A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) Review

A Charlie Brown
Christmas is shockingly relevant in today’s age. As a kid, I didn’t get why
Charlie Brown got depressed during the holidays. What kid didn’t like
Christmas? Now that I’m an adult, I get it. All the prep work and gift buying and
constant bombardment of songs and merriment can get to be a bit much, even
though it’s all supposed to be joyous. It’s fairly high-concept for what’s
supposed to be a simple holiday special for children.
One of the aspects I like the most is the approach to the
story. It would have been easy to have all the kids attend a Christmas party,
or a family gathering, or something generic, but they participate in the school
Christmas play. Not only have I never seen this particular concept executed in
any other Christmas special, it allows for plenty of laugh-out-loud moments
(mostly from Snoopy, of course) and a range of characters interactions.

A Charlie Brown
Christmas has the classic jazz music, the charming peanuts animation style,
and the timeless characters, but that’s really all just trimmings over an emotionally
resonant core. This is without a doubt one of the best Christmas specials ever
made. To skip it would be a minor holiday crime, as far as I’m concerned. So treat
yourself.
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