BEREA, Ohio - Gary Barnidge owns a pink bunny costume just like the one Aunt Clara made for Ralphie in A Christmas Story.

Naturally, the Browns tight end bought one in adult size, and intends to wear it at some point over the holidays. He couldn't find one in XXL so he made do with an XL, which is a bit snug on his 6-foot-5, 250-pound frame.

"The extra large is short in the legs," Barnidge said. "But it fits, somehow. Ears don't stand up right."

Barnidge loves movies. He talks about them almost as much as general manager Ray Farmer -- who's in need of some happy endings for his draft picks. The tight end also enjoys giving to the less fortunate. It's why the Browns (3-11) are a better fit for him than his bunny outfit.

His contributions, so vast and varied, have made Barnidge one of the most compelling sports stories in Cleveland this year. He is like a character out of the holiday movies he treasures, a creation from the fecund mind of some screenwriter.

A year ago, Barnidge was quirky, dependable veteran backup who liked pro wrestling, cinema and doing good deeds for others. This season at age 30 when some athletes' production begins to wane, he's generated an out-of-nowhere campaign earning him Pro Bowl-alternate status and a new three-year, $12.3 million contract.

Browns' Gary Barnidge (82) catches his ninth touchdown of the season in Seattle.

Want to know the most surprising element from the last paragraph? Barnidge hasn't yet spent all the money on movie giveaways, scavenger-hunt prizes, holiday shopping sprees for needy kids and trips around the globe to spread the gospel of football.

He is as charitable with his time and money as George Bailey only without the need for a guardian angel.

As a professional athlete, Barnidge believes it's his duty to give back. He's not alone. Many Browns share his willingness, but few do it with as much conviction or creativity. He co-founded American Football Without Barriers, a non-profit organization which enables him to travel the globe teaching disadvantaged children the sport.

"So, I'm fortunate enough to be able to do that, I want to be able to do that," said the Browns' Walter Payton Man of the Year recipient, an honor presented annually to one member of each NFL team for community service and playing excellence. "Plus, the fans, they support us, they do so much for us. I wanted to do something to give back to them."

Barnidge rented a theater at Crocker Park's Regal Cinema on Christmas Eve and, using his Twitter account, invited the first 500 people who showed up to watch Star Wars with him. It's an extension of what he does throughout the season, picking a select group of fans who answer his online movie trivia questions and treating them to a film of his choice.

On Wednesday, while speaking to reporters in the locker room, he listed his top-four Christmas Classics: It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, Christmas Vacation and, of course, A Christmas Story.

"Everyone loves 'Elf,'" he noted. "I like 'Elf,' but I don't put it up there with those four."

Barnidge is a Pete Travers in shoulder pads and cleats, a film enthusiast who owns 3,000 titles and estimates he watches 90 percent of movies released in theaters. That's how the bachelor with no children plans to spend his Christmas Day. It's a tradition he started three years ago.

"If I wanted to go to somebody's house, I could do that," said Barnidge, who developed a passion for movies as a child watching Goonies. "But I feel like that's something that's more intimate, you should do with your family. I'm not able to do it with my family, so I always go to the movies, relax, chill with my dogs. My dogs are my family, too."

Since his time at the University of Louisville, the tight end hasn't had the opportunity to live out many Hallmark holidays. His family is scattered throughout The South and Barnidge says his mother, who works in the gift shop at the Jacksonville Zoo, only gets off Christmas Day.

"You just make up for it when you go home," he said of the offseason.

Some people alone around the holidays tend to dread them, tune them out. Not Barnidge. He runs an online scavenger hunt for fans - this year's first prize was a $250 Amazon gift card - and organizes an annual shopping spree for kids through Ohio Guidestone, a non-profit that aids children and families in Cleveland.

Earlier this week, Barnidge and teammates Connor Shaw, E.J. Bibbs and Jim Dray took 20 kids from the Stepstone Academy to Toys "R" Us in Parma and allowed them to spend $100 each.

Bibbs arrived dressed as Santa Claus, wheeling into the parking lot in a truck blasting, "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town."

"Some of the kids have never seen a toy store in their life," Barnidge said. "It was a great feeling."

There have been several great feelings this season for a player who tied Ozzie Newsome's franchise record for touchdowns (nine) by a tight end with two games remaining.

Given an opportunity to start, Barnidge has registered 68 catches for 930 yards, sums better than two of the four Pro Bowler tight ends, the Bengals' Tyler Eifert and the Chiefs' Travis Kelce. All four honorees --- the Patriots' Rob Gronkowksi and Panthers' Greg Olsen are the others - are from teams with winning records.

The eighth-year veteran said he didn't feel slighted by the Pro-Bowl exclusion and pointed to his club's 3-11 mark. Barnidge wants to improve it next season and he likely took less money to re-sign with the Browns rather than waiting to maximize his career year in free agency.

How often are athletes willing to make less to remain in Cleveland?

Then again, we're talking about Gary Barnidge, a Christmas reveler who has everything he needs. Except maybe a XXL pink bunny suit.