A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS

REVIEWED BY SHANNON H.

Our rating: 5 out of 5

Rated:

We all know what the true meaning of Christmas is. It's not about presents, Santa Claus, brightly decorated pine trees, or other forms of materialism. It's about the birth of Christ, celebrating His birth into the world to save humanity.

Charlie Brown is still trying to figure out the meaning of Christmas as he is elected to be the director of a Christmas Nativity play put on by his friends. He struggles with this as he is disillusioned by the blatant materialism as people hurry to buy presents for their loved ones, Christmas trees are placed in the center of living rooms, and Snoopy, Charlie Brown's dog, decorates his doghouse with Christmas lights, hoping to win first prize in a contest.

As Charlie Brown continues to direct his play, none of his actors won't cooperate.  ally Brown, his sister, is paired with her crush (and Charlie Brown's best friend), Linus (much to his dismay: he can't stand Sally). Freda, the girl "with the naturally curly hair" is paired with the personal hygiene-challenged Pigpen (she complains, saying that Pigpen's poor cleanliness would mess up her hair). And Lucy, Linus' sister, complains that she never got the part of the "Christmas Queen." Since no one is truly in the Christmas spirit to act in the play, everyone suggests that Charlie Brown get a Christmas tree, one of the big, aluminum ones.

Charlie Brown and Linus head to the local tree lot and select a tree...a very small tree, much to the dismay of their friends. Charlie Brown had picked it out because he was disgusted at how Christmas became so materialized. Out of frustration, he finally asks Linus what the true meaning of Christmas was. Linus recites a verse from the Gospel of Luke stating that the TRUE meaning of Christmas was the birth of Jesus Christ. 

There's no sex, no nudity, no cussing, and no violence, but then again, this is a Christmas cartoon special featuring the Peanuts gang based on Peanuts comic strip by the late Charles Schultz. It's a good cartoon that states the REAL meaning of Christmas. Charlie Brown vents his frustration at the fact that Christmas is becoming too commercialized and materialistic and that people should focus on what Christmas truly means. Being a Christian and a fan of the Peanuts comic strip, I loved watching this show. It's usually broadcasted on ABC in late November, early December but it can easily be found on VHS or DVD. This particular piece will always be up with other holiday films such as It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.