“Christmastime is here… Happiness and Cheer…”
If you hear these lyrics and immediately picture your favorite PEANUTS characters skating around a frozen lake, you are not alone. “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” has been playing in American homes for over 60 years. It evokes strong memories for young and old, alike.
Watching the PEANUTS gang celebrate the season is an integral part of my holiday tradition. It is one of my first memories of Christmastime as a young child and I have passed this tradition on to my children. They may be almost adults, but one night each December, when we are all home, I still insist we watch it together. While my feelings about Christmas, its meaning, and my expectations have shifted many times over the years, my love of this simple, sincere message has never wavered.
Charlie Brown’s search for “the true meaning of Christmas” should be an easy one. Yet, as he tries to articulate feeling sad, adrift, and rejected during the holidays, he reminds us that, for many, Christmastime is not full of cheerful, festive joy.
So what is the true meaning of Christmas? Is it found in the spectacle of lights and decorations, as demonstrated by Snoopy’s award-winning doghouse? Is it in the commercialism of gifts, as outlined by Charlie Brown’s little sister, Sally as she dictates a long list for Santa Claus? Is it the pageantry of a Christmas play, as Lucy explains that involvement can help with a sense of belonging? Is it all of those? Or none of those? Is it indefinable?
When Charlie Brown is tasked with buying a Christmas tree for the play, he passes over the flashy, brightly colored, aluminum trees for a tiny, fragile fir tree, but the gang’s reactions make him feel rejected yet again. His frustrated, heartfelt lament, “Can’t anyone tell me what Christmas is all about?” is met with confusion and mockery.
Until Linus, with a youthful, yet solemn delivery, states, “Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about,” and proceeds to recite the Gospel of Luke which concludes, “and on Earth; Peace, Goodwill towards man.”
Linus also points out the potential in Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree, claiming, “I never thought it was such a bad little tree. Maybe it just needs a little love.” The gang gathers around to do just that – offer love to the tree and, by extension, to Charlie Brown.
This gesture perfectly encapsulates what I believe so many of us are searching for during this season: the sense of peace, love and goodwill amidst the chaos and pressure. The enduring wonder of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is it’s pure, earnest declaration that we can all offer just a little more love. That we are all called to extend Peace on Earth, Goodwill towards all people.
As much as I need this yearly reminder from the PEANUTS gang, it is also my favorite re-gift. Please accept this simple offering of the true meaning of Christmas. May the peace, joy, love and, above all, hope of this season be yours – and may you carry it within your heart throughout the year.
“MERRY CHRISTMAS, CHARLIE BROWN!“
*A version of this article first appeared in “The Hinsdalean” in December 2019 as part of a special holiday section. All images are from various versions of the original “Charlie Brown Christmas special” with characters from Charles Schultz’s PEANUTS cartoons which aired on CBS on 12/9/65.