There is a debate about when the film takes place. Evidence seems to point to 1939 because of The Wizard of Oz (1939) references. However, if you look at the calendar on the wall (during the first dinner sequence), you can clearly see the first of December falls on a Friday. December 1st fell on a Friday in 1939, not 1940 as was previously accepted. But Bing Crosby's Version of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town wasn't released until 1943. It was also suggested that The film could have been set in 1941, according to the reference made by Mrs Parker to Mr Parker about an upcoming game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears. These two teams met in a playoff game on December 14, 1941, a Sunday. It was their only playoff game against each other until January 23, 2011. The only previous time these two teams met during a regular season game in December was December 10, 1933. Throughout the 1940s the second game of the regular season between these two teams all occurred in November, the two latest being mid-November in 1942 and 1948. To add to the debate of what year the story is supposed to take place in. In the scene in which the family is opening their presents, Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters can be heard on the record player or radio singing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", which was recorded on September 27, 1943. Further evidence as to the year of the film's setting comes from the decoder ring which has the year 1940 imprinted on its side. This can be seen when Ralphie is decoding the message in the bathroom.