was like in the depression era town as a young boy facing bullies, challenging weather, and out-of-control next-door neighbors and their 4293 blue-ticked hounds who burst through the back door to capture and devour the holiday ham.

This book will take you back to simpler days of Santa at the Goldblatt's, a young boy wanting a Red Ryder BB gun, and when his father won an attractive leg lamp in a sports trivia contest. This is a perfect book to gain a perspective of what your grandparents may have experienced at Christmas time in the 1920s and 1930s.

Next time you plan to watch the movie, pick up this little gem and you will enjoy the film more.

Recommended!

Only within the last year or two did I realize that the 1983 holiday film, A Christmas Story, was based on a series of short stories penned by radio personality Jean Shepherd. The short pieces contained here and from which the movie was based were originally published in two other Shepherd collections – "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash" and "Wanda Hickey’s Night of Golden Memories." The movie has become a tradition in many American households, although I personally must admit to seeing this only once when it first appeared at the movie theater. My son received a copy of this film last year and I will soon remedy the fact that I only remember very small bits of this comic movie! Of course what sticks with me the most are the famous words "You’ll shoot your eye out" as well as the legendary leg lamp.

The book itself is a wonderfully nostalgic holiday read. Now, I admit to being around when the movie first came out; however, unlike Ralphie Parker, I was not a child of Depression-era America. But that didn’t stop me from remembering the magical feeling of Christmas as a young child! "Christmas was on its way. Each day was more exciting than the last, because Christmas was one day closer. Lovely, beautiful, glorious Christmas, around which the entire year revolved." Driving downtown to the shops all sparkling and adorned with pretty lights, visiting Santa at his what I believed to be enchanted throne, and anticipating that one special gift that you just had to have this year or else!! In my case it would not have been the Red Ryder BB gun, but perhaps a special doll or maybe a brand new sled. Books were always a welcome possibility of course. I loved going into the local Woolworths and using the small bit of cash I was allotted to spend on my own family members. Searching for the perfect gift for mom, dad, sister and grandma were special memories I will always cherish. Like Ralphie, I did get the whole point of gift giving and receiving at a young age – "The joy of giving can uplift the saddened heart." Living in western New York with the wind and snow blowing across Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, I imagine my childhood winters weren’t much different from Ralphie’s in northern Indiana. In fact, the weather here the past couple of days could really be said to be depicted by the same evocative words as in A Christmas Story: "The wind howling down out of the Canadian wilds a few hundred miles to the north had screamed over frozen Lake Michigan and hit Hohman, laying on the town great drifts of snow and long, story-high icicles, and sub-zero temperatures where the air cracked and sang." Simply switch out the words Michigan and Hohman and you have my hometown!

Not all of the five stories contained here are Christmas stories. They are a great sampling of Midwestern American culture during the Depression and should have a little bit of something for everyone here. Next to the Red Ryder BB gun story, I would say my next favorite is the section titled "My Old Man and the Lascivious Special Award that Heralded the Birth of Pop Art" – definitely a hilarious story that most would recognize from the movie. Once you’ve seen it, the image of that outlandish lamp will stay with you always! "A monstrous, barrel-shaped bulging tube of a shade, a striking Lingerie pink in color, topped by a glittering cut-crystal orb, was lifted reverently up and put onto the table. Never had shade so beautifully matched base. Within an instant the Old Man had screwed it atop the fulsome thigh, and there it stood, a full four feet from coquettishly pointed toe to sparkling crystal."

Just a note – these stories are not linked together in a seamless fashion. They are really just a series of what could be stand-alone vignettes which focus on short pieces of Ralphie’s childhood. This did not bother me, but I suppose that I rather expected them to be linked only because of my knowledge of the movie. I recommend this book to those fans of the movie that want to see where the story originated, as well as anyone that relishes a quick, fun holiday read. I wish all my Goodreads friends a peaceful, holiday season!

I'm reading this again for the holidays. I love this book!

This was a lot of fun, considering how we watch this movie many, many times each Christmas. It is a collection of essays that the movie was drawn from, so there are a few favorite scenes from the movie you won't find in the book and some scenes from the movie more fleshed out in the book. You could even pinpoint some of the great lines from the movie. The best part was the chapter on the Bumpuses which went into much more detail than the movie. The aftermath of the Lamp Incident had me in stitches literally (especially that sink--and there's no way that would have quite translated into film.) The writing style was unique though occasionally hard to follow. Overall, lots of fun and a great commentary on childhood during the Depression (not that I'd know personally, but it seems pretty good to me.)

