A Christmas Story has developed a loyal fanbase and cult following since its 1983 premiere. Whether you find it totally depressing or utterly hilarious, you can’t deny there are a number of memorable scenes throughout the movie. As such, here are eight of the most iconic moments in A Christmas Story.
Ralphie is determined to get a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas. When he and his family visit Santa at the local department store, Ralphie slowly but surely works up the courage to ask Santa for his heart’s desire, to which Santa replies, “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!”
Poor Flick. After he is “triple-dog-dared” to stick his tongue to a flagpole and does, his tongue sticks and he is unable to peel it free. When the bell rings, he begs his friends to stay with him and not return to class, to which Replies replies with a shrug, “The bell rang,” leaving his friend alone to face his fate.
Eventually, the kids’ teacher asks where Flick is and sees him stuck to the flag pole. The fire department is called and he is rescued.
Scott Farkus was the neighborhood bully, always looking for a poor kid to pick on. Well, one day, Ralphie, for lack of a better phrase, absolutely loses his sh*t and beats up Scott Farkus while yelling profanities.
Ralphie accidentally drops an F-bomb, which leads him to be punished by having his mouth washed out with soap.
Ralphie’s Aunt Clara sends him a pair of horrifically pink bunny pajamas as a Christmas gift, footies and bunny ears included.
In what is probably the most iconic scene in A Christmas Story, Ralphie’s father wins a leg lamp in a contest.
“Fraj-eel eh! It must be Italian!” his father exclaims upon reading the “Fragile” label adhered to the box containing the leg lamp. Beyond thrilled about his win, Ralphie’s father proudly displays the leg lamp, much to the dismay of his wife, in their front window.
After their next-door neighbor’s dogs ruin their turkey dinner, the Parker family must improvise new dinner plans. They decide to go to the only open restaurant in the neighborhood–the Chinese place.
(Note: It definitely is not a politically correct scene, to say the least.)
And, finally, when winters were still winters. As the boys prepare for their chilly trek to school, Mrs. Parker dresses Ralphie’s little brother Randy in layers upon layers of clothing to keep him warm. Well, Randy ends up being so bundled up that he isn’t able to put his arms down and has to run to school with them spread wide. Eventually, he topples over and is unable to stand up which is comedic gold.
