The Christmas season is in full swing in the Sandon household.

After a large Thanksgiving dinner, the family of University of Nebraska-Lincoln sophomore biology major Jon Sandon settled in to take in their favorite holiday film.

“Every year, the whole family watches ‘A Christmas Story’ after we eat,” Sandon said. “And every year, my dad laughs loudly at the same exact moments.”

The tradition, which started in the late 1990’s, has, in recent years, turned into something of a spectator sport.

“My dad usually fell asleep right away”, Sandon said. “But a few years ago, he finally stayed awake for the whole movie.”

Sandon’s father, Rob, laughed so hard at the movie that he quickly became the main source of entertainment during the movie. In the following years, the family soon took up the tradition of placing bets on how long he would laugh at certain scenes, and even recorded his laughter to document the event.

The tradition even helped calm sibling rivalries, and helped the family forget about grandpa Sandon’s yearly racist rant around the dinner table.

“It makes me feel good to see my dad having a good time,” said Sandon. “I think it really helps him release the stress that comes from seeing his family.”

At the time of press, the patriarchal Sandon’s jovial laughter was heard echoing throughout the house in response to the scene at the Chinese restaurant.