Christopher Renstrom’s magical retelling of A Charlie Brown Christmas through astrology & history
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✨ “Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, you’re the Charlie Browniest.” – Christopher Renstrom
Transcript:
00:00:00:06 – 00:00:15:07
Unknown
Hello, my name is Christopher Enstrom, and I'm your weekly horoscope columnist here on Astrology Hub. And this time I wanted to welcome you to a special holiday episode of the Astrology Hub podcast.
00:00:15:09 – 00:00:53:03
Unknown
In 1965, after Charlie Brown and the rest of the peanuts gang was featured on the cover of time magazine, the creator, Charles Schulz, was approached by the Coca-Cola company to create a Christmas special to be aired on CBS. Schulz teamed up with Vince Guaraldi, a San Francisco based jazz musician who created the iconic score. Vince was a huge fan of the comic strip The Peanuts, and had already composed a theme song called Linus and Lucy, which would become a jazz standard around the world.
00:00:53:05 – 00:01:07:06
Unknown
Schulz had only a few weeks to create the Christmas special, which would include winter scenes, a school play, a scene to be read from the Bible, and a soundtrack combining jazz and traditional Christmas music.
00:01:07:11 – 00:01:17:07
Unknown
A Charlie Brown Christmas special aired on December 9th, 1965, two weeks after Charles Schulz's 43rd birthday.
00:01:17:13 – 00:01:41:07
Unknown
convinced that the Christmas special would be a flop. CBS executives thought the pace was too slow, the children's voices too amateurish, and animation to playing a Charlie Brown Christmas special became a surprise hit, winning both an Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programing and a Peabody Award in 1966.
00:01:41:09 – 00:02:12:19
Unknown
So what is it about this comic strip that makes it so endearing? A comic strip where all the loves are unrequited. All the baseball games are lost. All the test scores are minuses. The Great Pumpkin never comes. And the football is always pulled away. But the genius of this depends upon Charles Schulz, who was born under the zodiac sign of Sagittarius and Sagittarius is ruled by the planet Jupiter.
00:02:12:21 – 00:02:50:05
Unknown
Of all the signs in the zodiac, it's perhaps the Jupiter in road signs of Sagittarius and Pisces that are the most humanitarian, the most caring about their fellow man, and the most committed to seeing the best expressed and realized in each one of us. Charles Schulz, as I said, was born under the zodiac sign of Sagittarius with his ruling planet in the zodiac sign of Scorpio forming a train to Uranus and his moon in the zodiac sign of Pisces, and finally a train to Pluto in the zodiac sign of cancer.
00:02:50:07 – 00:02:57:11
Unknown
As you may already recognize, this is a grand water trine, a Grand Trine in The Element of Water,
00:02:57:13 – 00:03:23:02
Unknown
A grand water trine gives a deep compassion and empathy that, combined with the sharp wit represented by both Jupiter and Mercury in the zodiac sign of Scorpio, goes along with the Jupiter and energy of the chart to create a moral integrity, a moral integrity that is very important to people born under the zodiac sign of Sagittarius.
00:03:23:04 – 00:03:47:22
Unknown
A Charlie Brown Christmas special begins with Charlie Brown and his best friend Linus walking through a light snowfall. They stop to talk over a brick wall, and Charlie Brown says, I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. Christmas is coming, but I'm not happy. I don't feel the way that I'm supposed to feel. And this sort of nods.
00:03:47:22 – 00:03:54:06
Unknown
And they leave the wall and they continue walking to the frozen lake where their other friends are skating on the ice.
00:03:54:08 – 00:04:21:18
Unknown
Charlie Brown continues. I just don't understand Christmas. I guess I might be getting Christmas presents and sending Christmas cards and decorating trees and all that, but I'm still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed. At this point, Linus looks at his friend and says, Charlie Brown, you're the only person who can take a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem.
00:04:21:20 – 00:04:47:16
Unknown
Maybe Lucy's right. Of all the Charlie Brown's in the world, you're the Charlie Brown iest. Now, Charlie Brown and Linus Van Pelt have one of the most famous friendships in comics. It's much like Pooh and Piglet. The two of them are practically inseparable. Now, when I look at the astrology of Charlie Brown's Christmas.
