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The True Meaning of Christmas Charlie Brown

There are Christmas traditions that stand the test of time. Picking out a tree is one, hanging lights another, and then there is the annual watching of Christmas classics. Among them is "A Christmas Story" "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," and then there is "A Charlie Brown Christmas" which has faithfully ever Christmas been played on television. Charlie Brown finds himself in a pickled during the season of peace and joy, he feels as he says to Lucy the Psychiatrist for 5cents, "depressed." The Over-commercialization of Christmas had put a frown on Charlie Brown, and none of his friends with their play, or his faithful pal and pup Snoopy, can seem to brighten Charlie Brown's spirits. There is something missing in all the pageantry, and presents. Charlie Brown tries being director of the Christmas Play, but find it is unable to lift his deep seated depression, and when asked to find a Christmas Tree, Charlie Brown goes to a Tree yard to find all synthetic and fake pink, gold, and metal trees, and among them is a raggedy Evergreen Tree, the only one alive. This turns out not only to be symbolic of Charlie Brown, and his feeling that he is hopeless and hated, and doomed, but it is an allegory of how the commercialization of Christmas is en masse and True Meaning of holiday is almost dead.

Thankfully, Linus, a friend of Charlie Brown offers the only answer. Charlie Brown in despair asks, "Does anyone know the true meaning of Christmas?! What's the point of it all?" To this Linus takes the stage floor, and recites from Gospel of Luke, the Birth of Jesus Christ, and Linus with panache then says at end, "that's the true meaning of Christmas Charlie Brown." To this alone, Charlie Brown smiles and a glimmer of hope feels his soul. From there Charlie goes home to plant the dying evergreen, and after some exasperation, the rest of Peanuts gang comes around, and helps the evergreen grow into a full fir tree, and begin singing a hymn to Jesus Christ while credits roll. Chuck Schutz, the creator and artist for the Peanuts fought CBS to keep the Christ references in this holiday classic, and I believe right now Schultz is in heaven and he got a jewel in His crown from Christ. To this day, A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of most watched Christmas films of all time, with tens of millions tuning in. And thanks to Schultz's faithfulness to our Lord Jesus, people every year will learn and relearn the True Meaning of Christmas, it isn't "boxes, packages, or bags" as Grinch once remarked, but "something more," and that something more as Charlie Brown discovered is Christ Jesus, God become a man and born to Virgin Mary in the little town of Bethlehem. Born to die for sins of world on a cross as an adult and to rise from dead three days later.

Chuck Schultz did not just give us loveable characters like Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Shrooter, Peppermint Patty, Marcy, and more; He gave through this one short film, a beautiful reminder in especially dark times as these, that the Light of World has come unto us, God became flesh (John 1:14) and has ransomed us from eternal death (Romans 5:6-11, John 6:40, 1 John 2:1-4). We celebrate Christmas because it is Christ's Birth, and that love came into world (1 John 3:8, John 3:16) and that love is God himself! I am thankful Schultz stood his ground, and now to this day people can be introduced to the true meaning of the holiday. For I believe there are many Charlie Browns wandering around in snow, in Christmas tree lots, and perhaps even at Christmas Play, asking, "what does Christmas mean? What is it all about?" Sometimes we aren't aware of the impact we can make for Immanuel. Chuck Schultz fought CBS to keep Christ in A Charlie Brown Christmas, and by doing so has made it possible for homes that have never heard the Good News of God's Birth and Forgiveness of Sins, to hear it. Schultz legacy isn't just the Peanuts, it is that He has through his work introduced people to the Prince of Peace. And for that reason, I recommend A Charlie Brown Christmas to each and everyone, even to devout brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us remind ourselves this year, what its all really about, Emmanuel, God with us.

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