Joyeux Noël, Charlie Brown!

How can you not love it? I'm a 46-year-old Jewish agnostic, and this still makes me laugh and brings a tear to my eye after dozens of viewings; and I don't think it's just nostalgia. I think if you can't enjoy this, you might as well just pack it in. Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without this and the ORIGINAL Grinch. Too bad the follow-ups, with the exception of course of It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, have never matched its humor, charm and heart. Favorite funny line? Lucy complains about always getting toys and bikes and clothes. "What do you want?" Charlie Brown asks. "REAL ESTATE!" Favorite touching moment? The transformation of the scrawny tree into a beautiful one of course.

I remember the first time that I saw this cartoon. I was about 6 or 7 years old, and I was starting to get into the Peanuts comic strips as I was learning how to read. From the first time I saw it, I knew there was something very different about this animated Christmas special that set it apart from others. Maybe it was the fact that it actually gave the true meaning of Christmas by having Linus quote Luke 2:8-14. Maybe it was able to capture charm and whit of the Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz. Maybe it was the jazzy background music by Vince Guaraldi. Maybe it was all the above. I'm gonna go with the last one. To this day I still find this Christmas special to be a very touching one.

When Charles M. Schulz passed away, he left behind a legacy of joy beyond measure; through Charlie Brown and the whole Peanuts gang, he offered insights into human nature that rival that of Thackeray and Twain, and he did it simply and succinctly, through his endearing characters and his own personal generosity of spirit. And it's that spirit that is concisely captured in `A Charlie Brown Christmas,' directed by Bill Melendez and featuring an original score composed and performed by Vince Guaraldi. And you could not find a more perfect example to more aptly illustrate the contributions and enrichment to our lives and to our world made by this consummate artist who through a comic strip managed to convey an unparalleled kind of down-to-earth wisdom and common sense.

This is only one of many `holiday' offerings featuring the Peanuts gang (at least two of which, `It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown' and `A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,' are especially endearing), but it's the real jewel in the crown among the many treasures to emerge from the vivid and fertile imagination of Charles Schulz. Without a doubt, `A Charlie Brown Christmas,' which premiered in 1965, has since become a cherished classic in it's own right. In this one, Charlie Brown gets picked by Lucy to direct their Christmas play, but he runs into some trouble picking out a proper Christmas tree. And Snoopy gets caught up in the commercialism of the season by entering the neighborhood decorating contest, adorning his dog house with such an array of lights and trim that it just may have a chance at winning the grand prize. But the most memorable moment of the film belongs to Linus, when he takes the spotlight to explain in his own inimitable way what Christmas really means. it's poignant and heart-felt; a moment that remains touching no matter how many times you see it. It's beautifully expressed, and in it's simplicity speaks volumes about the things that really matter in our lives.

The cast includes the voices of Peter Robbins (Charlie Brown), Christopher Shea (Linus), Tracy Stratford (Lucy), Sally Dryer (Violet), Karen Mendelson (Patty), Kathy Steinberg (Sally), Geoffrey Ornstein (Pig-pen), Chris Doran (Schroeder), Ann Altieri (Freida), Pamelyn Ferdin (also Lucy) and Bill Melendez (Snoopy). A fitting tribute to a man who gave us so much, `A Charlie Brown Christmas' is a story that will find it's way into the hearts of generation after generation, a timeless tale filled with humanity and universal appeal. Warm and entertaining, this is a film that can be seen over and over again without ever losing it's charm or it's magic. Charles M. Schulz may be gone, but he will never be forgotten. Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown! I rate this one 10/10.

Peanuts will always exist in middle class mid-century America. It's exclusively a child's world that is presented, with all adult voices just coming across as a "mwah mwah mwah mwah" sounding drone, which is no doubt what you heard when adults spoke and you were a child and no doubt what your own children really hear when you speak.

Charlie Brown is a child everyman with dreams who exists in a world with a sometimes cruel pecking order. Lucy is always besting him, but Charlie Brown's own dog bests Lucy with nothing more than the threat of a slobbery kiss. The episodes teach lessons that in many cases, sadly, could not be taught today. For example, , A Charlie Brown Christmas has Charlie Brown wondering what Christmas is all about. In the end, as an answer, Linus presents the simple Biblical tale of Jesus' birth. The moral comes across as "Christmas is not about getting more stuff", and in the 60's did not ignite a firestorm - as it would today no doubt - of people claiming they were offended by the "exclusivity of the message" so that you had to water down the message to the point where there is no message at all.

I was a kid in the 60s, so it's about the nostalgia for me, but I think most people will find this simple tale of childhood charming.

.......and certainly by far this is the best of the Peanuts specials. Odd that the first one was the best, ya know? (And in running down the long list here in the Schulz credits-what were some of those-You're a Good Man Charlie Brown? You'll Find Her Charlie Brown? It's Arthritis, Charlie Brown, etc....You got the point...too much of a good thing...) I associate watching this w/ seeing it back to back w/ Frosty or the Grinch, coming inside after sledding outside in the snow, that famous CBS whirling Special intro, and those York Peppermint Patty(TM) ads. Just somehow all seemed to fit, back in '74 and now.

The animation-sure it's sloppy, typical TV '60's stuff-Schulz always said he didn't like this show nearly as much as everyone else seemed too-it was too rushed-but it does work. The best parts-the singing at the end, the great Linus speech-have resonated down thru the years and continue to hit home even now.

I don't expect there to be a better Christmas special ever.

****