Jean Shepherd, one of the greatest storytellers ever, and a down-to-earth humorist, created this classic Christmas story.

Just in case you thought your own family was uniquelly quirky...

Greatness!!!

Most of you will recognize this title as one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time. Okay, some of you might not agree with it being one of the greatest, since I know there are people out there who don't like it. But in my family it is a classic and we always have whatever channel is playing it for 24 hours on when we open presents on Christmas morning. I could quote it all day.

Even if you don't LIKE it, you are probably familiar with the story. 9-year-old Ralphie Parker wants an official Red Ryder carbine action 200-shot range model air rifle for Christmas, and schemes his best to get it. In between Red Ryder plotting, he deals with neighborhood bully Scut Farkas, pines to be in Little Orphan Annie's Secret Circle with his official decoder pin, enjoys a little light from his father's Major Award, and generally is just witness and participant in his slightly dysfunctional but ultimately happy family. Some of you, however, might not realize that this movie made famous by TV showings was based on a series of essays by humorist and radio personality Jean Shepherd.

Because I love the movie so dearly, I decided it was about time to read what inspired it. All in all, I am glad I did, not only because it gave me a greater appreciation and understanding of the movie, it was incredibly funny. Here's a line describing walking to school in the winter to give you the idea:
Scattered over the icy waste around us could be seen other tiny befurred jots of wind-driven humanity. All painfully toiling toward the Warren G. Harding School, miles away over the tundra, waddling under the weight of frost-covered clothing like tiny frozen bowling balls with feet. An occasional piteous whimper would be heard faintly, but lost instantly in the sigh of the eternal wind. (p. 9).
Another difference between the text and the movie is the setting—it is never really definitively said in the latter what time this takes place in, but the essays make it clear this was during the Depression. As a result, among the incredible wit and hilarity of Shepherd's prose, there is a hint of seriousness that is lacking in the film, though it is only a slight undertone. Mostly it's just funny, though it's a bit darker than the film.

Because the essays weren't meant to be published as a package originally, and were four in a larger volume called In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, they aren't all Christmas stories, but will still make you smile with recognition if you know the movie, especially when lines and phrasing are the same. There is a fifth essay included that has to do with their neighbors the Bumpuses, which was originally from another collection, for the reader's enjoyment.

This was great for fans of the movie and for those who have yet to see it. If you hate the movie, I'm not sure you'll like the book, since I'm kind of biased, but it was different enough for me to decide I like the movie better. I liked how all the stories were intertwined rather than broken up into separate stories, but like I said I'm biased. It's certainly worth the read.

Have you read this, or seen A Christmas Story? Are you a loyal watcher of this beloved film (I've been known to watch it outside the Christmas season), or do you hate it completely?

I didn't even know this was a book until recently when I watched someone's December TBR video on YouTube. I remembered watching the movie for this when I was a kid and while I remembered a few things that happened in the movie I didn't really remember all that much about it and I don't know if I liked it or not. So as soon as I saw that video I immediately put a hold on the book from my library.

Well I can now say that I have read the book but unfortunately I didn't like it. This book essentially has 5 chapters some of which were pretty long. It also felt like each chapter was a different story, short story of sorts and it didn't all connect.

I will say that while I didn't really enjoy the narrator of the audiobook he did do really good with the sound affects and it was a pretty quick read.

I thought about watching the movie after reading the book but it isn't available on Netflix and honestly I don't really have any desire to watch it now.

It may seem strange to listen to the audio book of "A Christmas Story" in January. Chalk it up to my learning a lesson from "A Christmas Carol" and keeping the spirit of Christmas in my heart all the year round. Or more to the fact that it was in at the library and I've alway been kind of curious to read/hear the original material that served as the basis for the popular Christmas movie.

It's always interesting to go back to the source material for something after becoming familar with it in another medium. I've seen "A Christmas Story" at least a dozen or so times over the years and it's become one of those "things I associated with Christmas" that I try to watch each year as the holiday season rolls in.

So, what about the original source material?

It's fairly good, though I expect a lot of the surprises and punch lines were ruined by familarity with the movie.

