Several of you might roll your eyes in disgust once realizing this story is a head-first leap into a Christmas-related story. Yes, already. Sick indeed, but see, when holiday commercials are airing before Halloween, and stores (*cough*Wegmans*cough*) have trees and sparkling lights up promptly on November 1, it's not that much of a stretch for me to write about in mid-November, is it? Right. Now read on.

Christmas 1977. The Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle. It was all I wanted. Obsessed, I was, with Evel, his renegade attitude, daring nature, and especially his Elvis jumpsuit. I wanted to be him...and that stunt cycle was the closest I could possibly get, since my mother hated motorcycles and my dad wasn't about to let his 7-year-old daughter take his Honda Goldwing over any sweet jumps. Bottom line, I would be a very sad panda if that stunt cycle wasn't under the tree.

Fact is, we've all coveted something as our greatest wish for the holidays. For me, it was Evel and his bike. For Ralphie, the star of the 1983 film "A Christmas Story," it was the official Red Ryder 200-Shot Carbine Action Range Model Air Rifle. He'd shoot his eye out, of course, and I'd likely ram Evel into the dog or smash something in the house to smithereens, but that was just the way it was. Parents just don't understand, man, and kids will be kids.

Although Ralphie's quest for his coveted BB gun is something with which we all can identify in one way or another, it's also much more than just a story about a Christmas wish. Sure, "A Christmas Story" is hilariously and sometimes outlandishly funny, yet the magic in the story is in the commonalities we all share with this wonderful tale of growing up - themes such as dealing with bullies, the pains of siblings, the crew of neighbor kids, overactive imaginations, and of course the most bizarre thing ever about being a kid, weird parents.

So here's the good news: the popular movie that spawned such additions to the pop culture lexicon as "You'll shoot yer eye out kid," "triple-dog dare" and considering anything marked "fragile" to be from Italy, is now a stage production. And we're lucky enough to have it return to Geva Theatre for the second year in a row. (If you're the only person in America who has never heard of "A Christmas Story," please first make sure you're not a green dude with a dog named Max harboring an annoyance over singing Whos. And then get to Geva.)

A special note: on Monday, December 7, 6-8 p.m., Geva will bare all for "Magic in the Making," its annual open house designed to allow audiences a rare behind-the-scenes look at how the theater operates. Visitors can tour the costume and prop shops, rehearsal studios, meet the technicians who make productions come to life, learn about lighting, sound, and design, and also visit the set of Ralphie's house. Just don't knock over the leg lamp.

"A Christmas Story" starts previews on November 19 and runs from November 25 through December 27. See gevatheatre.org for show times and ticket information. No tickets/reservations are required for Magic in the Making.