A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) (TV Special Review)

 

   The 1965 TV special titled “A Charlie Brown Christmas” has for years been called one of the all-time greatest Christmas specials ever made, and is still a television event all these decades later. While I’ve always made it a tradition to review a classic Christmas special, I’ve honestly been avoiding this one for the longest time, as so many others have discussed it in length, and I just didn’t know what to add to it. Then it occurred to me … instead of directly reviewing this special, why not share my own personal journey with it over the years, and how my feelings for it have changed and grown. Back when I was a kid, I grew-up with The Peanuts, and by far, I loved their holiday specials the most. 

Whether it was Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentines, or Easter … the Charlie Brown holiday specials were that welcome little mini-event that completed the whole holiday experience. Oddly enough, even though I liked their Christmas special as a kid, it was never my favorite of their specials, as I had other Christmas offerings that I was frequently more drawn too. There was even a time I questioned why their Christmas special was so universally loved, and regarded as one of the all-time greats to annually re-watch during the season. It wasn’t until my young adult years that I really learned to love and admire this movie … and now, it’s become one of my personal favorites to return to every Christmas. This really is a rare and special case in which I love an animated family special far more as an adult then I did when I was a kid … and for that reason … I feel I have something special to add to a review of this time-treasured classic.

   The Christmas season is upon the kids of the Peanuts gang, and most of them are feeling all the magic and joy of the season … that is with the one exception of Charlie Brown himself. Unlike all the other kids, he’s having trouble understanding why the holiday is so meaningful, and his confusion makes him feel all the glummer and more depressed. Lucy suggests that he direct their school Christmas Pageant, and maybe his involvement in a group activity might just be the thing to brighten his spirits. Too bad for him, he’s not a very good director, so he tries to compensate by going out and getting a Christmas tree, which he hopes will set the proper mood. However, the tree his selects is on the piddling side of puny, and falling apart, which all his friends mock him for. Yet, Charlie Brown still see’s something valuable in his little Christmas tree, and for once, finds himself feeling the magic of the holiday season.       

   Back when I was a kid, I always knew this special was a classic, but it wasn’t until my high-school years that I realized just how important this was to the legacy of Charlie Brown. This was in-fact the Peanuts very first TV special, and marked their first big leap into colored animation. Prior to this, the Peanuts were fairly well known through their successful comic strips, and they even appeared in some advertisements, but if it wasn’t for the breakout success of “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, the Peanuts arguably wouldn’t have become the massive IP they are today. 

When I was younger, I found the animation to be rather cheap looking, and underwhelming … but now I view it in a different lens, as this was quiet the leap from their black and white stills, from getting the proper movement, and even iconic colors of the characters down. They also took a gamble on casting inexperienced child actors for the parts, knowing that their deliveries would be a little wooden. Both Shultz and director Bill Melendez felt the characters would feel more real and genuine with real children in the roles as opposed to professional actors imitating kids. The only exception was Bill Melendez himself voicing Charlie Browns faithful dog Snoopy. It's actually kind of a miracle this special turned out as great as it did, as the project snuck-up on Peanuts creator Charles Shultz, when their advertising sponsor Coke-A-Cola asked if they had a TV holiday special in mind … and if they could possibly have such a project completed within six-months for a Christmas release.

   Not only was that a tight deadline, but all Shultz had to work with for a story board were his Christmas strips … and to make matters worse, their TV station CBS didn’t have much confidence in the project at all. The network wanted more conventional staples like Santa, and kids opening gifts around the tree, but Shultz wanted the Peanuts to be anything but conventional. As such, he wanted this special to stand-out as something unique, with its own voice and personality different from the more common place holiday specials. The relaxing, smooth- jazz soundtrack was also considered unorthodox for the time, as was the choice to omit a laugh track, which was a staple of television for the time. However, both Shultz and his team were very passionate about the project, and it was their drive that really carried this special through to the end … despite all the shortcomings going against them. Needless to say, their faith in the project paid off, as it was a juggernaut success upon its release, had the second highest views of any American program during its air time, won both a Peabody Award and an Emmy Award of Outstanding Children’s Programming … and the rest is history.     

   So, that’s the story behind the creation of this special … but what’s my story with it. Like I said earlier, I watched this special just as did with their other holiday offerings, but I was more indifferent to this one back when I was a kid, as it didn’t really have any of the staples that brought me back to my other favorite Christmas specials. It didn’t have the same energy, songs, or visual décor that I adored in something like “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, and most of it just felt like watching kids arguing in this overly pink theater room, with little else going on. 

