Peanuts for Christmas
Christmas is coming and Charlie Brown finds himself at odds as unlike his friends he doesn't seem to be interested in Christmas this season. It seems to him that there is too much materialism going on and so on the advice of Lucy he agrees to direct the Christmas pageant in the hope of lifting his Christmas spirits. But Charlie finds that frustrates him even more as does an attempt to find a Christmas tree as he got a real one rather than an aluminium one. Is there any hope for Charlie Brown this Christmas?
Even as a kid I wasn't that bothered by Charlie Brown and Peanuts, yes I looked at the syndicated cartoon strip in the newspaper each day but it was just a minor distraction as a child, in truth I enjoyed Fred more. But I think that maybe why I am at odds with others when it comes to the animated short "A Charlie Brown Christmas" as in truth it did very little for me. Now I should say that I wasn't even born back in 1965 when "A Charlie Brown Christmas" first came out and I think I was a teenager in the 80s when I first saw it which may also help explain why this never did much for me.
But the thing is that whilst not being a fan of Charlie Brown and Peanuts I still can appreciate the sentiment which is the backbone of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" which of course is to highlight how Christmas has been commercialised and people are forgetting the basics of it being the symbol of Christ's birth. And I can see how back in 1965 where programmes were sponsored to have an animation which bemoaned commercialism was a brave move as was to have one which didn't shy away from religion. Maybe times have changed so much that sadly the power of the message isn't enough to win through although I do find it ironic that whilst all new versions of this animated short are sponsor free the original was sponsored by Coca-Cola.
What this all boils down to is that sadly "A Charlie Brown Christmas" didn't do a lot for me and I suppose the reason for that comes from not growing up as a fan of Charlie Brown and Peanuts. But I can understand why those who grew up fans, especially those back in 1965, would probably enjoy "A Charlie Brown Christmas" a lot more and look back on it with a sense of nostalgia.
Tags: Christmas Movies
