You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out!

They say never meet your heroes – I think they’re right.

In this day and age, you should behave as if someone is always watching. Because someone probably is.

What’s your favorite Christmas movie?

Growing up in a small town in Indiana, there was one movie that was an essential part of our family’s Christmas Day line-up: the 1983 classic A Christmas Story.

Author Jean Shepherd’s holiday story chronicles a young boy named Ralphie, who lives in a small town in Indiana and dreams of Santa bringing him a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas. [I realize that to people who didn’t grow up with the film, it may sound strange that so many of us treasure a film about a little boy who dreams of gun ownership. But it’s not really about the gun – it’s about family, friends, growing up, and Christmas!]

The movie had modest success in theatres, but became popular on VHS (and later DVD). In 1997 the US network TBS began playing a 24-hour marathon of A Christmas Story on Christmas Day – creating legions of new fans. They still show the 24-hour A Christmas Story today, and for many North Americans (Canucks included) it is the quintessential holiday movie.

You’ll shoot your eye out!

The movie’s most famous line, “You’ll shoot your eye out!” is the response Ralphie receives when he asks for the gun: from his mother, his teacher, and even the department store Santa Claus. But the film has other cherished lines and scenes, including Ralphie’s Old Man’s enthusiasm when he wins a tacky leg lamp: ‘It’s a major award!’, as well as his pronunciation of ‘fragile’ as ‘fra-jeel-ay’ (‘It must be Italian!’).

People have such affection for the film because – although it is set in the 1940s – it has the quintessential elements of childhood. I associate it with those things: Christmas wishes, siblings, friends, school...but it also makes me think of something else: 

Baskin-Robbins ice cream. 

Wait, did I miss that scene?

There is no trip to 31 Flavors in the movie, or reference to Baskin-Robbins or even ice cream. But every time I watch the film, that’s what I associate with it. Stay with me, I’ll explain…

When I was 11 years old, my mom read that Jean Shepherd, the author of A Christmas Story, was going to give a talk to the public in Indianapolis. 

“You loved A Christmas Story so much,” Mom told me recently. “So that’s why we went.”

Indeed, I loved A Christmas Story (and writing my own stories) – and here was my chance to see a REAL writer who was from Indiana (like me!). Mom was able to get two tickets – and on a Sunday night, I put on a dress that I’d normally wear to church, and we drove 60 miles to Indianapolis to see Jean Shepherd.

I can remember it like it was yesterday. I had that kind of excitement Ralphie had when he wrote his school theme about wanting the Red Ryder. And when we arrived, the auditorium was full of adults. But instead of feeling out of place, I felt lucky – and special. 

Here he comes

Jean Shepherd narrated A Christmas Story – so I knew his voice. He even had a small part in the movie (during the scene at Higbee’s Department Store, where Ralphie and Randy see Santa). When he walked on the stage, my eyes widened as I looked at him – a real celebrity! I can’t be sure, but I think I heard a chorus of angels singing in the background.

But the glow didn’t last long… 

Jean Shepherd was not the jovial charmer I was expecting. He answered the questions in a matter that was gruff, curt, and annoyed. He clearly didn’t want to be there – and let the audience know.

“OK, now we have some time for your questions,” the moderator said, probably desperate to finish the talk and get himself a drink. 

A tall microphone stood in the aisle to the left of me, and people began lining up to ask questions. 

The second person to ask a question was a blind man. He began asking his question, but his voice was faint.

“I can’t hear you!” Shepherd shouted. 

“Get closer to the microphone!” he said with frustration.

The blind man made slight movements, trying to find where to stand to be heard.

“STAND CLOSER TO THE MICROPHONE!” Shepherd barked.

“He’s BLIND!” someone in the audience shouted. 

But that didn’t soften Shepherd.

“Should I ask my question?” I asked Mom nervously. 

She encouraged me, and I stood up, crawling over the adults in our row and making my way to the microphone. I hoped Shepherd – whose characters were kids like me – might soften to a little girl with a ponytail asking a question.

He didn’t.

“I saw the TV movie you wrote on the Disney channel,” I began. “Are you going to write more movies about Ralphie’s family?”

“I wrote that!” he shouted. “No, I’m not writing another one!”

Crestfallen, I returned to my seat. Even at age 11, I couldn’t understand how someone so smart and famous could be so grumpy and mean. Even Ralphie’s dad, the grumpy ‘Old Man’ in A Christmas Story was actually tender and loving. Why wasn’t Jean Shepherd, my hero, like that?

“Ah, life is like that.

Sometimes at the height of our revelries, when our joy is at its zenith, when all is most right with the world, the most unthinkable disasters descend upon us.”

- A Christmas Story

“Why was he so mean?” I asked my mom as we walked toward the car after the event. “He shouted at the blind man.”

My mom looked at me sympathetically. I can still see her face, conveying a mix of shock and empathy. She had brought me to see Jean Shepherd as a treat, and I was looking at her with confusion and sadness. 

So she took me to Baskin-Robbins. She attempted to cheer me up with a peanut butter n’ chocolate ice cream.

And I think about that ice cream every time I watch A Christmas Story (which is, obviously, every December – more than once).

So what does this have to do with business?

I don’t know what kind of person Jean Shepherd was. I only saw him once. But after that, I never wanted to see him again. Maybe he had an off day – or maybe he really was a curmudgeon. I’ll never know for sure.

I only had that one interaction – decades ago now – but it’s still fresh in my mind.

I did think about it a few years ago, when I was at an event in London with a well-known CEO. People were coming up to him with that same excitement I had for Jean Shepherd. They wanted to meet him, shake his hand, take selfies with him. For them, it was like meeting a celebrity. 

If you are a leader, to someone, you may be a celebrity. Remember that people are watching you. And when they meet you, they are hoping that you’ll be the person they want you to be – which may (or may not) be who you actually are.

I’m sure it gets tiring having people fawn over you (does it really?) but perhaps, if you’re that leader (and you don’t need to be that senior to be that leader to someone), think about how you would feel meeting someone you’d watched from afar. Think about what a few moments of kindness and care will mean to them. 

Trust me, they will remember.

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Beth Collier loves pop culture, kindness, and ice cream with peanut butter and chocolate. She also loves helping people improve their communication, creativity and leadership skills. To find out how she can help you become a more confident, creative, and compelling leader, drop her a line at [email protected] 

You can find out more information about her corporate workshops and 1:1 communication coaching services on her website.