According to my search results Sky own the rights to it in the UK and showed it on one of their premium movie channels last year (maybe their Christmas movie channel?) and it might be available for download or streaming this year (it’s not clear). So yeah, those are expensive paid channels, not network TV or even general cable.
Just spotted this while surfing:
Looks like the house where A Christmas Story was filmed has been re-created inside to match the movie, and is now open as a museum. It appears that you can also taste soap, and fire a BB gun in the back yard. Just be careful if you do; otherwise, “You’ll put your eye out!” 
I think so. Probably a long time ago. But also maybe not, as it’s one of those pop culture things that gets quoted and memed so often my memories have corrupted. Same thing with It’s A Wonderful Life and (non-Christmas example) Psycho - I can’t recall if I’ve seen them or just know it by osmosis.
believe it or not, PBS used to show “the snowman” on its preschool channel “sprout” every year for about 5 years until universal bought them out … .they still might since it still shows a lot of British/UK preschool tv shows that PBS did …
Both are great movies! I’ve added them to my rewatch list.
I’ve been there, and the kitchen where they stocked/recreated containers from the time was the first time I knew that it was not set in the late 40s/early 50s since the foodstuffs were obviously from an earlier era.
I don’t remember the above activities being offered at the time I was there, but the gift shop across the street was weird enough, with dozens of rows of different sized replicas of the main objects from the movie (i.e. mostly Red Ryders and leg lamps).
What Eclipse Chaser said.
UK (Scotland); never heard of it.
A friend was at the Rock Hall of Fame and saw something about tthe museum. They ended up visiting it. He sent me a selfie with the leg lamp in the background, and asked, “where am I?”
I’d just read about the Christmas Story house, so I was able to answer his question immediately, and with detail. Freaked him out a bit.
I think you would enjoy “In Skeleton Leaves” from Seanan McGuire’s recent collection of short stories, Laughter at the Academy.
Count me as one of those. The late, great Thinkgeek had a replica lamp that I sent to my Father one year as a Christmas gift. I also came very close to getting him an authentic 1950s Red Ryder bb gun, complete with compass stock and fringe. I found one for less than $100; should have bought it then.
I saw it in theatre and when it came out on tv my Dad loved(s) it.
It is my birthday! (I have no sympathy with people who won’t wish me a happy birthday because it isn’t their birthday). And you didn’t say Robbie The Reindeer In Hooves Of Fire
Anyway. Also Aus, also never heard of “A Christmas Story”, have seen White Christmas, A miracle on # street, It happened one ~, Home alone etc etc.
It does fall into that gap where it wasn’t old enough to be remembered from theatre release, or new enough to be on cable (which we didn’t have in 1983), or famous enough (at the time) for people to recognise the title. But also, the single sentence description just doesn’t resonate here: a BB Gun? Even if my friends knew what that means, it’s not something they’d think of watching or showing their kids.
The Snowman is on YouTube. I was fortunate enough to first see it when I was a kid, even though I live in the US. It was on PBS, I think, and we put it on our Christmas tape.
There’s also the It’s A Wonderful Life Museumin Seneca Falls, NY, which its where Frank Capra grew up and is the model for Bedford Falls.
Thanks, I love her! Just bought the book.
On edit: my favorite part of IAWL is Gloria Grahame. I think she’s a very underrated actress.
Pah! There speaks a man. Every woman I know would include the pounds. I’m 10 stone 3 on an average day. The 3 is important as it can get higher.
BTW, I don’t know the film in the OP. Mind you, I hate kids films and haven’t even seen Home Alone (which I realise makes me an outlier).
IMHO, it is a nice movie, just like thousands made before and after it, but it seems kind of off-putting when I think about its unearned exalted status as a classic.
Here’s a good and lengthy description of the situation: The Curious Copyright Case of “It’s A Wonderful Life”
With regards to “A Christmas Story”, I feel it resonates so well with some generations because of its gritty realistic setting, missing much of the social distortion present in most of our films.
When Europeans and others speak of being familiar with American culture because it is constantly shown to them in shows and movies, I wonder if they fully grasp how distorted a view of American life is presented by our film industry. No, average families don’t live in houses like that from “Home Alone.” And no, not every American couple is an architect married to a lawyer.
“A Christmas Story” seems like any Midwestern setting in the middle of winter, complete with the other kids daring Flick to lick the frozen flag pole and Ralphie regularly being stalked by bullies on the way home from school (and eventually getting into a fight with them).
And any homeowner can relate to the father’s constant battle with the furnace, complete with his beautiful woven tapestry of profanity that is allegedly still floating over Lake Michigan somewhere.
All of this.
It’s like me telling my mom when I was about 8 or 9 that if I could go back in time I’d want to live in the 1930s, because all people did was wear beautiful clothes, live in gorgeous houses, and go to fabulous parties.
*Home Alone *is in a whole 'nother universe from A Christmas Story. Ralphie’s not some fakey plastic Hollywood kid like McCauley Culkin.