A Charlie Brown Christmas
Everyone might be dreaming of a White Christmas, but in reality, a Brown Christmas might be a more frequent occurrence depending on where you live. Here in Minnesota, we’re fortunate that about 75% of our Christmases are white. Since 1899, St. Paul has only had 36 Brown Christmases (as measured by less than an inch of snow on the ground). Today, we celebrate the charm of a Brown Christmas… and how could we not use this occasion to prominently feature the 1965 TV special, “A Charlie Brown Christmas”?
It was so very interesting to learn that “A Charlie Brown Christmas” wasn’t expected to become the classic it is today. In fact, nearly everyone involved in its development believed the special would be a disaster. Many thought its pace was too slow, the music not fitting, and the animation too simple. One of the creators, who saw it in the theater a few days before its premiere, turned to a fellow animator and said, "My golly, we've killed it." As it turns out, the show's premiere on December 9, 1965, was viewed by 45% of those watching television that evening. The special received critical acclaim with The Hollywood Reporter deeming it "delightfully novel and amusing," while Weekly Variety dubbed it "fascinating and haunting." It has since become an essential part of many families' Christmas traditions. In 2022, it was ranked #62 on a list of the 100 greatest family-friendly films of all time and was one of only two TV specials to make the list.
And not only did the movie make the Top 100 films list, three of the songs from Vince Guaraldi’s album for“A Charlie Brown Christmas” made Billboard’s Top 100 Christmsa songs of all time with “Christmastime is Here” at #27, “Linus & Lucy” at #34, and “O Tannenbaum” at #66.
To celebrate our “A Charlie Brown Christmas” day, we decorated our own “Charlie Brown Christmas tree” while listening to Vince Guaraldi’s iconic soundtrack. And the kids received their own set of Peanuts Christmas pajamas. When our friends from our church Lifegroup arrived, they joined in the merriment with playing a Charlie Brown “Trim the Tree” game.
For food, we leaned heavily into the “brown” theme. We enjoyed a Browned Chuck (for Charlie Brown 😊) Stew. And to continue playing with Charlie Brown, we had a charred leek salad with brown butter vinaigrette. And some Irish brown bread as well. For dessert, we indulged in Christmassy “Charlie Brownies” as well as Christmas York Peppermint Patties and Christmassy chocolate covered “Peanuts”.
After everyone went home, Bekah and I curled up with mugs of Brown Russian cocoa and watched some holiday sketches by our favorite Wisconsin comedian, Charlie Berens—close enough to Charlie Brown!
This day turned out to be a perfect blend of nostalgic fun and festive cheer, celebrating both a Brown Christmas and the timeless charm of Charlie Brown.
ACTIVITIES:
"Charlie Brown" Movie
“Charlie Brown Tree” Decorating
Brown Noser Reindeer Cartoon
Peanuts Pajamas Sets
Charlie Brown Find & Seek Book
Snoopy Game: Find Charlie Brown's Missing "True Meaning of Christmas" Cards
Charlie Brown Card Games (Go Fish… Find the True Meaning of Christmas)
FOOD & DRINK MENU:
Christmas York Peppermint Patty
INTERESTING READS & CONTEXT:
