A Charlie Brown Christmas
It’s that time of year where the television bombards us with an absolute deluge of Christmas programming. You know what I’m talking about: It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, any one of the thousands of versions of A Christmas Carol. Ever since I was a kid, the Charlie Brown Christmas special has been a favorite of my family. It is the only one that I make an effort to watch each year. The music by Vince Guaraldi, Snoopy dancing around like a lunatic and the saddest looking Christmas tree ever!....what more could you ask for a Christmas show?
Here's how the story goes, Charlie Brown is forced to be the director of the Christmas pageant and nobody will listen to him. They just dance around like a bunch of idiots, while Schroeder plays the piano. Charlie Brown, gets fed up, so Lucy suggests that he get a Christmas tree to help conjure up some Christmas spirit. So, Charlie Brown and Linus set out for the tree lot, where they wander through a myriad of gaudy, metal trees to find the only natural tree in the lot, which happens to be pitifully scrawny and prone to dropping the few pine needles still clinging to it. Charlie Brown insists that "This little guy needs a home" and decides to bring it back, even though Linus objects. As the gang ridicules him for his choice, it inspires him to cry out in desperation, "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?" Linus responds, "Sure Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about." He then steps out on stage, and asks for the spotlight so that everyone can see and hear him and he starts quoting Luke's Gospel.
"I think it needs me!"
Afterwards, Charlie Brown, proudly takes home his pitiful tree and puts an ornament on it and as the tree droops, he is very disappointed, stating "I've killed it!" Then he sulkily walks into the house. Turns out that the Peanuts gang was following him all along and they begin to decorate the tree, making it grand and beautiful...and through the magic of animation, it seems to have sprouted more branches and needles (the one annoying thing that bothered hell out of me as a kid) and now it looks like a proper Christmas tree. The gang starts to sing, and Charlie Brown comes outside, shocked to see his tree look so beautiful. The gang shouts out "Merry Christmas Charlie Brown!" and then begin to sing Hark the Herald Angels sing and Charlie Brown merrily joins them.
"Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo!"
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