A Christmas Story was released, but this charming tale remains a holiday essential and a familiar favorite. Adapted from Jean Shepherd's short stories, the 1983 vignette-style film journeys back to the Christmas when then-9-year-old Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) wanted nothing more than a grand new Red Ryder BB gun to show up under the tree, despite some alarming protests from certain adults in his life.