Christmas came early for fans of the 1983 classic holiday movie "A Christmas Story," thanks to the Valley Performing Arts Center at California State University, Northridge with a special screening of the film and a Q&A session that included many of the film's original cast members.

Hosted by LALA Music Fest and The Valley Relics Museum, cast members Scott Schwartz (Flick), Ian Petrella (Randy), Zack Ward (Scut) R.D. Robb (Schwartz) Yano Anaya (Grover) were on hand to sign autographs, pose for photos and chat with fans about the beloved classic that turns 32 years-old this year.

For Scott Schwartz, what started out as a small movie that would experience a resurgence many years later, the films longevity still comes as surprise.

"This movie was not supposed to be this," Schwartz tells HNGN exclusively. "It was a $5 Million movie Bob Clark loved and wanted to make. MGM didn't, so he basically blackmailed them into it."

Following the success of the cult comedy classic "Porky's" the studio was eager for a follow-up. Clark insisted he would only be open to a sequel once the studio let him do "A Christmas Story".

"They were forced into making it," adds Schwartz. "Porky's 2" was whatever, and here we are 32 years later with 15 million homes watching this movie every Christmas."

Being a part of the beloved classic is something Schwartz holds dear. "We are all here to do something he explains. "I was meant to do this. I'm blessed to be a small piece of a big puzzle and collectively it turned out Bob Clark was a genius."

Going into the project, Schwartz thought he would play a bigger piece of the puzzle. Having just starred in "The Toy" (alongside Jackie Gleeson and Richard Prior) and "Kidco" he thought it only natural that the film's lead part, Ralpie would go to him.

After memorizing the script, he turned up to work to find he'd been awarded the role of Flick. "I was like Flick?" he admits. "I had sixteen lines and would be working for six weeks and making $6500 a week? I did the math on a piece of paper, which I still have somewhere, and would be working one week. At the end of the math it is says 'VACATION!' "

After many weeks of playing video games on set, Schwartz completed the film, had become a part of cinema history, and had created some of the most lasting friendships he'd ever know.

"Zach, who played the bully Scut Farkus, is one of my best friends who I see all the time," he reveals. "R.D. is a father of two and busy so we don't get to see him a lot. Ian, who played Randy, is in Cleveland and Yano is based in Atlanta."

One of the most ironic things about starring in a holiday classic, notes Schwartz, is the fact Christmas never changed following it's release: as part of his Jewish faith, he doesn't celebrate the holiday.

"It's kind of funny," he laughs. "Both R.D. and I are the two Jews in the group, so that's hysterical. I'm a part of Christmas and I don't celebrate it."

"It's surreal that something you did 32 years ago – that disappeared for about 20 years – then came back with a vengeance is just surreal," Ian Petrella shares with HNGN exclusively. "You normally do all this press when a movie is released and then it goes away. So every year I go, "This is going to be it." But the next year we are all back on the road. It's like the gift that keeps on giving."

Pertrella admits he's always happy to get together with his childhood cast-mates every November and December and celebrate what became a milestone in his life. "We cram everything into this two month period and then get a break. It's great," he laughs.

While a sequel to the film never came to fruition, the cast revealed that a script, which would have seen the gang in very different situations many years later, did circulate at one time.

"The script was great and really funny," reveals R.D. Robb. "I was a pharmaceutical sales rep. Zack was the Mayor of the town. Flick owned a bar and Randy grew up to invent grocery carts."

The evening's screening held special meaning for Robb because his young daughter was in the audience to see the film for the very first time.

Today the grown boys of the film have varied careers. Zach Ward continues to act in a variety of film genres. R.D. Robb segued to producing and directing but is happiest at home raising his daughter. Ian Petrella continued to act and eventually turned his talents to puppeteering, working for The Jim Henson Company. Yano Anaya works in the fitness industry, and Scott Schwartz represents many of his former cast-mates who attend autograph shows. He is also president of of a company called "A Minor Consideration," which he created to protect working children by seeing to it that labor laws are followed. Peter Billingsley who played Ralphie is a leading Hollywood producer and was unable to attend the event due to his busy schedule.

Despite their lives and careers going in different directions the bond the cast formed 32 years is just as evident today as it was during the original shoot. "I don't get to see them as much," admits Schwartz. "But we always text each other on Christmas to say, "Hey, wake up – it's Christmas!"