Reformed Christmas: A Charlie Brown Christmas

This Christmas, I gained a new hero: Charles Schulz, the creative mind behind the Peanuts comic strip and one of my favorite Christmas movies to watch every year: A Charlie Brown Christmas.

In our Christmas Eve message, Dr. Scott McKee took time to share the background of this Christmas special “that almost never was,” and I’m so glad he did. I’d like to share a bit of that story here.

Motivated by the promise of financial success, executives were less certain about the content of the special. A USA Today article looks back on a conversation between executive producer Mendelson and an ad executive, who saw the draft and said, “This isn’t very good. I don’t know what I’m going to tell the agency. If I tell them what I think, they’re going to cancel the show.” In defense of the production, Mendelson replied, “Well, wait, whoa, this is all very rudimentary. If you believe in Charles Schulz and his characters, you’re just going to have to trust us that this is going to be great.”

As production continued, so did doubts. Executives at CBS “thought that having jazz music on a Christmas show didn’t make much sense,” for one. Mendelson added, “They didn’t like the [voice] actors being kids, and they just didn’t like the show in general.”

That’s not even to mention the direct biblical content of the special. In a now-classic scene, Charlie Brown asks desperately, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” Linus walks out onto center stage, where a single spotlight focuses on him, and he recites the birth narrative of Jesus straight from the Gospel of Luke. Mendelson recalled this creative decision, which was driven by Schulz: “He [referring to Schulz] said, ‘If we’re going to do a Christmas special, we’ve really got to do it the right way and talk about what Christmas is all about.’” Mendelson thought, “There’s never been any animation that I know of from the Bible. It’s kind of risky.” But Schulz was firm: “Well, if we don’t do it, who will?”

At the beginning of our 2023 Christmas Eve message, Pastor Scott recalled, “Charles Schulz was a committed follower of Jesus,” and he shared one of his favorite quotes from Schulz: “Little things we say and do in Christ’s name are like pebbles thrown into water: The ripples spread out in circles and influence people we may know only slightly, and sometimes not at all.”

That’s exactly what A Charlie Brown Christmas Became: In a world distracted and enamored by the artificial (like the aluminum Christmas trees Charlie Brown and Linus see on the tree farm), one man (well, both Charles Schulz and his fictional counterpart, Charlie Brown) stood up for the real.

Schulz was great at what he did–great at producing creative content that was funny while also making you think–and he found popular success from it, as we’ve seen. He used used that platform for God’s glory. Now, 23 years after Schulz’s death, the ripples are still spreading and influencing people Schulz never knew at all.

This year, I’ve been trying to be more like a Schulz. Part of the reason I set up this space to regularly post content was to push myself to speak up for what’s real. In the year ahead, I hope to drop my security blankets further and dedicate my efforts to God. (After all, if we don’t do it, who will?)

Sources:

1. Friedman, Megan. “A Brief History of Peanuts.” Time. October 1, 2010. Web. https://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2022745,00.html#:~:text=Schulz%27s%20Peanuts%20exploded%20during%20the,cover%20of%20TIME%20in%201965.
2. Ryan, Patrick. “A Charlie Brown Christmas Almost Never Happened.” USA Today. 29 November 2015. Web. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2015/11/29/charlie-brown-christmas/76389742/#
3. Ward Church. “Christmas at the Movies | Part 4 | A Charlie Brown Christmas with Dr. Scott McKee” YouTube. December 24, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4MuUO4BtWQ

Discussion Questions:

1. Which Peanuts character do you most relate to, and why?
2. What in the sermon, the Scripture (Luke 2:1-20), or the movie stood out to you? What new insight / understanding did you gain?
3. The author of Peanuts, Charles Schulz, said, “Little things we say and do in Christ’s name are like pebbles thrown into water: The ripples spread out in circles and influence people we may know only slightly, and sometimes not at all.” Do you agree with this idea? Why or why not?
4. Read Luke 2:8-14. Why is it significant that God sent the first public proclamation of the birth of the Savior to a group of shepherds? Can you think of other times in Scripture, or in our world today, when God speaks to unexpected people?
5. Focus on Luke 2:10-11. Pastor Scott reminds us that each time the angel appears in the Christmas story, they begin with the words, “Do not be afraid.” Why do you think this is the first thing they say?
6. Pastor Scott said, “There were a lot of reasons to be afraid in the first century: There was political and social unrest. The Romans were ruling Israel in brutal ways. Life expectancy was short.” In short, “Everyone was on edge.” What are some reasons people say we should be afraid / on edge in the twenty-first century?
7. In the face of those fears, what “security blankets” do we hold onto? What is that thing that makes you feel secure–that you’ve told yourself you cannot live without (a relationship, reputation, savings account, etc.)?
8. In the sermon, Pastor Scott reminds us that Jesus, although born in humble circumstances, is “real life, real power, the real king.” He says that the birth of Jesus separates us from our fears and leads to worship. How have you experienced this in your own life? How does the Christmas message help us put down our “security blankets” and follow the real King more fully?
9. In the movie, Charlie Brown and Linus pick out a real tree instead of the more popular shiny aluminum trees, even though the real tree “doesn’t seem to fit the modern spirit.” What are some examples of “shiny aluminum trees” in our world today? What about “real trees”?
10. In the final scene of the movie, the children fix up Charlie Brown’s tree while “O Christmas Tree” plays in the background. When Charlie comes outside, they wish him a merry Christmas and start singing, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” Take a look at the lyrics of both of these songs (included below). What shift happens when you move from the first song to the second? How does that reflect the spirit of Christmas?
11. What are some practical ways we can lovingly encourage those around us (including us) to drop our security blankets and shift our focus to the real Christmas spirit (even beyond Christmas Day).
12. This week, write down some security blankets you are afraid to put down. Ask God to help you take steps in faith to let go of them and follow him more closely.
13. Like the shepherds who left their flocks immediately to respond to the angels, and the first disciples who left their fishing boats to immediately follow Jesus, what can you do in this Christmas week to immediately follow Jesus?