Each family has their own Christmas traditions. One of the traditions in our home has always been watching the movie “A Christmas Story.” This beloved film marks the beginning of the holiday season in our home. Each of us has our favorite parts of this classic. “A Christmas Story” holds a special place in our hearts because it is one of the rare movies that’s actually set in Northwest Indiana.
While the story is set in Hammond, the movie was not actually filmed here. However, the town of Hammond has embraced “A Christmas Story” as it’s own. The Lake County Visitor’s Center celebrates with “Christmas Story Comes Home” this year. There are wonderful exhibits from the films, where one can see actual props from the movie as well as former Macy’s Window Displays themed for the movie. There are contests related to the film as well. One contest that seems to be a favorite among visitors is the “ugliest lamp contest” where people can compete to enter the ugliest lamp.
This exhibit is very family friendly. If making an ugly lamp is not for your family, you can always go have your picture taken with Santa on top of Snow Mountain just like Ralphie and his brother! Santa comes to visit every Friday from 5:30 to 7pm. He also comes to visit every weekend between now and Christmas from 11am- 3pm. The cost to have your picture taken just like Ralphie is $5. If you are a little too old to sit on Santa’s lamp you can enjoy the recreations of famous landmarks and sets from the film.
The “Christmas Story Comes Home” runs from November 1, 2009 to January 10, 2010. The admission to the exhibit is free. While the Center is open during normal business hours, you may want to call before going to make sure they are open. The Indiana Welcome Visitor’s Center is located just south of the Borman Expressway on I-80/94. When you’ve finished at the Visitor’s Center you can drive through downtown Hammond and see where the story took place. To see further details you can visit their website here.
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