This Christmas Eve, I am about to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas with my wife, my two daughters, and my mother-in-law. We are going to try to use Apple’s SharePlay to stream it in sync with my younger sister and her husband who live on the other side of the country.
Watching the classic Peanuts cartoon was a family tradition for us when my sister and I were growing up. The final scene was my favorite.
Good Tidings
Throughout the special, Charlie Brown struggles to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, which he felt the other children in his community were missing. But after encountering humiliation and frustration, he despairs:
“Everything I do turns into a disaster. I guess I really don't know what Christmas is all about. Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?!”
His friend Linus approaches him and says, “Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about.”
Linus walks onto a stage and softly says, “Lights, please.” The auditorium lights dim and a spotlight shines on the small boy. Linus then recites a Bible passage (from Luke 2: 8-14, King James Version) in which an angel announces to shepherds the birth of Jesus Christ:
"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'"
Linus then walks back to his friend and tells him, “That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”
Linus’s speech causes the other children to repent of their vain ways and their cruel treatment of Charlie Brown. Their subsequent gesture of love and charity restores Charlie Brown’s faith.
To Be Like Linus
Linus’s monologue made a deep impression on me as a child. Here was another little boy, albeit a fictional one, manifesting learning and wisdom beyond his years, uttering a profound truth, getting to the heart of things, counseling his friend, and helping to heal his little community.
Linus became one of my earliest role models. Like him, I was an intellectually precocious but mild-mannered and physically timid boy. Linus’s presentation showed me how I could play an important role and be of great service to others. My whole life I have sought insight into the deeper, fundamental meaning of things and to share that insight with others in an effort to make things better. That quest can be traced back to my boyhood resolve to be more like Linus.
I am deeply grateful to the late Peanuts creator Charles Schulz for including this powerful moment (overcoming resistance from others over its religious nature) in the special.
Apple TV+ has made A Charlie Brown Christmas available for non-subscribers to stream for free on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I highly recommend taking this opportunity to watch it: and especially for parents to watch it with your kids. Maybe it will prove to be as edifying for them as it was for me (and as I hope it will be for my children).
I wish all my readers a merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.
P.S. Here’s a photo of my sister’s framed printing of Linus’s Christmas monologue: