Peter Billingsley (Ralphie), deliberately adjusted his voice to sound closer to Jean Shepherd, who did the narration as adult Ralphie in the original A Christmas Story (1983).
When Ralph enters Flick's Bar there is a sign that says "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash" this is in reference to Jean Shepherd's novel of the same name [Which is in the beginning credits] Four of the short stories ("Duel in the Snow," "The Counterfeit Secret Circle Member Gets the Message," "My Old Man and the Lascivious Special Award That Heralded the Birth of Pop Art," and "Grover Dill and the Tasmanian Devil") were used as the basis for A Christmas Story (1983).
Although she had retired from acting in 2007, Melinda Dillon had been approached about potentially reprising her role as Ralphie's mother. However, she ultimately declined the offer. She was replaced by Julie Hagerty, who is nearly 16 years younger. Dillon passed away two months after the film's release.
The casseroles in the fridge are marked with the names of the families that made them. These are full of deep dive easter eggs of characters mentioned in the original film, Shepherd's other Ralphie stories, and the filmmakers. Interestingly there are two from Ralphie's teacher, as she has a different name in the book.
Peter Billingsley produced this movie with Vince Vaughn via their Wild West Picture Show Productions.