I've watched A Christmas Story nearly every year since I was about ten, but until now, I had never read the collection of short stories upon which it is based. This book contains five short stories that were seamlessly integrated by the author to create the screenplay for A Christmas Story. Some passages were used line for line for the narration, and consequently I couldn't help but hear the movie narrator's voice as I read.

The narrator in these stories does indeed have a very distinctive voice, and the intentional melodrama with which he writes is amusing. Some of his turns of phrase are highlight worthy, and these stories are simply fun to read. The collection gave me more perspective on some of the scenes in the movie, such as the Bumpeses dogs, why Ralphie doesn't want to simply ask for the BB gun outright, why the major award Ralphie's dad receives is a leg lamp, and the bully dynamic at school. We get a bit of a frame story in a couple of these stories and therefore get to see the narrator at an older age too.

Some of my favorite lines in the movie are not present in these stories, and vice versa. There were some necessary changes to meld these five stories into one for the screen, but on the whole, the movie is a faithful adaptation of the tales.

The only thing I didn't like was the way the author suddenly slipped into present tense from past tense from time to time. I assume this was a stylistic decision rather than an editing error, as it happened frequently, but I didn't feel it worked stylistically. It was slightly jarring.

If you love the movie A Christmas Story, there's really no reason not to read and enjoy this little collection. If you hate A Christmas Story, then certainly skip this book, but...I don't understand how you could hate that movie. If you were lukewarm about the movie, give the book a try. You may like it anyway. And if you've never seen the movie (how is that possible?)...read the book first, and tell me what that reverse experience is like.

Movie is far better!

“I don’t think a football is a very good Christmas present”

“I had woven a tapestry of obscenity that as far as I know is still hanging in space over Lake Michigan”

“The entire town was turned on”

Reading this felt like getting a behind the scenes look into the movie and stories we all know!

This was so very much like watching the movie adaptation that was a holiday staple when I was a kid. I haven't seen it in years so I can't comment on the correct order of the scenes in the film but reading this book was a lot like watching the film all over again! I both read an ecopy of the book and listened to the audio, which really made the experience nostalgic. The narrator sounds so very much like the adult narrator from the movie!

Very nostalgic. Humorous.
Has some illustrations.

A Christmas Story, by Jean Shepherd is a funny book about a boy named Ralph.

Ralph just wants to have fun. This Christmas, he thinks, I will get a red rider BB gun. When he finds out that there is no possible way he'll get it, he tries harder and harder. Through funny mistakes and possibilities Ralph makes his way to Christmas morning, hoping for the best.


I loved the movie, so when I saw this book I just needed it. Although some scenes or moments seemed out of place, I still loved it. I recommend this book to some of my friends, and also to my dad.(he loves the movie.)

I've seen the play, watched the movie, it was now time to read the book. I would never say that A Christmas Story was my favorite movie, that will always belong to It's a Wonderful Life, but I have always loved the pop culture from this holiday movie that is referenced in daily conversation without relation to Christmas. Therefore, I decided to end my wicked ways of watching the movie and not reading the book this year.

Sadly, I was disappointed. All the elements were there but they were told in short stories, vignettes if you will and unfortunately did not feel connected. Perhaps it is because I have watched the film for so many years but Jean Sheperd's stories didn't hold the same magic and humor that is captured on screen.

However, the story of the leg lamp will forever remain a classic even on the page. The descriptions of Ralph's mother's disdain for said lamp I found to be very humorous and could clearly picture Mrs. Parker forming a plot to get rid of the erotic ornament as well as the Parker boys (and the neighbors) infatuation of the stocking knee. Also, Ralphie's wish of a Red Ryder bb gun and the incessant You'll shoot your eye out will forever remain a classic no matter what format and was by far the best story in the grouping. Although, in the film, one of my favorite scenes is the Bumpus’ dogs eating Christmas dinner (on a side note it is actually Thanksgiving). Alas, Jean Shepherd spent so much time describing the neighbor's living conditions that by the time we reached the pinnacle scene I was over it and ready for the story to end which disappointed me to no end.

Upon closing this small book I realized that not only a double dare but a triple dog dare couldn't get me to read A Christmas Story again. Instead, I will stick to the movie and will enjoy this Christmas cult classic visually.

I’ve long wanted to read the book that inspired a favorite film. I was excited to see that my library had this collection available. It’s not the original work per se, but instead it is a collection of the stories featured in the film. The humor and wit are just as enjoyable as the film. I wish Jean Shepherd had been able to narrate this as well. I enjoyed the background music and sounds, but I could see that some people wouldn’t.