“Irrational Prejudice Against Red Ryder & His Peacemaker…”

If you tune to the cable TV channel TBS anytime during the 24-hour-period between 7:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve and 7:00 p.m. Christmas, you will be graced with what has become an undeniable Christmas movie classic: A Christmas Story. That low-budget 1940’s holiday flashback (made in 1983) contains some of the most genius and innocent humor that you’ll find in Christmas flicks. It has always been a favorite of mine. As such, here are some important spiritual lessons we can learn from its stories:

Children are always paying attention to what you say. When Ralphie Parker is helping his dad fix a tire problem, he loses the lug nuts and screams an obscenity (the movie references a chocolaty dessert instead). Upon washing out his mouth, his mom presses him as to where he heard the word. The adult narrator says he heard his dad say it many times a day; he buckles under the pressure and instead blames a friend. Unbeknownst to Mr. Parker, his son Ralphie heard much of what he said—no matter how good or bad. It was the influence of those expletives that led Ralphie to curse in disgust when fixing the tire.

Do we remember that our young people hear every word that we say when in our presence? We are teaching our children something, whether or not we know it (Prov. 22:6).

Giving in to peer pressure will leave you out in the cold. During school recess one day, Schwartz (one of Ralphie’s friends) talks another friend into sticking his tongue to an iron flagpole (using the dreaded “Triple-Dog-Dare”). The tongue sticks, the bell rings, and the young boy is left all alone in the cold with a frostbitten tongue.

Peer pressure to do things that are wrong or dangerous can leave us in bad situations. As Christians, we are rightfully warned time and time again to be careful about our company (Ex. 23:2).

Some things aren’t all they’re expected to be. This may be one of the biggest (if not the biggest) theme that runs throughout the movie. From Ralphie’s experience with the Little Orphan Annie decoder, to his visit with Santa, to hand-sewn gifts from his aunt, and finally to his eye’s fate with a BB, we see many built-up scenarios that turn out to be less than imagined.

Many things in the world are presented with an aura of being highly desirable and necessary. Yet there are often hidden negative consequences to selling out to the pursuit of status-building “stuff”. As Christians, we must remember to invest in our spiritual futures before seeking the temporary things of the present (Matt. 6:19-21).

Much of the counsel given by previous generations ends up being helpful. Throughout the movie, Ralphie expresses his adamant desire for an “Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle.” Every time he brings it up, he is met with a response of, “You’ll shoot your eye out.” Amazingly, he receives the BB gun for Christmas and that very morning, shoots a metal sign. A BB bounces back and hits his eye knocking off his glasses. Although these adults’ warnings were met with cynicism, they still proved to be accurate.

When previous generations attempt to lend their advice to us as younger people, we can often take it lightly. However, they likely have our best interest in mind and they do have years of wisdom and experience. This is the reason God placed us into their instructional care—generally speaking—as Paul mentions in Titus 2:4-8. We spend too much time trying to prove others wrong that we forget to simply do what’s right.

We hope everyone has a safe and memorable holiday season!