Tag Archives: A Charlie Brown Christmas

Lisa Marie’s Week In Televison: 12/19/21 — 12/25/21

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Merry Christmas!  Here’s what I watched this holiday week!  It’s a short list because it’s the holidays.  Next week, I’m planning on getting caught up on a few shows before the start of 2022.

A Very Boy Band Holiday (Thursday Night, ABC)

Erin and I watched this two weeks ago.  On Thursday night, we watched it with our other two sisters, Megan and Melissa.  It was fun.  How can’t you love Joey Fatone holding a bunch of boy banders hostage in a Christmas cabin?

A Charlie Brown Christmas (Sunday Night, PBS)

I watched this with my sister.  It’s a tradition!  Be sure to read what Erin wrote about this special and why it’s still important.

Dexter (Sunday Night, Showtime)

It was a good episode this week.  I wrote about it here!

Kelly Clarkson Presents: When Christmas Comes Around (Thursday Night, NBC)

I like Kelly Clarkson.  She’s from Texas and she’s got a helluva voice.

The Love Boat (Sunday Night, MeTV)

On yet another Christmas cruise, there was love and there were laughs.  This time, the overly eager crew hired three separate Santa Clauses.  It cause a bit of trouble but, in the end, everything worked out for the best because there’s always room for multiple Santas!  The other plotline of this episode dealt with a down-on-his-luck comedian who ended up sharing his cabin with an adorable dog, who he adopted at the end of the cruise.  Awwwwwww!

The Office (Friday Morning, Comedy Central)

On Friday morning, my sister Megan and I watched the first three of The Office Christmas episodes.  My favorite is still the first, the one where Michael ruins Secret Santa.  Benihana Christmas is pretty funny as well, though I do think Karen could have tried hard to work with Angela before forming her own rival Party Planning Committee.

Santa Claus is Coming To Town (Thursday Night, ABC)

I watched this classic 1970 animated special with my sisters on Thursday night.  It had actually been a few years since I had last watched this and I was surprised to discover that it was a lot better than I remembered.  The animation was adorable and the voice acting of Mickey Rooney and Fred Astaire holds up surprisingly well.  I’m glad I watched it and I’m even happier that I watched it with my family.

Seinfeld (Weeknights, Comedy Central & Netflix)

A chicken place with a bright red neon sign turned Kramer’s apartment in the Angry Red Planet.  This was followed by an episode in which Kramer got the wrong personalized license plates and suddenly became very popular.  The 90s were a wild time.

On Thursday morning, Jeff & I watched the episode where Kramer returned to his old job making bagels, Elaine tried to get back a card that she could use to get a free submarine sandwich, Jerry dated a woman whose appearance kept changing, and — most importantly — the Constanzas once again celebrated Festivus!

It was a Festivus miracle!

Scene That I Love: Charlie Brown Gets “Therapy” in A Charlie Brown Christmas

Posted on by Dazzling Erin

Charlie Brown isn’t the only one who gets sad around the holidays.

A lot of people do.  I’m one of them.  I love Christmas but I still get sad thinking about those who are no longer with us and that another year is coming to an end.  I know that this holiday, just like last year, is going to be especially difficult for many people around the world.  Don’t be ashamed if you’re feeling down this week.  You’re not alone.

Last night, I was cheered up by watching A Charlie Brown Christmas on PBS.  (I’m still mad that Apple TV+ tried to make the specials an excusive to their streaming service.  Talk about going commercial!)  Charlie Brown is feeling down for the holidays too but he finds someone to talk to.  Unfortunately, that person is Lucy.  However, sometimes it’s most important just to have someone to talk to.

This year, I hope Lucy finally gets her real estate.

Scene That I Love: Linus’s Speech in A Charlie Brown Christmas

Posted on by Dazzling Erin

Merry Christmas!

I know that a lot of people missed A Charlie Brown Christmas this year.  When all of the Peanuts holiday specials were bought by Apple TV+, it looked they would never air on free television again.  Luckily, people got mad enough that Apple made a deal with PBS to resume airing the specials.  But how many of you knew that before you just read it?  Hopefully, everyone involved will do a better job of getting the word out next year.

For those of you who missed it this year, here’s the most famous scene from A Charlie Brown Christmas.  When A Charlie Brown Christmas was first aired in 1965, Charles Schulz had to fight to keep CBS from removing the scene in which Linus explains the true meaning of Christmas.  It has gone on to become one of the most popular moments in the special.

For those who missed it, here it is:

Why I Will Always Love A Charlie Brown Christmas

Posted on by Dazzling Erin

For me, it’s all about the tree.

A Charlie Brown Christmas first aired 53 years ago, on December 9th, 1965.  It’s aired every year since then, often twice a year.  For me, watching A Charlie Brown Christmas is as much of a holiday tradition as wrapping presents, decorating the house, and checking the weather forecast for snow.  I’ve watched every year since I was eight years old and I bet I’m not the only one.

A Charlie Brown Christmas begins with Charlie Brown telling Linus that he just doesn’t understand Christmas.  Even though he enjoys the presents and the tree and all the traditions, he still always ends up feeling depressed.  Charlie says that he just doesn’t feel the way that he’s supposed to.  (Was this the first Christmas special to acknowledge that the holidays can be a difficult time for some people?)  Linus says that Charlie Brown is the only person who can turn a wonderful holiday like Christmas into a problem.  From someone who spends every Halloween in a pumpkin patch, that’s a bold statement.

No one seems to have the Christmas spirit.  Lucy is upset because she never gets real estate.  Sally asks Santa Claus for tens and twenties.  Snoopy is so busy decorating his doghouse that he doesn’t even go after the Red Baron.  Even when Charlie agrees to direct the Christmas pageant, everyone’s more interested in dancing than getting into the holiday spirit.

Look at Pigpen go!  Snoopy and Schroeder get all the attention but Pigpen’s keeping up with them on the double bass.

Charlie Brown and Linus leave rehearsals to go find a Christmas tree.  Charlie’s supposed to pick the best tree they have, a big, pink, aluminum one.   Instead, Charlie picks the only authentic, real tree on the lot.  It’s a tiny sapling that looks half-dead and which leaves needles on the ground.  When Linus says that everyone’s expecting something bigger, Charlie says that the tree just needs some decorations.

That’s why I love A Charlie Brown Christmas.  It’s all about the tree.  It’s all about faith.

It’s not just the faith that Linus talks about when he later explains the true meaning of Christmas, though that’s certainly a huge part of it.  (Charles Schulz had to fight to be allowed to include Linus’s famous telling of the Christmas story, as there were fears that the religious content would turn off viewers.  Cleverly, Schulz made the story a key part of the special’s climax, so there was no way that the network could cut it.)  It’s also Charlie Brown’s faith that, even if he doesn’t full understand Christmas, he can still make that tree into something special.

At first, when Charlie Brown attempts to put on decoration on the tree, it tips over and he says that he’s killed it.

But then Linus comes along and he sees what Charlie Brown saw in that tree and, with a little help from his friends and his blanket, they bring the tree back to life.

Life may never be easy but with “a little love,” even the least impressive of things can become something glorious.  A Charlie Brown Christmas isn’t just about Schulz’s religious faith.  It’s also about the faith that the world can be made a better place, for trees, beagles, and round-headed kids.  Lucy might even finally get her real estate.

For the second time this year, A Charlie Brown Christmas will be airing on ABC tonight.  I’ll be watching.