The collection is several essays, all of which have elements that were incorporated into the script for "A Christmas Story." The longest is the first, about young Ralph Parker's desire to get a b-b gun for Christmas. There are some differences in the type of gun Ralph wants and some other minor details, but if you've seen the movie you know the broad strokes of the story. Ralph writes the essay for his teacher, Ralph is told he'll shoot his eye out, Ralph eventually gets the gun and almost does. There are some moments and asides to the story, but on the whole it's pretty much what you get i the movie.

What is interesting is the other essays that are become part of the tapestry of the film. For one thing, most of them unfold at times other than the holiday season. The secret decoder ring takes on a different level of exacerbation for Ralph because the story reveals that Ralph's house didn't buy Olvatine. Ralph finds a can with the required silver seal in tact playing kick the can and sends off for said decoder ring. It makes Ralph's disappointment at the nature of Orphan Annie's message a bit more poignant for the reader.

Also of interest is the story of the Bumpus hounds, which actually takes place at Easter and concerns the Easter ham.

It's also interesting to see what stories arent included here. The famous Flip and the frozen flagpole doesn't appear in the story, nor does Ralphie's using a dirty word. Both are some of my favorite moments from the film and they may appear in other essays by Shepard, but they're not here. Or they were written specifically for the film. I'd be interested to find out more.

But back to this book. It's a nice book, entertaining and well told. The audio book, read by Dick Cavet, has good production values and is worth the time. But unlike the movie, I don't see myself returning to it year after year.

I loved it! Reading it during the season was perfect! Written well and having watched the movie a hundred times, I read it in the narrators voice, excitement and flare! Added a little more insight to the cute stories the movie was based on. My favorite chapter was the last one, on the Bumpus's! Written with so much detail, I felt I was there! Recommend!

Very sweet. Surprised by how well written these stories were! The movie followed it exactly.

Every scene of the 1983 holiday film A Christmas Story is so thoroughly etched in my mind that I thought reading the story would be a bit of a letdown. Usually I'll read the book and skip the movie - such is not the case here - the movie finds its way into everyone's heart. "You'll shoot your eye out, kid," rings as clear as Ebeneezer Scrooge's "Bah, Humbug." Or maybe you just need to be a kid from the 50's to appreciate the pull of the Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range-model air rifle.

I picked up the little book at the local library nonetheless and am glad I did. The book focuses on three of the fifteen autobiographical essays taken from Shepherd's In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash; four actually, and the fourth scenario is the fun one because in the book it is featured as an Easter happening, and the introduction (in the book) of Delbert Bumpus and his hillbilly kin who move in next door to the Parker family is not really featured in the film. Makes one want to read more of Jean Shepherd's childhood recollections.

I had no clue my all time favorite Christmas movie was also a book, until my best friend sent it to me for Christmas Eve!!!! I loved it! I thought it was so close to the movie or should I say the movie was so close to it, which very rarely happens! I can’t thank my best friend enough for sending me this book!

This is almost a 2.5 star read for me. Being someone who LOVES the movie, I found this to be extremely disappointing. It bored me.

While some of the narration in the book was word for word in the movie, many of the really memorable & funny scenes were not included. It also took place over a longer period of time, not just Christmas.

One of those few times the movie is way better than the book.

Super cute to read for Christmas if you watched the movie every year.

The short version first . . .

A third of a century ago, a motion picture was made that would transform and herald in a completely new generation into that magical, comical, poignant and sobering side of the Christmas season. That film was entitled “A Christmas Story,” and it has become at first a watershed of the holiday season when it was picked up by Turner Broadcasting, becoming a seasonal favorite on the TBS/TNT/TCM stations on most cable and satellite TV providers, and probably in streaming forms of some sort now.

