Editor’s note: Do the Christmas classics still hold up in 2020? We take a look.
Growing up, watching “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was an annual tradition. But something about watching the beloved holiday special in 2020 felt, well, different.
Maybe it was because of the controversy that surrounded it this year. Apple purchased the rights to “Charlie Brown” in October and revealed it wouldn’t air on broadcast television for the first time in 55 years. Of course, the backlash was so immediate and intense that Apple reconsidered and struck a deal with PBS, ensuring it would air for at least one more year.
It was hard not to think about that context as I sat down to watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (on Apple TV Plus) this year. The show has been a Christmas classic for decades, but what is it about the 55-year-old TV special that fired up so many people that a media giant like Apple felt the need to back down? What is it about Charlie Brown that continues to resonate with people?
The show’s storyline is straightforward: Christmas is coming, but Charlie is unhappy. He feels like there has to be more to the holiday than the commercialization and consumerism he sees around him. His friend Lucy encourages him to become the director of their Christmas play to help him get in the holiday spirit, and his friend Linus and a shabby Christmas tree help him learn the true meaning of Christmas.
It’s hard to imagine something like “A Charlie Brown Christmas” being made today: the pacing is slow, the action is low-stakes and there is a lot of music for a 30-minute special. But, at the same time, the message of the show feels more needed in the year 2020 than ever.
Here are the three main takeaways I got from “Charlie Brown” this year, what the special still has to offer viewers in 2020 and why making sure it stays accessible to everyone — not just hidden behind a paywall — matters.
Happiness at Christmastime
Even from the opening lines of “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” it seems to resonate with 2020.
“I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus,” Charlie Brown tells his friend. “Christmas is coming, but I’m not happy. I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to feel.”
Christmas is traditionally a time of happiness — we associate it with family and loved ones, with feelings like peace and joy. But in a year when a global pandemic has changed the way that we’ve celebrated holidays, it’s easier to relate to Charlie’s feelings. It’s likely that this Christmas won’t feel the way it’s “supposed to feel” for many people this year.
But even in a “normal” year, depression during the holiday season is common for many people (WebMD even has a page devoted to “holiday depression”), even if it’s not always widely discussed.
Charlie Brown’s feelings of depression aren’t shied away from in the special they become a focal point. Not only does he discuss his feelings with Linus, but he even talks to a “therapist” (his friend Lucy, who offers “psychiatric help” for 5 cents a visit) about his issues.
Even by today’s standards, it’s a bold move to talk openly about depression in a show geared toward children, and it sets “A Charlie Brown Christmas” apart as being ahead of its time.
During a challenging year like 2020, it seems more important than ever to see characters who are struggling and to normalize having open conversations about depression and other issues — and “Charlie Brown” manages to do both, for a child and adult audience.
Christmas commercialism
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” was ahead of its time in another area — the commercialization of Christmas.
Charlie is increasingly distressed throughout the special as he sees his friends, little sister and even Snoopy buying into the commercialism of the holiday.
“Look, Charlie, let’s face it,” Lucy tells him at one point. “We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket. It’s run by a big eastern syndicate, you know.”
Commercialism definitely isn’t a new problem — after all, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was originally sponsored by Coca-Cola. But the problem has only grown worse with time, to the point that saying Christmas is “commercialized” is almost a cliche, and the message still hits home in 2020.
Later, when Charlie’s friends make fun of him for choosing the smallest and scraggliest Christmas tree to use in their Nativity play, he says in frustration, “I guess I really don’t know what Christmas is all about. Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”
This outburst leads to the central moment of the show, when Linus shares the “true meaning of Christmas” by reciting verses from the book of Luke in the Bible, telling the story of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Once Charlie is reminded there is more to Christmas than the commercialism, he’s inspired to show the little Christmas tree the “love” it needs — though it isn’t until he gets some help from his friends that the tree is fully decorated and becomes a real Christmas tree.
Especially in the year 2020, when the holidays are already different and in some ways more difficult than years past, the special serves as a reminder that there is more to Christmas than the presents, decorations and other outside trappings that we associate with it. Christmas is about showing care and love to families and friends — even if this year that love takes the form of being distant from them to keep them safe — and remembering the birth of Jesus Christ.
‘Charlie Brown’ as a shared experience
Given the anti-commercialism message of “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” there’s some irony in its purchase by Apple earlier this year. It also seems oddly fitting for a year like 2020 that the show would get caught in the middle of the streaming wars.
As streaming services continue to proliferate, it was maybe inevitable that “Charlie Brown” would leave broadcast television. But part of the appeal of the Christmas special, and what made it into such a tradition for so many families, was that it was part of a common experience: across the country, people were sitting down at the same time to watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas” together.
During a year when divisions and differences in American society have continued to grow, common experiences are in ever shorter supply — which is why the deal between Apple and PBS to air the “Charlie Brown” specials this year was so heartening.
There’s no word yet on whether the deal with PBS will continue next year and into the future. Apple has also agreed (for now) to make the specials free to watch without a subscription during certain viewing windows, which will also help make them more accessible.
But for the year 2020, when gathering together has been difficult or sometimes impossible, having a shared experience like “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is a bright spot. Here’s hoping that in the future, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” will continue to be able to share its messages to the widest audience possible — wherever that may be.