‘A Christmas Story’ House Packs ‘Em In

CLEVELAND — A drive through a renewed Cleveland neighborhood on a warm summer day shouldn’t evoke too many holiday memories. But a bunch of tourists toting cameras and buying T-shirts might beg to differ. They are among the minions who have flocked to the tall yellow house in the working-class area that served as the backdrop for the movie “A Christmas Story.”Despite the warm conditions, the neighborhood still has the same feel of the movie. More than 33,000 visitors have visited since the Christmas Story house and a museum across the street opened in November. People wait in line for tickets, posing with a Red Ryder BB gun in front of the leg lamp in the picture window of the house in the Tremont neighborhood just south of downtown Cleveland The only thing missing was Ralphie Parker running through his backyard, trying to escape the clutches of that ornery yellow-eyed bully Scut Farkus. The house was chosen as the backdrop for the 1983 movie because its exterior brought back memories of the 1940s Hammond, Ind., neighborhood that the book’s author, Jean Shepherd, grew up in. And true to form, developers have even doused the backyard with a blanket of cotton, making it look like it has a thin coating of snow. “You see people so happy to see this area because they love the movie so much,” said Steve Siedlecki, the director of the Christmas Story museum. “It spans all generations.” Developers expected crowds to peak during the winter. They have been surprised how people have kept flocking to the facility throughout the spring and summer, buying decoder rings and Lifebuoy soap as they leave. “I think the movie resonates with people,” said Darryl Haase, the curator of the museum. “It was the first Christmas movie where some of the characters were kind of quirky. There’s an edge to it that all people can relate to.” The movie has become a holiday classic over the years, shown on a loop for 24 hours by a cable network. That extensive play has made watching the movie a holiday tradition in many homes. “I just think this is wonderful,” Parma, Ohio, native Joyce McLaughlin said. Provided by San Antonio Express News

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