Ralphie’s dad in A Christmas Story is never given an exact age on-screen, but most sources and context place him in his late 30s to around 40 years old.

Quick scoop

  • The character is only called “The Old Man” in the movie, and no official age is stated.
  • Film-era context (set around 1940), Ralphie being about 9, and typical marriage/parenthood ages of the time suggest a father in his late 30s to very early 40s.
  • Some commentary about the stories behind the film describes him as “about forty,” which lines up with what viewers usually infer.

So while there is no precise canonical number, the dad in A Christmas Story is best understood as being roughly 38–40 years old, not the much older man many people assume.

TL;DR: The dad in A Christmas Story doesn’t have an official age, but context and creator commentary point to him being around 40 years old.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.