Christmas almost wouldn't be Christmas without the 24-hour back-to-back cable marathon of the original A Christmas Story, starring a young Peter Billingsley as Ralphie, the kid who desperately wants a Daisy Air Rifle from Santa. Cable TV has made us familiar with almost every scene of the 1983 film. Frankly the idea of a sequel made me a little squeamish. In spite of my resistance, I'm happy to report I fell for this follow up, produced and starring Peter Billingsley from the original, now grown up with a family of his own. A family tragedy - the death of his father - calls the family back to Ralphie's boyhood home for the holidays, where Ralphie's friends have stayed and where new versions of the old neighborhood bullies live to torture Ralphie's kids. Julie Hagerty --- always good for a comic turn - doesn't disappoint as Ralphie's mom. The story echos many of the favorite points and feelings of the original, including imaginary sequences and a visit to Higbee's Department Store - still operating as this takes place in the early 1970s. The holiday trip comes to a delightful conclusion. I'll still watch the original, but I enjoyed this follow up and might watch it again as well.
