The story centers on Ralphie Parker, a young boy living in 1940s Indiana, desperately yearning for a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. Despite protests from his mother that he'll shoot his eye out, Ralphie persists, unsuccessfully trying to enlist the assistance of both his teacher and Santa Claus. All the while, Ralphie finds himself dealing with the constant taunts of a pair of bullies and trying to not get in the middle of a feud between his mother and father regarding a certain lamp.