Last night my wife and I were sitting on the couch, flipping through some channels until we landed on A Charlie Brown Christmas, which I think we might have actually been Tivo’ing, and if we weren’t then we will next time.
And I have to say that I was completely amazed and sucked into this cartoon. It originally aired ten years before I was born, so though it is on every year, I don’t think I have actually sat down and watched it. And if I have, I was younger, and didn’t quite pick up on all that was going on.
Last night my wife and I were sitting on the couch, flipping through some channels until we landed on A Charlie Brown Christmas, which I think we might have actually been Tivo’ing, and if we weren’t then we will next time.
And I have to say that I was completely amazed and sucked into this cartoon. It originally aired ten years before I was born, so though it is on every year, I don’t think I have actually sat down and watched it. And if I have, I was younger, and didn’t quite pick up on all that was going on.
But it is a beautiful story about Christmas, that captures the innocence, and naivete that sometimes gets lost at Christmas as we become pre-occupied with the hustle and bustle of the season, shopping, consuming and rushing around. There was something very beautiful and poetic about these young children interacting, and eventually discovering what Christmas is all about.
I think that I resonate with Charlie Brown quite a bit during the holiday season. Wondering why we spend all of our energy on activities and events that seem totally irrelevant to what Christmas signifies to us as Christians. I am not against shopping and buying and giving and receiving gifts. I just don’t want that to be my dominate experience of the Christmas season.
The cartoon is almost begging for a response from a sociological, philosphical, cultural and theological perspective. Charles Schulz was definitely making some statements about the mid-twentieth century, especially in regards to consumerism. But my mind is always thinking this way, and I don’t really want to head there today. Watching this cartoon and not analyzing it for its messages on culture, is like trying to read The Chronicles of Narnia and not analyze them for their Christian themes.
But one of my favorite scenes in the television special is when Charlie Brown and Linus go out looking for a Christmas tree. They end up in a lot full of lifeless aluminum Christmas trees. In this lot they come to the middle where there is one, tiny, pathetic looking Christmas tree with like three branches, and needles falling off. But in the midst of lifeless aluminum, this tree stands out. And then Linus says something to him in the effect, that this little Christmas tree doesn’t resonate, or go along with the modern mind or spirit. Hilarious coming out the mouth of a young boy. Maybe Linus and Charlie Brown were postmodern. Haaaa.
Apparently, according to this article, How A Charlie Brown Christmas Came To Pass, this special almost never made it to TV. Here are a few snippets:
The first of nearly 50 Peanuts television movies, A Charlie Brown Christmas is the longest-running cartoon special in history, airing every year since its debut in 1965. Whimsical, melancholy, and ultimately full of wonder, it is a holiday favorite for countless families. But this cartoon classic almost didn’t make it on the air.
and
Schulz wanted A Charlie Brown Christmas to have the religious meaning that was central to his own experience of Christmas. And though the special was made in California, Schulz wanted it to include snowy scenes that recalled his native Midwest.
Christmas Critics
Even Schulz admitted that he was probably the only person who could have gotten A Charlie Brown Christmas made. Television executives hated it from the start.
It was criticized as being too religiousâLinus quotes straight from the King James Bible (Luke 2:8-14). It was criticized for featuring contemporary jazz, an offbeat choice for a cartoon. It was criticized for not having a laugh track. It was criticized for using the voices of real children (except for Snoopy, who was voiced by animator Melendez).
I absolutely loved the jazz in this special because it was so uncharacteristic of most cartoon specials. I was amazed at how frequently they talked about the Bible or its characters, laughing at one point when Charlie Brown remarks to Lucy about not arguing with an “old theologian.” Again, hilarious if you realize it is coming out of the mouth of a young boy.
And speaking of consumerism, you can buy the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree at Urban Outfitters
Though I can bounce back and forth between critiquing the special for its cultural commentary, I also just enjoyed it for what it was. A cartoon special, and a piece of American history.
And it is powerful, having me in tears a couple of times (though I tried to conceal that from my wife).
It is really beautiful when Charlie Browns questions whether or not anyone knows what Christmas is about and Linus responds:
“Sure Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is about”, then he goes on to recite this passage:
Luke 2:8-14 (King James Version)
8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Amazing. In the midst of the hustle and bustle, Linus reminds us of the most important thing about Chrismas, and of one of the most important things about our faith as Christians, the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, coming in the form of a child.
And when the children surround the little Christmas tree that they have decorated, and Charlie Brown almost seems redeemed, they begin to sink “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”, and then I pretty much totally lost it.
Very beautiful. I look forward to watching it again this year, and for years to come.
I leave you with a bloggers comments about this special. They come from Tom at Comics Ate My Brain says this
This is the only essential holiday special for me, and to me it is as big a part of Christmas as Handel’s Messiah. It is the patriarch of modern Christmas-themed mass media entertainment, and the standard to which other holiday programs should aspire. As the fateful day approaches, Charlie Brown is depressed — not because his parents don’t like his gifts, or he might not get the Red Ryder BB gun, but because he feels alone, friendless, and lost in the maddening competition the season seems to have become. Almost all of the people he encounters are consumed by parties, decorations, presents, and other superficial aspects of the holiday. “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” he cries.
Linus answers. “Sure, Charlie Brown. ‘There were in the same country shepherds….'”
Charlie Brown learns, and by his silent example shows his friends, what is at the center of the Christmas holiday. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” preaches without being demagogic or condescending, and the comparatively understated “Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!” which closes the show still packs as emotional a punch as the end of It’s A Wonderful Life. The difference is that Charlie Brown is living the existential angst George Bailey had to be transported to an alternate universe to see. When the kids start singing “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” it’s like they’ve given our hero a big hug — which is the least we can hope for, or give, not just at Christmas, but any time. Accept no substitutes.
