Christmas in July

Celebrating Christmas in July seems to be the trendy thing to do these days and I figured I might as well jump on the bandwagon. But I'm doing so not because I love shopping in year-round Christmas stores, because generally speaking I don't, or because I believe that Christmas in July sales are actually worth going to, but because I have to tell you about this book I read a few months ago.

The book is called In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd, and it takes place in the fictional town of Hohman, Indiana, an industrial Chicago suburb. It is probably one of the most hilarious books I've ever read (it's right up there with the Zippy books, which, honestly, you all should have read by now, seeing as your book reports are to due on my desk first thing Monday morning). (Also, is it a coincidence that some of the funniest books I've ever read take place in Indiana? I think not.)

So what does this book have to do with Christmas in July? Well, nothing, except for the fact that its most well-known chapter can be viewed in the form of the classic 1983 film A Christmas Story.

In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash is told from the point of view of a grown-up Ralph Parker who, on assignment for his New York City magazine, has returned for a brief visit to his hometown of Hohman, Indiana ("A place people never really come to, but mostly want to leave"). Between drinks at his friend, Flick's, tavern, they reminisce together about their childhood growing up during the Depression in their blue-collar town. Written like the genius satirist he is, Shepherd recounts Ralph's early encounters with pop art (and by "pop art," I'm sure you all know that I mean "the leg lamp"), fishing with his dad in a filthy Lake Michigan, visiting the world's fair, learning colorful language from well-intentioned relatives, delicious black jaw breakers vs the horrible red ones, secret codes from Ovaltine, and of course, his desire for a Red Ryder BB gun (with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time). If you have ever spent an entire day watching back to back to back to back viewings of A Christmas Story during the December marathons on cable channels and you're still left wanting more, you most definitely should read this book because, oh, does it give you more. (But of course if gives you more...it's the book and we all know that the book is always better than the movie.)

Since coming to Indiana, my love for Ralphie Parker and his crazy childhood experiences has become like unto Mr. Parker's indescribable love for his sensual major award. Last December we went to an exhibit at the Indiana History Center that featured the living room set from A Christmas Story, including the overly-tinseled Christmas tree underwhich sat the familiar gifts of the green-tissue-paper-wrapped bowling ball, the toy fire engine and Goodyear blimp, and the BB gun, the pink bunny suit, Mr. Parker's faded pink armchair, and, of course, the glorious leg lamp. It was an indescribably beautiful visit -- it reminded me of the 4th of July!

I don't yet own the book In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, but I've told myself and my husband that I will not leave Indiana without a copy of it in my possession. Not only does Shepherd tell a hilarious story, but he does it with perfect satire and wild wittiness. So, go read this book. Seriously. You should get your hands on as soon as humanly possible and read it even faster. I want a book report -- written in your best cursive with perfect margins -- on my desk in one week.