A Christmas Story Christmas

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A Christmas Story Christmas (2022) – Easy summary

A Christmas Story Christmas is a 2022 American Christmas comedy directed by Clay Kaytis. It’s a direct sequel to the 1983 movie A Christmas Story and ignores the later sequels My Summer Story and A Christmas Story 2. Peter Billingsley returns as Ralphie Parker, joined by a mix of original cast members and new actors, with Julie Hagerty taking over the role of Mrs. Parker after the death of the original actress who played Mrs. Parker.

Story in simple terms
- The film jumps to 1973 in Chicago, where Ralphie Parker is now an adult with a wife named Sandy and two kids, Mark and Julie. He’s living the writer’s life and trying to finish his first novel.
- When Ralphie’s father, the Old Man, dies, his mother Sandy invites the family to return to their hometown of Hohman, Indiana. Ralphie is given two tasks: write his father’s obituary and find a way to keep Christmas special for his family.
- The family has various Christmas-adventure moments: meeting old friends Flick and Schwartz, dealing with snow and shopping chaos, and facing money troubles after a car mishap and a burglary that wastes their gift budget.
- On Christmas Eve, Ralphie tries to fix the Christmas tree by replacing a broken star. He ends up breaking into Flick’s tavern to borrow a star, and runs into his old bully Scut Farkus, who is now a police officer. Scut brings Ralphie home, explaining that their schoolyard fight helped him change his life.
- Back at home, Ralphie discovers that his father had bought a stash of gifts and left them hidden in the house. Christmas day arrives with happy surprises, and Ralphie learns that his work on the obituary has led to a larger opportunity.
- Ralphie’s piece about the Old Man is well received, and he is offered a new job as a syndicated columnist. The family gathers for Christmas dinner, and Ralphie reads his story aloud to them, ending with a closing that nods to the opening narration of the original film.

Production and release
- The project was announced in January 2022 as a legacy sequel to A Christmas Story, with Nick Schenk writing and Clay Kaytis directing. The film honors the memory of Darren McGavin, who played the Old Man in the original film.
- Peter Billingsley chose to reprise Ralphie, with Julie Hagerty stepping in as Mrs. Parker. Other returning cast members include Ian Petrella, Scott Schwartz, R. D. Robb, and Zack Ward.
- Filming took place starting in February 2022 in Hungary and Bulgaria, with efforts to recreate the original movie’s house and neighborhood.
- A teaser trailer released in 2022 confirmed the film was in post-production. A Christmas Story Christmas premiered on HBO Max on November 17, 2022, and has since been shown in reruns on TBS and TNT’s Christmas blocks.

Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, about 79% of critics gave it a positive score, with an average rating around 6.3/10. On Metacritic, it has a score of 55 out of 100, indicating mixed or average reviews.