A Reddit User Just Hated On A Christmas Story. The Internet Had To Explain To Them How It Got So Popular In The First Place

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Everyone loves A Christmas Story, and it’s often called one of the greatest Christmas movies ever made. But is it really that good? It seemed like a silly question until someone who’d never seen it asked, and I was shocked by the most common response when I put the question to a wider audience.

Seeing that A Christmas Story Christmas—the sequel available on HBO Max—is still on my list to watch this year, I was reminded of a recent Reddit post. Someone had just seen the original A Christmas Story for the first time and wondered why it’s become such a beloved classic. The most popular answer was surprisingly straightforward, and the more I consider it, the more it rings true.

TBS broadcast it around the clock at Christmas for years.

For over 25 years, TBS has aired a 24-hour marathon of A Christmas Story, and it feels like I’ve seen it playing in almost every home I’ve visited around the holidays. It used to be on constantly, except when NFL football was on. Now that streaming services like Netflix carry the movie, it’s been harder to make sure my grandma can watch it – I’ve been trying to get her a smart TV!

That’s why A Christmas Story is a staple in many American homes during the holidays – it’s become a tradition, and honestly, most people aren’t actively choosing what to watch on TV anyway. This is especially true today, unlike how things used to be before streaming services were common, as another person pointed out.

Before streaming and countless cable channels, TBS famously played ‘A Christmas Story’ on a 24-hour loop every year for what felt like forever. They also had a long-running tradition of showing all the James Bond movies around the holidays, creating a strong sense of nostalgia for many. It’s likely that some of the humor in ‘A Christmas Story’ doesn’t land as well with viewers seeing it for the first time today, as many of its jokes and concepts have become commonplace in more recent family films.

You know, after watching A Christmas Story so many times, I think we sometimes forget just how strange it actually is! I even made a list a while back pointing out all the really odd parts, and honestly, when you really pay attention, there are a lot of moments that are just…completely bizarre.

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It’s worth pointing out, as someone else mentioned, that this is a movie from 40 years ago that looks back on Christmas traditions from even earlier – over 70 years ago, actually. It really shows its age. For example, my daughter, who’s about the same age as the main character, has no idea what it means to listen to a radio show or use a decoder ring.

Despite any flaws, this movie holds a special place for many, having been a childhood favorite for multiple generations. Iconic scenes like the leg lamp, bunny pajamas, and the dogs ruining Thanksgiving dinner still resonate with viewers today. It’s one of the few films, alongside the Home Alone movies or National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, that people might happily watch on repeat all day long. Whether it will actually happen is another question – we’d have to see how the public responds if TBS ever stopped showing it non-stop during the holidays.

Get ready for a Christmas movie marathon! TBS will be showing A Christmas Story all day on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Elsewhere in holiday TV news, some HGTV viewers aren’t thrilled about Elf being shown on the network, and Hallmark and Disney are teaming up for a new Christmas film. So, there are plenty of options beyond watching the same movie over and over this year!

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2025-12-09 17:11