00:04:47:18 – 00:05:12:06
Unknown
Now, I have always regarded Charlie Brown as being a cancer, probably because he has that classical moon face that we often see with people born under the zodiac sign of cancer or who have cancer rising. But Charlie Brown is also very emotional and even at times cranky. He's kind of moody and and hard to predict, whether he's going to be in a good mood or a bad mood.
00:05:12:08 – 00:05:38:12
Unknown
Actually, Charlie Brown has a tendency to swing more towards the melancholic. Nevertheless, Charlie Brown is very bonded to his peers. He he feels very strongly and powerfully about them, even though at times he might be a bit of an outsider or even a target of criticism and ridicule. Charlie Brown is really the hearth and home of the peanuts characters.
00:05:38:14 – 00:05:42:14
Unknown
He may not be a Leo, which is a more similar type of personality,
00:05:42:14 – 00:05:47:16
Unknown
He's the character that all the other peanuts characters interact with the most.
00:05:47:18 – 00:06:18:09
Unknown
Linus, to me, is obviously a Pisces. Never without his famous security blanket and fond of sucking his thumb. Linus often comes across as living in a bit of a dream world, letting his fanciful imagination run away with him. But at the same time, Linus also exhibits an uncanny, prescient wisdom the sort of wisdom that we often see with people born under the zodiac sign of Pisces, or who have Pisces rising.
00:06:18:11 – 00:06:31:07
Unknown
After this discussion, the two of them turn and walk towards the skating pond, where the other kids, like Schroder and Frieda and Violet and Paddy are skating and enjoying themselves.
00:06:31:12 – 00:06:43:11
Unknown
now, another character that's skating on the skating pond is Snoopy, Charlie Brown's dog. And Snoopy is skating solo on the pond showing all of these tricks that he has mastered.
00:06:43:13 – 00:06:56:06
Unknown
He grabs Lucy's hand and skates forward in one direction, and Lucy holds onto it, and she grabs the hand of Schroeder, who grabs the hand of Violet and then Sally, and then Paddy and etc.
00:06:56:10 – 00:07:25:19
Unknown
So the kids join hands, and they make a long tail. And Snoopy decides to play crack the whip and sends the kids flying in all directions. After this, Snoopy gets sight of Linus and Charlie Brown, and he charges at them, and he grabs Linus blanket in his mouth and drags Linus around the lake, and as he drags Linus around the lake, they run past Charlie Brown, who gets wrapped up in Linus blanket, and Snoopy spins them both around wildly.
00:07:25:19 – 00:07:43:13
Unknown
Charlie Brown is snapped off. He spins on the ice and he goes flying off the ice and slides into a tree, where he slams into the top of a tree and a pile of snow on the tree falls over him. And up out of this mound of snow comes the title A Charlie Brown Christmas.
00:07:43:15 – 00:07:58:18
Unknown
Hey there, it's Amanda here, and I hope you're loving this episode from Christopher. I just wanted to pop in with a very special invitation for you. We are hosting our 10th annual Year Ahead forecast event on January 20th and 21st.
00:07:58:20 – 00:08:10:12
Unknown
This is a donation based pay as you wish event featuring some of the world's top astrologers, including Adam Lambert, Penny Thornton, Gemini Brett, Rebecca Gordon and more.
00:08:10:14 – 00:08:33:19
Unknown
over the course of two days, you will get clarity on the major transits shaping 2026 and how they ripple into 2027. How to take advantage of the opportunities that arise during times of big change. How to prepare for some of the most defining transits of our entire lifetime. And you're going to get insights on the hot spots of the year that you can put into your calendar.
00:08:33:21 – 00:08:54:08
Unknown
Together, we will explore the must know transits and energies of 2026 so you can move into the New Year feeling clear, confident and aligned. Save your spot today at astrology have.com/20 26 forecast. We will also put that link in the show notes. And now back to the episode.
00:08:54:10 – 00:09:28:02
Unknown
So Charles Schulz signals right from the beginning that this is not going to be some sentimental, precious Christmas special that he's dealing with children. Children who can be mean to one another, but also who are very reflective and sophisticated. This is a world populated by children in which adults do not ever appear. And so this is the beginning of A Charlie Brown Christmas special, and it continues with Charlie Brown walking over to Lucy's psychiatric booth.