In case you have been off planet for a while, the story centers on the holiday hijinks of the Parker family with the older son, Ralphie, providing the narration for the story (actually it was done by the author and screenwriter for the filme, Jean Shepherd). The city is Hohman, IN. The year is during the Great Depression. Fortunately, Mr. Parker (played by Darrin Gavin) is employed while Mrs. Parker (Melinda Dillon) works as a homemaker for their two sons, Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) and Randy (Ian Petrella) and a cast of many more. It is a memoir of growing up in Depression America (1931-1940), with a specific focus on events in Advent, the Christian remembrance of the days preceding the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The focus is on the family life during the winter in norther Indiana, with the always iconic bullies, the Christmas tree lots, decorating the tree, the weird next door neighbors, ad infinitum.

The story is cute, the kids are cute, and the whole story has several themes, but one of the biggest is the desire that Ralphie has for a Red Ryder, carbine action, 200 shot, range model air rifle (long barrel, shoulder mounted BB gun), The story goes that Ralphie was constantly bringing up his desire for the BB gun, and to a person, even Santa Claus, the connection himself, said the ubiquitous response to Ralphie’s singular plea, “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid.” Ralphie’s mom said it, his teacher said it, everyone of any importance to Ralphie said it, even the Connection (Santa Himself) told Ralphie the same thing. It was a conspiracy to keep Ralphie from getting his dangerously grown-up desire for a BB gun.

There are all manner of misgivings, daring escapes, the pitched battle between Ralphie and the worst of the neighborhood bullies, Scot Farkas. It was with great anticipation that as they moved through December to the great day of the 25th, when the huge celebration happened that all comes to glorious, albeit a tragic end for some. Now the sweet memories of your own childhood Christmases may not be the same as Ralphie’s, but for me, a 1950s hatchling, the scenes were not that much different – out neighbors were much more couth than the Bumpases. The snow were not so apparent, although we did have a few bouts of it back in the day. All and all, though it was strikingly similar. The good side of this story is every side, after all it is Christmas!
Recommendations:

The language in the movie is the same as in the book, but it is spread out enough that it is not egregious, or terribly overt. There was no usage of the f-bomb, but others did find their way into the script of the movie and maybe one or two others found it into print, but they were used in context with the events that were happening, so it is topical, but it is still present.

It is an hilarious 5 star of 5 stars hoot and a half. The work is a series of short stories or memoirs (although I don’t think so unless the Dragnet rules are in force – “All the names have been changed to protect the innocent.) routine. Suitable for all readers high school and up, with some middle schoolers possible with parental approval. Jean Shepherd’s work can be found in most book stores. Look under the section on Comedy or Seasonal sections, or just ask a librarian or worker in the store. If there is uproarious guffawing, and hooting/hollering/ gaiety, you have probably found what you are looking for. Be ready to laugh until you cry, because even this ol’ big 60+ guy did so as he read and remembered. You have been so advised . . .

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A Review of Jean Shepherd's A Christmas Story: The Book That Inspired the Hilarious Classic by Richard W. Buro is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5319.A_Christmas_Story.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at See Subsidary Rights at http://crownpublishing.com/contact-us/.

I grew up watching the classic movie and found so much humor in the story.
This year, one of my groups, voted to read Jean Shepherd's classic holiday tale. And, what a tale! Shepherd brings his story to life with such vivid imagery! A sampling or two of how he brings his story to life:

"First Nighters packed ear-muff to earmuff, their steamy breath clouding up the sparkling plate glass, jostled in rapt admiration before a golden, tinkling panoply of mechanized, electronic joy."

"Every evening immediately after supper we would pile into the car and drive downtown for that great annual folk rite, that most ecstatic, golden, tinseled, quivering time of all kidhood: Christmas shopping. Milling crowds of blue-jowled, agate-eyed foundry workers, gray-faced refinery men, and motley hordes of open-hearth, slag-heap, Bessemer-converter, tin-mill, coke-plant, and welding-shop fugitives trudged through the wildly pulsing department stores, through floor after floor of shiny, beautiful, unattainable treasures, trailed by millions of leatherette-jacketed, high-topped, mufflered kids, each with a gnawing hunger to Get It All."

I'm glad to have finally read the stories. Note, they are a grouping of shorter tales from Shepherd's other work. Will definitely revisit it again during the holidays.

4 Stars