Fra-GEE-lay

As I left the Holiday Author Fair on Saturday 

at the Indianapolis Historical Society,

I paused at the living room setting in the lobby. 

Meant to represent the home from "A Christmas Story,"

the set includes presents under the tree - 

Dad's blue bowling ball, a Flexible Flyer sled, 

and the infamous Red Ryder BB gun.

Visitors can dress up in the awful, humiliating

pink bunny PJs and have their picture taken with

the wondrously ugly leg lamp.

In the top picture, a visitor takes a picture of her daughter 

for Instagram while my sister-in-law, Fran,

watches in the background. 

The father in the easy chair beside leg lamp 

waits patiently for his family to don pink pajamas.

The leg lamp is fondly gazed upon by just about

everyone who's seen the movie, recalling Darren McGavin 

as the Dad and his pride in the "important prize,"

totally oblivious to his wife's dismay.

And lastly, here is SDP, resplendent in Ralphie's 
bunny ears and glasses, posing with the carton 

for a Red Ryder BB gun, the gift 
most coveted by Ralphie.
Rest assured, I will abide by my own
quirky Christmas tradition: I will
watch A Christmas Story at least once during
its Christmas day marathon on cable TV.

Merry Christmas

Christmas Eve was overcast and, when I went downtown 

to take care of last minute errands, the city seemed just as gray. 

Only a few people were around and, without the usual hustle, 

the buildings looked abandoned, which they were. 

The bustle of last minute shopping had taken itself to the outskirts 

of the city, where the traffic stood in line 

at the intersections and people stood in line at the stores.

I made my way through the traffic, avoided most of the congestion

in the stores, and came home to wrap my presents and 

to talk with friends and family before I watched "A Christmas Story"

on TV. As always, I laughed at scenes as though I'd never

seen the movie before, as I'm certain I'll laugh when 

I see the movie next year. The critics didn't like it

when it first came out, but the people have spoken.

It's a classic.