A holly jolly tour of the house from 'A Christmas Story' | Great American Bucket List Stop

I explore the historic Cleveland house and surrounding campus, which is now for sale, just as a sequel to 1983 holiday classic nears debut.

Thirty nine years ago this week, “A Christmas Story” was released in theaters.

Surprisingly, given how beloved the film is today, the movie was only a modest box-office success.

Well, on second thought, that’s not surprising for a holiday film that had just begun its journey to becoming a classic. For example, it took many years for 1946’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” to become a beloved yuletide perennial, and both films achieved the same saintly status of holiday classic because of the exposure offered by the same medium: television.

“A Christmas Story” was aired heavily over subsequent holiday seasons, eventually becoming a bright star in Ted Turner’s cable programming firmament.

When the 24-hour marathons began, it seemed as though this film was the only thing on television, sort of like “It’s a Wonderful Life” back when any station could show a print, and show them they did.

Each year, despite “A Christmas Story” being available on streaming, DVD and before that, VHS, the ratings have continued to be a gift from the Nielsen Deities.

That’s no surprise. Watching the film on TV — again and again — is a cozy tradition, a meaningful shared national moment in an era with fewer and fewer of those. The 24-hour movie marathon became akin to the annual airings of the WPIX Yule Log, whose original film I discovered in 2016, a story for another day!

Similar to The Log — or Fabled Firestick as a former WPIX colleague calls it — the movie is simply on TV all day, playing in the background while you are being of good cheer with friends and family.

There’s comfort in knowing millions of others are doing the very same thing at the very same time.

Though the story is set in Indiana, important filming was done in Cleveland because director Bob Clark had secured the rights to shoot at the now-defunct department store there, Higbee’s. (Map: The building is still there!)

A Victorian house in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood was chosen as the Parker family household, though most of the interiors were shot on a Toronto soundstage.

When Hollywood decamped, the house returned to being just another house with a view of a steel mill from the backyard (see below) until Brian Jones, a devout fan of the film who was already manufacturing the film’s famous leg lamp, bought 3159 W. 11th St. (Map) on eBay in 2004 for $150,000.

Within two years, he earned himself a permanent spot on Santa’s nice list, transforming the house into how it appeared — inside and out — in the film, and giving tours starting in November 2006.

A veritable campus sprouted up in the neighborhood, with a museum, gift shop, the Bumpus House, parking lot and more, evidence that the “Christmas Story House” had become one of the biggest tourist attractions in Cleveland.

On Monday morning, folks awoke to the news that the house and the rest of the campus was for sale for an undisclosed amount, the news breaking days before the streaming release of a long-awaited sequel, starring Ralphie himself, actor Peter Billingsley,

Here’s what the lucky buyer will walk away with, according to WKYC-TV, which broke the news of the sale:

• A Christmas Story House: 3159 W. 11th St.

• Museum, gift shop and parking: 1103 Rowley Ave.

• Bumpus House and parking lot: 3153 W. 11th St.

• Empty lot / side yard: 3161 W. 11th St.

• Empty lot: 3151 West 11th St.

• Staff parking: 1110 Buhrer Ave.

• Rental property: 1110/12 Rowley Ave.

Why is Jones selling, after building this national treasure? Sometimes, it’s time to move on from things we love, knowing full well we’ll miss them terribly.

“Price will matter, but not necessarily the highest price that's the right fit for this business and this piece of nostalgic Americana," Jones told WKYC.

Regardless, it would be the work of the grinch himself — pre-heart enlargement, of course — for the house and campus to be sold, shut and put to another use.

Addressing these very concerns, Jones posted on Tuesday on Facebook to reassure fans that the house is not going anywhere, even though he is:

Hey fellow fans,

I'm seeing a lot of concerns out there about the future of A Christmas Story House & Museum. I want to make a couple things clear.

1. We are NOT closing. We are open and will remain so now and into the future. It's business as usual. Come see us. All reservations for overnights and pre-purchased tickets are valid and will be honored.

2. A Christmas Story House & Museum will always be an experience and attraction for fans to visit. Several years ago we had it designated a lankmark to make sure it would be protected no matter who owns it. In fact, once we listed it for sale we received the following reminder from The City of Cleveland:

"The actual home at 3159 West 11th Street is a designated Cleveland Landmark (see attached ordinance) which should be included in the listing. Exterior alterations to the structure and site need to go through Cleveland Landmarks Commission for a Certificate of Appropriateness. Changes can include replacing doors, windows, roof, painting, porch, etc."

3. I am selling because it is simply time for me to move on to a new adventure in life after 20 years in this endeavor. It has been an honor to be the steward of such an amazing piece of Americana. All founders need to eventually move on so that their creation can reach it's full potential. There are so many more great opportunities to make A Christmas Story House & Museum an even greater experience for everyone. The future of A Christmas Story House & Museum will be amazing.

So how did I end up here? Well, I was shooting a sign nearby this past July 3 — it was blistering hot, and I wasn’t feeling very jolly — and plotting my next move on Google Maps when I saw it, just minutes away from my blue GPS location dot: “The Christmas Story House.”

I put whatever shooting I had planned on hold, drove straight here and jumped on the next available tour. These are all photos I took that day, in the house, museum, garage and gift shop.

If you’ve never visited, I could not recommend it more, and this year seems as good a time as any to do it. Even if you don’t pay for the tour, the gift shop alone is worth the trip. You can even buy a "Fragile” — pronounced Fra-GEE-Lay — leg lamp! (That must be Italian.)

Finally, a word of caution should you enter the house and become tempted to pick up Ralphie’s Red Ryder BB Gun, resting by the Christmas tree:

“You’ll shoot your eye out!”