A Christmas Story Christmas. HBOMax. Love the original, had misgivings about the sequel. After a slow start they pulled it out and this was sweet, funny and enjoyable. Not the classic the original is, but it works well enough. It's now 1973 and Ralph Parker is a writer in Chicago. He goes home with his wife (Erinn Hayes...way out of his league) and two kids to his old house on Cleveland Street. He's struggling to get a book deal and needs to give his family a memorable Christmas, so he's struggling to live up to his old man on that front. The gang's all here. Schwartz, Flick, the Bumpuses next door, their hounds, and more. So there's nostalgia involved for sure. Also, for someone my age (56) Ralph's youngest kid is probably close to my age, so again, some nostalgia for Christmas in the early 70s. It's a tribute to the old man, but also to what really makes special Christmas memories. The film is dedicated to Darren McGavin.