New Christmas Story House owner excited to unwrap a 'major award'

We all have those movies that connect with us and give us all the feels.

For me, it’s no secret mine is 'A Christmas Story.'

Every morning, when I sit down at my desk, I flip the switch on the leg lamp I proudly display in the newsroom.

In Cleveland, we know the magic of the 1983 holiday classic runs deep. And for good reason, with many iconic moments captured in our city.

Some of them were filmed inside as well as outside the mustard yellow two-story home on 'Good Ol' Cleveland Street.'

So, when a for sale sign unexpectedly popped up in front of the Parker family home in the fall of 2022, a bit of panic set in for those who love the location.

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It took nearly a year for the new owner to be announced, and it was a familiar face.

As we celebrate Christmas in July, I'm following through with Joshua Dickerson.

The long-time employee of the Christmas Story House now has several months under his belt running operations there.

One of his recent guests was Shannon Bowden.

"I'm like a kid in a candy store right now," said Bowden.

Bowden made the trek from Florida in her pink bunny suit to immerse herself in her favorite Christmas classic.

"This is on my bucket list. I’m going to buy the slippers because I don't have the slippers. I’m going to go under the sink," said Bowden.

Dickerson takes his responsibility of helping create those memories for visitors like Bowden very seriously.

"I'm taking care of a lot of people's baby," said Dickerson.

Dickerson was named the new owner of the Christmas Story House last November.

"I do think it's a lot of pressure. People love this place," said Dickerson.

While most of the changes Dickerson has implemented so far have been behind the scenes, he tells me the excitement is building for some new additions to the museum in 2025.

"Hopefully some parts and pieces of the movie, some other kind of memorabilia and stuff.

If you’ve been to the museum, you know there’s not much space to work with.

"So, it's going to take a little bit of creativity," said Dickerson.

Having run it twice, including its inaugural year, I had to ask about the beloved Christmas Story Run that has now been on hiatus since 2019.

I asked Dickerson if he saw any path forward for bringing it back.

"Nothing in the next couple of years that I can think of. It's always something that's kind of there on the shelf if we decide to kind of explore it again, but nothing in the imminent future," said Dickerson.

For now, Dickerson is focused on maintaining the house.

"You know, a lot of people come through these doors every year. So, you get a lot of wear and tear. So, it's just a lot of fixing right now. The next couple of years, just improvements on what we have," said Dickerson.

As Dickerson settles into his new role, he's relying on two things. One is feedback from visitors.

"We changed the Christmas lights, and someone pointed out it was the wrong lights on the front porch of the house that you put in. So, it's like, oh, that's right I got to fix that," said Dickerson.

The other thing he’s relying on is guidance from the man who started it all back in 2006.

"He's been a wonderful mentor for me," said Dickerson.

Dickerson has been tossing ideas off Brian Jones.

"We still talk all the time. So, it's been great. He's been fantastic. Absolutely," said Dickerson.

Even though A Christmas Story was released more than 40 years ago, the love of the film and the home remain strong.

"I've been involved since the beginning and, and it still amazes me every year. It's awesome and I'm so thankful it's, you know, Cleveland got to be a part of it. It's just wonderful that we get to experience that with the fans," said Dickerson.