A Christmas Story is a classic that countless people have on their must-watch list every holiday season. It’s also one of the best Christmas movies, which is probably why it’s aired for 24 hours starting on Christmas Eve night. It perfectly captures the feeling of whimsy every kid feels during that time of year and tells a real, honest Christmas story that most can relate to. It’s also insanely quotable, humorous, and heartfelt.

When the sequel, A Christmas Story Christmas, was announced almost 40 years later, plenty of fans were concerned that the new movie would feel more like a soulless cash grab with gratuitous callbacks rather than an homage to the holiday classic. However, it’s surprisingly a pretty darn good sequel.

Instead of copying the same themes and formula of the original film that focuses on the feelings and point of view of a child during Christmas time, A Christmas Story Christmas follows its own path by exploring what a parent goes through in an attempt to create a memorable Christmas for his kids. This makes sense as Ralphie is decades older than he was in A Christmas Story and it’s still his story, but it allows the film to stand out as its own entity rather than simply feel like a carbon copy of its predecessor.

Yes, there are of course callbacks used throughout the new film, but they’re handled tastefully. Ralphie revisits his childhood home where the original movie took place and reminisces about his past. This is where the callbacks come in; they take the form of his fond memories. It genuinely feels like how exploring your childhood belongings in your parents’ attics and photo albums plays out in real life. Because of this, none of the call backs feel out of place.

A sequel to A Christmas Story was initially attempted back in 2012, but it was awful. Titled A Christmas Story 2, it wasn’t funny, was poorly acted, and it made Ralphie out to be a creep who weirdly sniffs unexpecting girls. It was also a whole new cast, which makes it feel unattached to the classic tale. This time around, however, A Christmas Story Christmas features the same actors all these years later. It makes the two movies feel more connected, and it feels like we’re seeing the characters themselves also grown up. Having the actors reprise their roles solidifies that this is their story being continued.

This long awaited sequel is also an overall great movie on its own. Sure, it’s a bit too dry in some parts, and it’s not quite as quotable as the original, but it’s filled with top-notch humor and extremely emotional tear-jerker moments. Most importantly, it tells an interesting, grounded, and relatable story, just like A Christmas Story is known for. This could have been just a lazy way to make a quick buck, but everyone involved clearly put their heart into it.