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By Britt Gillette
Charles Schultz cast the gold standard of annual holiday
classics with his 1965 creation of A Charlie Brown Christmas.
This animated, made-for-TV special features all the familiar
Peanuts characters, although I’ve always wondered why the
comic
strip was titled Peanuts and not Charlie Brown. Lucy, Snoopy,
Schroeder, Linus, Sally, Pig-pen, and Woodstock all make
appearances. However, the enduring popularity of this holiday
classic stems not from its original storyline, but rather its
vivid invocation of childhood nostalgia and memorable
Christmas
music. It seems everyone on earth has heard the song the
characters sing in the closing credits, and it’s become a
Christmas classic in-and-of itself.
For those who need refreshing, because I don’t know anyone who
hasn’t seen it, A Charlie Brown Christmas covers title
character Charlie Brown’s search for the true meaning of
Christmas. When neighborhood friend Lucy dispenses her usual
five-cent advice, she encourages Charlie Brown to take on the
job of director in the school Christmas play. But none of the
other kids take their new director seriously, and when Charlie
Brown passes over several Christmas trees which he believes
embody the commercial exploitation of Christmas, and brings
back a sagging relic of branch instead, the other kids fire
him
as director. Meanwhile, Snoopy is involved in decorating his
doghouse with colorful flashing lights and other knick-knacks
in an effort to win first-prize in a Christmas decorating
contest. In the end, the other kids feel they’ve been too hard
on Charlie Brown, and fix up his tree into a brilliant display
of Christmas beauty. Linus reveals the true meaning of
Christmas by retelling a segment from the Gospels that
recounts
the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, Charlie
Brown is disillusioned when his idealistic attempt to decorate
his humble Christmas tree ends in absolute failure. As a
result, only a Christmas miracle can save Charlie Brown from
the depths of holiday disaster…
One of the better parts of this television special is when
Charlie Brown goes hunting for a Christmas tree. Some of the
trees are aluminum, which you rarely see today, especially
those trees with the rotating colored lights underneath.
Simply
put, A Charlie Brown Christmas is a breath of fresh air – a
thoughtful, funny, and highly entertaining show which the
entire family can enjoy. It connects parents and children
through the shared experience of its annual holiday viewing,
and parents don’t have to worry about the foul language and
adult content that so often permeates today’s television
programs. Overall, A Charlie Brown Christmas is as close to
perfect as a Christmas television special can be.
About The Author: Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report
(thedvdreport.blogspot.com), a blog where you can find
more reviews like this one.
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