A Christmas Story start time: What day and time does the 24-hour marathon start?

The holiday season is in full swing and Christmas Eve is upon us! It’s a quiet sports day with the Hawai’i Bowl the only major sporting event on the calendar. We’ll get more on Christmas Day, but if you’re looking for something to do Friday evening, it’s time for one of the truly great Christmas traditions.

That’s right, it’s time for “24 Hours of A Christmas Story.”

In 1985, Turner Entertainment Co. purchased the MGM studio in 1985 and while he later sold off the studio, he retained ownership of its movie library. That included the rights to what was then a not super popular Christmas movie called A Christmas Story. WarnerMedia now owns Turner and the rights that come with it.

Turner began airing the marathon in 1997 and it has alternated between TBS and TNT. Some years it has been on one or the other, and other years it has aired across both. Since 2017, it has aired on both TBS and TNT each year starting on Christmas Eve.

To make it even more fun, the network alternate the start time. This year, TBS runs the first airing at 8 p.m. ET on Christmas Eve and TNT runs the first airing at 9 p.m. The movie lasts two hours with commercial breaks and wrap up the evening of Christmas. TBS will wrap at 8 p.m. and TNT will wrap at 9 p.m.