Over the many years the original movie has had a special place in my heart. During the years where I didn't have a great holiday season it kept me company (thanks, Ted Turner). During the better years it was a staple of the celebration. Hearing Shephard's unmistakable voice signaled the start of the holiday season. I was heartened by the reports that Billingsley had turned down many attempts to make this film and ultimately agreed to this script.

In a nutshell, it was disappointing. The setup to the story isn't bad at all - Peter is an aspiring writer and an event at the beginning of the movie brings him home with his wife and kids. The major problem with the movie is that at every turn it absolutely beats you over the head with nostalgia. Scene after scene existed for no other reason than to mirror the same event that happened in the first one. Do we really need to see the next generation of bullies causing trouble in a vacant lot? The movie worked best when they ditched the nostalgia and started to make their own story (which they did at the end of the movie). But then the next problem happened: they lifted a lot from 8-Bit Christmas. And unfortunately that movie was better than this one. That is not to say that there wasn't room for nostalgia. During the closing credits they showed some of the easter eggs that were in the movie - couldn't that have been enough nostalgia?

I did get a bit emotional as the movie ended. I never expected a sequel and it was good to have the experience. While Julie Hagerty was fine as Ralphie's mother, it would have been so nice to see Melinda Dillon one more time. It's too bad that she had retired from acting because I think that would have made the movie that much better. And they did a nice job referencing Jean Shepherd at the end. The original movie might have been a small part of his book, but it was still his story.

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