For the scene in which Flick's tongue sticks to the flagpole, a hidden suction tube was used to safely create the illusion that his tongue had frozen to the metal.
Darren McGavin ad-libbed the profane rants while fighting with the furnace. He said he speaks gibberish the entire time because it was almost impossible for him to ad-lib angry words without actual profanity. He did this in order to ensure a PG rating and it would be deemed inappropriate for a family friendly film.
According to Peter Billingsley (young Ralphie) in the DVD commentary, the nonsensical curses that Ralphie exclaims while beating up Scut Farkus were scripted, word for word.
In 2005, the 19th-century Victorian home used for the exterior shots of the Parker family home was put up for auction on eBay. The Cleveland, Ohio, home was purchased for $150,000 by an avid fan of the film named Brian Jones. Jones then spent the following year restoring the home to the way it looked on screen. The exterior was completely restored and the interior was renovated to match the interior of the home shown in the movie (parts of the interior were actually filmed in a Toronto studio). On November 25, 2006, the home finally opened its doors as a tourist attraction. Jones spent close to $500,000 in preparation for this grand opening. In addition, he also purchased a house across the street and converted it into a gift shop and museum dedicated to the film and the house.
Tedde Moore was eight months pregnant at the time of filming. Miss Shields could not be shown as an unmarried mother in the 1940s, so the filmmakers padded the rest of her to match her belly, making her just appear stout.
Jean Shepherd: the irate man waiting in the Santa line at the department store. The woman standing behind him is his wife, Leigh Brown.