Jean Shepherd's Parker Family Saga franchise (also known simply as the Parker Family Saga, alternatively known as the Ralph Parker franchise, or sometimes colloquially referred to as the A Christmas Story franchise), is a collection of American family-comedies based upon the stories of author Jean Shepherd. All of the productions in the saga/franchise center around Ralphie Parker (most famously portrayed in A Christmas Story), a youth growing up in the 1930s and 1940s in suburban Indiana, and his friends and family (A Christmas Story Christmas takes place roughly 30 years later, centering on a now-adult Ralphie returning to his hometown for Christmas). Ralphie Parker was loosely based upon Shepherd's childhood; Shepherd also served as first-person narrator for all productions involving the character until he died. Shepherd publicly claimed that all of his work was entirely fictional; he is known to have used the names of his own friends and family in his books.