My Favorite Christmas Special

Last night I watched my all time favorite Christmas special. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is still gold standard in my humble opinion for quality Christmas fare, and it just isn't Christmas without watching Charlie Brown discover the true meaning of the holiday.

I watched it on VHS last night, as ABC broadcasted it back in late November and I missed it. They only show it once, and what's up with showing it in November? When I was a kid, CBS usually showed it about a week before Christmas (and it was always sponsored by McDonald's and York Peppermint Patties).

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" was first broadcast in 1965, and has been shown on network TV every year since. It's hard to believe it's been 42 years since it was first shown, and it's still as fresh and relevant since it was first broadcast. Charlie Brown is down, and tries to get into the Christmas spirit by directing a Christmas play he and the gang are putting on. Lucy has him go out and get a tree, but he comes back with a very small and "insignificant" tree, and earns the scorn of everyone. As he wonders what Christmas is truly all about, his pal Linus gives a very moving speech directly from the Bible about the birth of Jesus. "That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown." It's still the best and most moving moment in the entire special.

The soundtrack by the Vince Guaraldi Trio is still terrific to listen to (and I've even listened to it on CD in July). Watching the special always takes me back to my youth, watching it as Christmas was about to arrive, and I could wait for my presents. The special is watched by millions of kids around the world, and probably also by their parents, who like me, grew up with it.

Among my other favorite Christmas specials are: "Frosty the Snowman," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (the animated special with Boris Karloff, of course), "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer."But I will always love Peanuts, and especially "A Charlie Brown Christmas" above all the others.

God bless Charles Schulz, wherever he may be.