50 years later, the gospel truth behind why tonight’s ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ endures

Washington Post ^ | 11-30-15 | Michael Cavena

[windcliff]

The debut of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” would capture not only the Emmy and Peabody awards, but also roughly half the people watching television across America. And its place in the nation’s holiday hearth has remained fixed ever since. As the special celebrates its 49th anniversary this week — and the strip enjoys its 64th year — ABC airs the “Peanuts” special tonight (the first time of the season for the full, not-edited-for-commercial-constraints version).

As viewers tune in to see a sparse and wilting “Charlie Brown Christmas tree” — a conifer embodiment of “Chuck’s” hard-luck seasonal mood that soon entered our national vernacular — a question about this beguilingly humble cartoon perseveres: Why, precisely, does “A Charlie Brown Christmas” endure?

Charles Schulz insisted on one core purpose: “A Charlie Brown Christmas” had to be about something. Namely, the true meaning of Christmas. Otherwise, Schulz said, “Why bother doing it?”

Mendelson and Melendez asked Schulz whether he was sure he wanted to include Biblical text in the special. The cartoonist’s response, Mendelson recalls: “If we don’t do it, who will?”

The result — Linus’s reading from the Book of Luke about the meaning of the season — became “the most magical two minutes in all of TV animation,” the producer says.

(At center stage, Linus says, in part: “..For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth, peace and goodwill towards men.’

“That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”)

[ETL]

This problem just started recently.

Not true. It's been going on for years, I think on and off.

[Biggirl]

Bookmarked for viewing tomorrow. :) Thank-you!

[Biggirl]

We will have to deal with this PC nonsense until I hope, right after next year’s elections.

[a fool in paradise]

Interesting. Charles Schulz worked on this comic book in 1947 (hand lettering and some art panels).

[clearcarbon]

Obamacare ornaments will ruin your Christmas.

[Mike Darancette]

Thank you but there was a Jebbie ad I had to sit through.

[Bigg Red]

Thank you.

[Bigg Red]

I guess I have been lucky enough to miss episodes prior to the recent one.