My Episode Review on A Charlie Brown Christmas (Plus, a Bonus) · 5:24pm Dec 25th, 2019

Merry Christmas, my friends.

This is your jolly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.

And today, for my 15th episode review and installment of my "Christmas Craze" series, and to celebrate the actual holiday itself, I'm gonna be reviewing "A Charlie Brown Christmas".

Here's the summary of it:

Christmas is just around the corner and everyone is really excited. Everyone, except Charlie Brown. He's been having trouble getting what the true meaning of Christmas is, and even though it isn't far away, he can't help but feel depressed.

Meanwhile, everyone else seems to think that Christmas is all about bright lights, decorations, gifts, every sort of commercialism one can think of.

So here's the question:

What is the true meaning of Christmas? Will everyone be able to figure it out?

What's more, will Charlie Brown ever be happy on Christmas?

Similar to "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving", this was another holiday special that I fondly grew up with since my childhood. Even today, I find this cartoon to be something I absolutely love, and the fact that this was what launched the Peanuts cartoon series astounded me all-the-more.

For instance, the characters were as lovable, honest, and innocent as ever, and their personalities are so distinguished and unique from one another. Spending time with Charlie and the gang here once again made me wish I could be a kid again, because Schulz and Melendaz captured precisely what being a child is like. Plus, Snoopy continually stole the show any chance he got, even if he was just eating a bone while reading a newspaper.

For building their first Charlie Brown special ever, the animators certainly knew how to make the franchise's television debut right. The animation certainly wasn't perfect, but the remarkable thing about it was that it showed a sense of passion, commitment, and hardwork. The way the feel and look of the comics translated onto television was astounding, and they gave it a balance of a made-for-television and cinematic feeling.

The story by Charles M. Schulz, and the direction by Bill Melendaz, were awesome too. Throughout this special, they showcased an excellent sense of humor and wit that was deeply pure, relaxed, and innocent; they also gave the episode amazing heart and emotion that was just as powerful as the animation.

The best part, in my opinion, was when Linus revealed the true meaning of Christmas by reciting Scripture. Not very many programs, especially nowadays, have ever been so bold as to address the true meaning of Christmas, which is about the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior who came to give humanity a second chance at redemption from being eternally damned by the curse known as sin. And in a time where things seem to be growing darker every year and people continually question the meaning of Christmas, the message about Jesus is something that's truly needed in this world.

In conclusion, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is a true Christmas classic, and it's absolutely worthy of everyone's time and attention. I'm surprised that the special wasn't even deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress yet, because I believe it definitely deserves to be inducted in the National Film Registry.

So, I rate "A Charlie Brown Christmas" a solid five out of five stars.

Before I conclude this post, I'd like to give you guys the second out of three songs that I'm sharing to celebrate the holidays with, which is another song from one of the best bands of all time, Pentatonix.

Take a look: