One of the reasons A Christmas Story is so well-loved is because of its unique style of storytelling. In A Christmas Story, there’s a bit of a main plot, where Ralphie Parker is hoping for a BB gun. However, there are also a variety of short subplots. Here are all the most well-known moments that take place in the house from A Christmas Story.
- The Leg Lamp
One of the subplots of the movie revolves around its most well-known prop: a leg lamp. Ralphie’s father, the Old Man, receives it as a prize for winning a contest. However, his mother hates it, eventually “accidentally” breaking it.
- Red Ryder BB Gun
The main crux of the movie is the fact that Ralphie wants a Red Ryder BB gun, becoming enamored with it after seeing it in the window of Higbee’s Department Store. However, everyone mocks him for it, telling him, “You’ll shoot your eye out!”
- Black Bart Attacks
As Ralphie continues to love the idea of having the BB gun, he fantasizes about using it to protect his family. An Old West-inspired scene occurs where he has to fend off attacks from the criminal Black Bart.
- Little Orphan Annie Decoder
Ralphie is a huge fan of the Little Orphan Annie radio show. He drinks gallons of Ovaltine to send away for the secret decoder, which will let him decode a special message at the end. However, he finds out that the secret message is just a commercial for Ovaltine.
- Christmas Tree
The Parker family bargains to get a great deal on a live Christmas tree, then decorates it and sets it in the front window. The problem is that the lights they used to decorate the tree go out as the unfortunate victim of a blown fuse.
- Furnace Soot
The Old Man and his fights with the furnace make up yet another subplot of A Christmas Story. At one point, the furnace starts blowing soot into the kitchen. He tries to go down the stairs, but slips on a pair of roller skates and falls all the way down them, cursing the whole way down.
- Hubcap Replacement
When the family car gets a flat tire, Ralphie tries to help replace it. However, when he drops one of the lug nuts, he repeats a word he’s learned from his father’s rants – according to him, it’s “the queen mother of dirty words.”
- Bathroom Soap
Ralphie’s mother overhears him saying this naughty word and takes him to the bathroom to clean his mouth out with soap. This has clearly happened more than once, as Ralphie states that he’s “quite the connoisseur of soap.”
- The Bunny Suit
As the family starts to open Christmas gifts, Ralphie gets gifts that vary in quality. One of the ones that he especially hates is a hot pink bunny suit, which his overbearing Aunt Clara gives him.
- Practice Target
Finally, Ralphie does actually get his BB gun. He sets up a target practice outside and goes out to shoot the new target. However, it ricochets off the target and strikes his glasses, causing him to worry for a moment that he actually has shot his eye out.
- The Bumpus’ Hounds
To top off their Christmas craziness, the Parkers find out that they can’t even eat their Christmas turkey. The neighbors, who are hillbillies with what Ralphie calls “smelly hounds,” accidentally let their dogs loose and the dogs end up eating the Parkers’ Christmas turkey.
Conclusion
The house of A Christmas Story is one of the most memorable settings of any Christmas movie; you can even go see the real house in Cleveland, Ohio. These are just a few of the most memorable things that happen in this movie home.
