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Last year, I wasn’t with my folks on Christmas Day, which was a bummer on several levels. But I have to admit that one of the most problematic things about it was my lack of cable television. My parents still have cable, but I’d cut the cable cord a few years back and thus didn’t have access to the annual binge of the 24 hours of “A Christmas Story” marathon on TBS.
No amount of Ovaltine could provide the fortification I’d need to miss this much-anticipated bit of holiday glory. How could I survive Christmas Eve and Christmas Day without the magic of Ralphie’s quest for a Red Ryder BB gun, the Bumpus’ hounds, his father’s major award?
I rented it and streamed it for 24 hours instead. Wheeee, a zeppelin!
Some designer of Christmas inflatables understands that there are plenty of us who just can’t do the holidays without this classic film, because Home Depot has a lawn decoration that uber-fans of “A Christmas Story” will probably want to keep up in their yards year-round. (But for your neighbors’ sake, you should probably only have it up from Thanksgiving through New Year’s.)
The retailer is selling an inflatable Ralphie in his ridiculous pink bunny pajamas from Aunt Clara.
As Ralphie’s dad put it, he looks like “a pink nightmare,” and I definitely need this pink nightmare on my lawn to celebrate the season.
The inflatable is larger than life — it’s 6 feet tall, which is taller than our young friend Ralphie was in the movie — and features fuzzy pink fabric. Home Depot is selling it for $119, and shipping or delivery to your closest store is free.
The description says the set-up is easy: Stake it out and it self-inflates.
The reviews confirm that it’s easy to set up, though one reviewer mentioned that because only the front has the fuzzy fabric, it’s front-heavy and wants to tip forward.
None of the reviewers addressed my burning question, which is how the fluffy feet hold up in winter weather.
Perhaps I’ll have to get one and test it myself!
It turns out that Amazon also has this Ralphie inflatable, currently for $89.95 with free shipping, though it’s not on Prime, and they don’t have many in stock. So if you’re like Ralphie’s dad and you love a bargain so much that you barter at the tree lot, it might pay to shop around.
If you somehow missed this beloved Christmas flick and are wondering what the heck is going on here, do yourself a huge favor and consider pausing your binge of Hallmark Channel Christmas movies to check this one out.
For the uninitiated, the TBS YouTube channel has the clip of the exact moment when Ralphie is forced to try on the “deranged Easter Bunny” suit:
Oh, and I forgot to mention the best part of gifting yourself this inflatable for Christmas: You definitely won’t shoot your eye out.
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for other great tips and ideas to make the most out of life.
