They say its in bad taste to break out your Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving, but most will be willing to give Paralympian Josh Sundquist a free pass. The one-legged Paralympic ski racer’s costume for this Halloween involved dressing himself as the famous lamp that Ralphie’s Dad received in the holiday classic film A Christmas Story.
Sundquist posted the photo (seen in part above, in full below) on his website and it has begun to make its rounds across the internet. A self-described “son, brother, cancer survivor, author, Paralympic ski racer, motivational speaker, YouTuber and terrible rapper,” Sundquist’s website features photos of his past Halloween costumes as well, alongside the phrase, “Amputee Halloween, Proof the glass is half full.”
His previous costumes included a peg-legged pirate, and a gingerbread man who’s leg appeared to have been eaten.
Fourth Place Medal reports Sundquist was a member of the 2006 US Paralympic team, and has since become a motivational speaker. Sundquist clearly makes the best of having lost his left leg to bone cancer. Another post on his blog shows him riding a bicycle with only one pedal and the note “Theft Deterrent: No left pedal = no two legged bike thieves.
In case you haven’t seen the classic piece of cinema, A Christmas Story is a film from 1983 starring Peter Billingsley as a nine-year old boy who desperately wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas, despite warnings from all the adults that he will “shoot his eye out.” In the film, Ralphie’s father (played by Darren McGavin) wins a leg-shaped lamp, that looks eerily similar to Sundquist’s likeness, as part of a sweepstakes and is enamored with it while his wife hates it, leading to comical contention.
What do you think? Best costume of the year?
