To make it really feel like Christmas at home, I need at least these three things: a trimmed Christmas tree, a listen to the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, and a viewing of A Christmas Story.
Your heralding-the-holiday traditions might vary, but I’d put money on the fact that the latter — the 1983 movie that brought the Bumpus Hounds and “You’ll shoot your eye out!” to the world — is part of your prep too.
In Nashville, we’re lucky to have a way to spice up that tradition: Every year, local theater organization Nashville Repertory Theatre puts on a live production of A Christmas Story, replete with Red Ryder BB gun dreams, an unfortunate pink bunny suit and that very special, thoroughly unforgettable “major award.”
This year’s season is the eighth consecutive year for Nashville Rep’s Christmas Story, and it kicked off at TPAC’s Johnson Theater downtown in late November. Shows continue almost daily through Wednesday, Dec. 21, tickets ranging from $47.50 to $55 (depending on date and time), available online through the TPAC website, by phone 615-782-4040 or at the TPAC box office (505 Deaderick Street, hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday).
If your Christmas budget is feeling a little tight at the moment, here’s another helpful option: For Wednesday, Dec. 7’s 6:30 p.m. show, Nashville Rep is offering tickets on a pay-what-you-can scale — just use promo code “SLIDE” at the box office that day between 5 and 6:25 p.m.
And for one added bit of appropriately giving tidings, you can use the show as an opportunity to do some good for members of our community in need. On behalf of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Nashville, the Theatre folks are collecting new winter wear (gloves, hats, scarfs and mittens) throughout the Christmas Story run, and you can drop off contributions right there in the lobby, to make the season warmer for some of our neighbors.
Up top, check out a preview of the show, and for more info, drop by the Nashville Repertory Theatre website.
While we’re on the subject of Christmas preparation: Here are some cool/weird/awesome ornaments we found in/around Nashville, and here’s an event happening Thursday, Dec. 8 that’ll help you score the perfect gift for Nashville food lovers in your life.
And let us know if what you really want from Santa is a new Nashville home — we’d love to help you track down the perfect place!