Besides diecast, the only other thing I avidly collect is old radio shows by a guy named Jean Shepherd.  He did a nightly radio show on 710 WOR AM NY from sometime in the early 1960's until April of 1977.  He was known as "the voice in the night."  He had a way of delivering his nightly monologue in such a way that he seemed as if he was talking directly to you, and no one else.  This guy wasn't one of those screaming shock jocks that we hear all over the radio today, this guy actually made you feel like you were his friend.  No one could tell a story like Jean could, whether he was being philisophical, or just telling one of his many stories of growing up as a kid in a Midwestern steel town.  Listening to his show every night via my trusty pocket transistor AM radio tucked under my pillow while my parents thought I was asleep was always a treat.  His radio program was "theater of the mind" to the highest degree, he could paint pictures in your brain by merely speaking.  I have read each of his books numerous times, and I always find them as entertaining as they were the first time I read them.  He is probably best known for the movie version of one of his greatest stories of all, "A Christmas Story."  Unless you've been living in a cave for the last ten years or so, you probably know the story of the little boy, Ralphy, and his quest for the Red Ryder BB gun.

I think we all have our own "A Christmas Story."  Some sort of thing that we were obsessed with getting for Xmas when we were children.  I'll never forget what mine was, I remember the first time I saw it on a TV commercial.  It must have been about three months before Christmas, I was in the second grade at the time, which would have made it the Xmas of 1969.  The thing I HAD to have was none other then the Topper Johnny Lightning 500 race set.  I thought about it constantly, wrote many a letter to Santa asking for it, and drew pictures of it on the brown paper bag covers of my school books.  I remember too, about 3 weeks before Christmas, going to a kid who was a friend of mine's birthday party, and his parents had given him as a gift this wonderful set that I had to have.  I'll never forget it, he had a bunch of the mirror finish JL cars that Topper did early on.  Now I really had to have this set.  I became obsessed.  Another thing I remember from that same Christmas was my 2nd grade class Christmas party.  The usual deal, each kid brings in something for the grab bag, and everyone gets to pick a gift. Having felt that in the last two years I got gypped with my grab bag present, I picked my own gift that I had thrown into the mix.  I couldn't go wrong I figured.  It was a hot pink Hot Wheels Custom Continental.  Anyway, Christmas morning finally came. And about the only thing I really remember about that JL 500 set was one thing.  Waking up and hearing a noise out in the living room, where the tree was.  Running out still half asleep to see what all the noise was about, I saw something that was to be forever etched into my brain.  The old man sitting in his boxer shorts and a T-shirt, having a race with himself on my JL 500 set that was left for me by the fat dude in the red suit while I slept.  I'll never forget the big smile on his face.  I had hit the jackpot.  Santa Claus came through for me in a big way.  Not only did I get the set, but I also got about 20 or so of the single bp'ed JL cars.  Fortunately, unlike Ralphy in the movie, I did not shoot my eye out with my Christmas toy.

Sadly, the "voice in the night" left us in November of 1999.  If you're interested in reading more about the guy who was probably one of the greatest story tellers that ever lived be sure to check out this awesome site that is dedicated to him:

http://www.flicklives.com/

If you check out the "Mass Backwards" portion of this awesome site, you can actually listen to and download recordings of his old radio show.

And if you're interested in reading the original version of "A Christmas Story," as well as a whole bunch more of Jeans great stories, look for a book in any of the bigger book stores called "In God We Trust, All Others, Pay Cash."  Great stuff, as are any of the books he wrote, if you can find them.

So I'm curious to hear from you folks.  What were some of your "Christmas Story" type things you remember from your childhood.  Drop me a line and let me know what they were, whether they are diecast related or not, I'd like to hear from you, and perhaps if I get enough responses, I'll throw them together for a Christmas column later on this year.