A Christmas Story

It’s come to the point where we’re getting five or six new “Christmas” movies every year now. Most of them really, really suck. As for television specials, I don’t think anyone could even count them anymore. A few days ago I learned that none other than Kelsey Grammer was following in the footsteps of Alastair Sim, George C. Scott, and Albert Finney in the part of Ebenezer Scrooge.

Puh-leeeese!

Then we heard that the little independent theater in Arroyo Grande, the Fair Oaks, was having free showings of this movie on Saturday. Just bring a can of something for the food drive. We mined the cupboard for four cans, and went on down. We’d already seen the movie several times, but you find holiday spirit where you can in these days of the horrible Christmas Push. And it is still as fresh and funny and heartwarming as it ever was. It may be the best Christmas movie ever. It perfectly captures the magic of the season from a child’s eyes. Add in the wonderfully quirky family, the nightmare of the visit to Santa, and the horror of finally getting your Red Rider BB gun and almost shooting your eye out, just as everybody had warned you … I can find no fault in this movie.