Just Drop the Blanket: The Moment You Never Noticed in A Charlie Brown Christmas

Crosswalk ^ | December 14, 2015 | Jason Soroski

[DoodleBob]

This week A Charlie Brown Christmas aired on national prime time television for the 50th time. In a world where the latest greatest technology is outdated in a matter of months, and social media trends come and go in a matter of days, 50 years of anything becomes quite meaningful.

Snip

Since I was kind of a bookworm and already had a blue blanket, I was chosen to play the part of Linus. As Linus, I memorized Luke 2:8-14, and that Scripture has been hidden in my heart ever since.

But while working so diligently to learn those lines, there is one important thing I didn’t notice then, and didn’t notice until now.

Right in the middle of speaking, Linus drops the blanket.

Charlie Brown is best known for his uniquely striped shirt, and Linus is most associated with his ever-present security blanket. Throughout the story of Peanuts, Lucy, Snoopy, Sally and others all work to no avail to separate Linus from his blanket. And even though his security blanket remains a major source of ridicule for the otherwise mature and thoughtful Linus, he simply refuses to give it up.

Until this moment. When he simply drops it.

In that climactic scene when Linus shares "what Christmas is all about," he drops his security blanket, and I am now convinced that this is intentional. Most telling is the specific moment he drops it: when he utters the words, "fear not" (at :39 seconds).

[DoodleBob]

Thank you. I read about that last night. It's another incredible moment.

The obvious song choice here could have been “O Christmas Tree,” the notes of which have already been playing gently in the background.

But the focus is no longer the tree. The focus has become bigger than the tree. The focus is Jesus.

With this new focus, the kids instead slide effortlessly into “Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Glory to the Newborn King,” and what we are now witnessing is essentially an impromptu worship service.

But before any of this happens, Linus parts with that blanket yet again, and lays it down for good at the base of that beautiful Christmas tree, just as we should strive to not just lay our blanket down just anywhere, but leave it forever behind us at the foot of that cross, for our own good and the good of others.

[DoodleBob]

Thank you, everyone. And a Merry Christmas and חֲנֻכָּה to you all.

If you've never seen the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, I recommend it. Yes...it's mostly about dancing and Santa etc. But, at the very end there is an incredibly moving Nativity scene where it becomes clear that He is the Reason for the Season. And all this in the midst of Manhattan...which goes to show that God Triumphs everywhere, even when and where we are weak and think He has forsaken us.

[rlmorel]

"... God Triumphs everywhere, even when and where we are weak and think He has forsaken us..."

Nicely said...:)

[PlateOfShrimp]

I saw that many years ago and had the same impressions that you did. I heard that the Nativity part had been removed, hope that’s not the case. It was wonderful.

[a fool in paradise]

the producer died on Christmas this year

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/28/arts/television/lee-mendelson-dead.html