Yet, over-time, I started to realize that the special was still invoking a sense of the season. Maybe not through conventional material or traditionally decorative imagery, but instead by focusing on things we can relate to … like the mixed emotions that kids and even adults sometimes go through during the season. Also, as an adult, I realized this special really stuck to its message about commercialism going too far, and it did so by not going to far with the decorations on display. The little tree of course is arguably the most iconic Christmas tree ever featured in a special, and could serve as a metaphor of the special as a whole … as there’s more to it then it’s initial appearance would suggest. As a quick side note, when we first see the tree at the lot … while certainly not conventional like the others … I always appreciated how it was the only tree that was properly colored green.   

   Another thing going for this special is this warm and comforting winter atmosphere that sustains through the whole experience. Right as the special begins with the kids skating and singing … it creates a distinct mood and tone that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I’ve also come to appreciate the simplicity of the narrative, as it’s very straight forward, and doesn’t feature nearly as many detours as the other Peanuts offerings. Snoopy for example was always my favorite character back when I was a kid, and it initially annoyed me that he was mainly kept off to the side-lines here. Once again from an adult perspective, I really appreciate how he was kept reined in, unlike say … the Thanksgiving special, in which he really chewed up the scenery. It was also here in the Christmas outing that we began the tradition of an intermission with Schroeder, this time featuring both Lucy and a little Snoopy. While I’ve never really liked these Schroder detours, I will say this was at least the best of the bunch.        

   Of course, everything builds to one of the greatest moments of any holiday special ever … and that’s Linus taking center stage, and reciting the second chapter of the Book of Luke from the Bible. Everything from the pacing, to the silent music track, to the boy’s delivery is all perfect. 

This scene could have so easily come across as a preachy soap-box moment, but thanks to it's subtle approach, it feels completely genuine and sincere. It’s also worth noting that at the time, it was considered a risk for a children’s animation program to directly quote the Bible, but Shultz was very earnest that it had to be this way in order to properly get the message across. I also love in the aftermath that Charlie Brown walks-off and looks into the night sky, with a little star twinkling, and all while pondering the words of his best friend. You see in this moment, he finally gets it, the spirit of the season is finally resonating with him, and he’s happy at last. The cherry on this cake is all his friends coming to the same understanding, decorating his tree … along with some left-over popcorn from Thanksgiving … and they all sing into the night. It’s so simple, it gets to me every time … just, right in the feels.    

Now, without going into a full review, I want to lightly touch on the Sequel …

“It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown” (1992)

  It was in 1992 that CBS released the 36^th of the Charlie Brown TV specials titled “It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown”. While this wouldn’t be the last Charlie Brown tie-in with Christmas, it was the last of the classic original run of Charlie Brown specials that aired on CBS, with all future Charlie Brown properties being distributed by other networks. It’s kind of an ironic twist of fate that it was all bookended by Christmas. Unlike the original classic, which told a linier story, this holiday follow-up is an anthology comprised of little vignette’s revolving around the Peanuts gang, and a number of activities through-out the holiday season. It was also the first to have the animation done by an oversea studio, as opposed to Bill Melendez Productions. Knowing it can’t top the original, this special is content to focus on comedy, and has a more traditionally decorative Christmas look with the settings and backdrops on display. While I’ve always found this a pleasant little holiday special, it just isn’t a memorable one either, and lacks the same simple heart that made the original a classic. Just a quick example of how different the two are … the highlight of the first was Linus quoting the Bible, and conveying a simple answer about the meaning of Christmas … 

the highlight of this second holiday offering is simply Charlie Browns little sister Sally acting cute in her Pageant role. As such, you can certainly watch this special, and maybe smile or laugh a little, but you won’t be thinking about it afterword either. I’d say it’s worth watching, but mainly if you’re a long time Charlie Brown fan … otherwise, it isn’t mandatory for your Christmas watch list.   

   With all the Charlie Brown Christmas follow-ups, and numerus merchandising tie-ins … there’s just no overlooking how special, and arguably even important that first holiday offering was. There’s a reason it’s still labeled as one of the greats, and it just makes Christmas feel more complete. It's one of those generational gems that most kids grow-up with, and still watch around the holiday season. Maybe not the easiest one to explain, but it just feels very genuine, like there's nothing manipulative about it. It’s just a strait forward holiday special that’s charming, unforgettable, packs a solemn message, and personally, even though this isn't my absolute favorite Christmas special, it certainly has a place among my favorites, and after carful consideration … I think it might just be the very best of all the Charlie Brown specials.

Thanks for reading my review of the 1965 holiday classic “A Charlie Brown Christmas” … and continue to enjoy the holiday specials you Love!