"Fra-Gee-Lay! It must be Italian." The old man was so excited have this crate delivered to his door. You know the leg lamp was his major award. A Christmas Story is unequivocally the best Christmas movie of all-time. The list continues with Christmas Vacation second, and Elf coming in third. You can fight me if you want, but you would still be wrong.  Because A Christmas Story is tops, I of course had to make my annual lunch celebrating this cinematic masterpiece.

Since I have made A Christmas Story lunches before, I wanted to try and take a different angle with this one. I featured the wooden crate that the lamp came in, along with the famous Bumpus hounds and the turkey theft that they are known for. I also had to give you a sneak peek at a few of my favorite Christmas decorations. I have most of the collection of A Christmas Story lighted village. It's my pride and joy around this time of year. I ask for new pieces every year. And if you still doubt my family's love for the movie you will want to follow us at @lunchboxfamily. We have a special surprise coming for you!

Until then, read the recipe below and let me know your favorite seen from the movie!

Week 12: A Christmas Story

Week 12: A Christmas Story.  This lunch is such a "Pink Nightmare", or maybe its "A Major Award" for my daughter.  Well, it is a little "FRAA-GEE-LEE."  Ok, enough with the Christmas Story references.  This is my favorite Christmas movie and my daughter and I watched it last week together so I thought I would theme this week's lunch around it.

As always, let me know what you think and what you might use in this lunch for your child.  Stay tuned for the big announcement in a day or two!

Please remember to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and YouTube.

Ingredients

2 fresh slices of whole wheat bread 

   Yellow, blue, and red food coloring and/or food coloring markers

1 small orange (mandarin, tangerine, etc.)

1 stick of string cheese

1/4 cup fat-free strawberry cream cheese

1 serving creamy peanut butter

5-7 raspberries (or similar berry)

2-3 leaves of iceberg lettuce

Directions

1. Using template as a guide, cut Ralphie and the pink bunny suit out of a slice of bread.  Repeat with a second piece of bread.  Cover one slice with strawberry cream cheese.  Spread peanut butter on the other slice.  Press slices together into a sandwich with the cream cheese facing up.  Cut a round piece of string cheese small enough to fit on the face of the of the bunny suit and place it on.
2. Mix equal parts yellow, blue, and red food coloring in a small bowl to make the color black.  Dip the end of a toothpick in the black coloring and use it to draw the details on the pink bunny suit and Ralphie’s face.
3. Trim the remaining stick of string cheese to 1 1/2 inches long (this is the leg of the lamp).  Cut a women’s high heel show shape out of the scrap.  Stick the shoe to the bottom of the leg using a toothpick.  Cut the lampshade out of half the orange using the picture as a guide.
4. Using either the above method, or food coloring markers, fill in the shoe and draw lines on the leg and lampshade as shown in the picture.
5. Place lettuce leaves in the container as background.  Set in the sandwich, shaped like Ralphie, in the bunny suit.  Lay the berries along the bottom in a line.  Finally, place the string cheese and orange together, in the form of a lamp, right above the berries.

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