It's of course impossible to do any channel surfing in December without seeing at least a bit of A Christmas Story, thanks to the endless marathons on TBS. And thanks to the episodic nature of the movie, it's easy to get caught up for 7 or 8 minutes and then happily return to channel surfing at a commercial. But it's been quite some time since I've sat down and watched the whole thing from beginning to end. At a holiday cookie-swap party we did just last. And remarkably for the crew watching the movie, we did it mostly commentary- and quip-free.

My conclusion on this latest viewing is that ACS is not a great movie, but it's a good one. And I think the secret to it's longevity is that despite being a nostalgic look back at childhood and Christmas, it's not a saccharine nostalgia.

"No, I promise, Daddy is not going to kill Ralphie."

FuzzyCo grade: A-