This weekend, you can enjoy the festive magic of “A Christmas Story, The Musical” at the Fox Theatre and support a toy drive benefiting families caring for children with life-threatening illnesses.

There are many holiday movies out there, and a couple has Michigan ties, but one Chicago-based Christmas movie blew everyone out of the water.

“A Christmas Story Christmas,” the follow-up to the annual holiday favorite “A Christmas Story,” is coming to HBO Max on Nov. 17.

One Christmas I got my first abject lesson in doing the right thing when reacting to a gift. Thankfully it had nothing to do with a deranged nightmare of a pink bunny suit like Ralphie in A Christmas Story. My cousin Nick has my tricked-out, blazing fast, fully-operational Death Star of an R/C car with full-motion and steering wheel remote and levers and lights and switches. Of course my cousin was so engrossed in quite possibly the greatest Christmas present he ever received, he didn’t notice our exit. My cousin did indeed fall asleep, the switch was made, and in the years we spent growing up visiting each other, never a word was spoken about the Great R/C Car Christmas Mix-Up of 1978.