FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — When Jean Shepard began to write short stories outlining his life, the storyteller never expected to translate to the big screen and become the classic holiday film ‘A Christmas Story.’

The fictional town of Hohman, Indiana is based on Shepard’s hometown of Hammond and the stories center around the life of what it could be like to live in Hammond. The fictional town even pulls its name from Hammond’s main street Hohman Avenue.

The stories of his childhood weave in the history of the steel town and the house even is reminiscent of the Hessville neighborhood Shepard lived in. Even with Shepard claiming his works as semi-autobiographical you can see the town and even the location of his family home connected to the real Indiana town.

Shepard’s original house sat between steel mills and the oil refineries, capturing the town’s feel bordering Chicago.

The city of Hammond has accepted its part in the infamous film by commemorating the movie at the Hammond Welcome Center. The scene honored at the welcome center captures Flick with his tongue stuck on a pole in a bronze statue.

So while Shepard says the film and book are loosely based on his childhood Ralphie lovers can definitely see a line to see Santa Claus stretches all the way to Terre Haute and all of the Indiana references.