00:09:28:04 – 00:09:59:15
Unknown
Now Lucy is the older sister of Linus, where Linus tends to be more withdrawn and sensitive, reflective and wise. Lucy has a tendency to be much more aggressive and bossy. She fancies herself the most beautiful girl in the peanuts circle. And the most dominating and domineering. She also has ambitions to be a psychiatrist. And so she occupies her psychiatrist's booth that has a sign that says Psychiatric Advice $0.05.
00:09:59:17 – 00:10:12:14
Unknown
So when Lucy sees Charlie Brown head over to her booth. She quickly hurries over, grabs the sign which reads the doctor is out and switches it around so that it reads that the doctor is in.
00:10:12:16 – 00:10:35:10
Unknown
So Lucy asks Charlie Brown, may I help you? And Charlie Brown answers. I'm in sad shape. And Lucy says, wait a minute before you begin, I must ask that you pay in advance. $0.05 please. At which point Lucy produces a tin can with a slot on top of it. A slot where money is to be deposited like a piggy bank.
00:10:35:12 – 00:10:44:06
Unknown
Charlie Brown digs in his pocket a little bit and fishes out a nickel, and he takes it out, and he puts it in the can where it lands with a loud clank.
00:10:44:07 – 00:11:12:03
Unknown
And Lucy says, boy, what a sound. I love hearing that old money plate, that beautiful sound of cold, hard cash. That beautiful, beautiful sound. Nickels, nickels, nickels. That beautiful sound of plunking nickels. All right, now what seems to be your trouble? And Charlie Brown responds, I feel depressed. I know I should be happy, but I'm not.
00:11:12:05 – 00:11:35:21
Unknown
And Lucy responds. Well, as they say on TV, the mere fact that you realize you need help indicates that you are not too far gone. I think we'd better pinpoint your fears. If we can find out what you're afraid of, then we can label it. Are you afraid of responsibility? If you are, then you have hype and gia phobia.
00:11:35:23 – 00:11:56:07
Unknown
And Charlie Brown says. I don't think that's quite it. And then Lucy goes on to recite a list of different phobias. Each time Charlie Brown shaking his hand, he's not convinced. No, no, he's not afraid of this. And he's not afraid of that. And then finally, Lucy asks, what about Pepto phobia? And Charlie Brown says, well, what's that?
00:11:56:13 – 00:12:25:14
Unknown
And Lucy says, the fear of everything. And Charlie Brown says, that's it. Actually, Lucy, my trouble is Christmas. I just don't understand it. Instead of feeling happy, I feel sort of let down. Lucy thinks for a moment. You need involvement. You need to get involved in some real Christmas project. How would you like to be director of our Christmas play?
00:12:25:17 – 00:12:51:20
Unknown
Charlie Brown's like. But Lucy insists, I think it would be a good idea. And don't worry, Charlie Brown, I'll be there to help you. Incidentally, I know how you feel about all this Christmas business getting depressed and all that. It happens to me every year. I never get what I really want. I always get a lot of stupid toys or a bicycle or clothes or something like that.
00:12:51:22 – 00:12:58:10
Unknown
And Charlie Brown asks her, well, what is it that you want? And Lucy responds. Real estate.
00:12:58:12 – 00:13:15:15
Unknown
Now Lucy to me is clearly a Capricorn where all the other kids want toys and things like that for Christmas. Lucy wants something that's very permanent and something that she can invest in, something that will grow more valuable with time. Like, as she says, real estate.
00:13:15:17 – 00:13:39:16
Unknown
Lucy is the older sister to Linus, and she often scowls at the way that he still carries around his security blanket and sucks his thumb. Lucy is very adult. She is very commanding, and she's very realistic when it comes to the world and the way that it functions. But at the same time, Lucy is very protective and caring for her little brother, Linus.
00:13:39:18 – 00:14:00:06
Unknown
In fact, in the other, Charlie Brown special, which is called It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, when Linus is left alone in the pumpkin patch waiting for the Great Pumpkin to appear, and he never does appear. I think it's like 4 a.m. in the morning or something like that. And he's fallen asleep alone in the pumpkin patch, and he's shivering with cold.
00:14:00:08 – 00:14:38:15
Unknown
It's Lucy, it's Lucy who comes and collects him and carries him home and tucks him into bed. So Lucy may be rough and tough on the outside, but she's still very caring and very protective of the people that she is bonded with, the people that she loves in her life. So after Charlie Brown gets his psychiatric advice and agrees to direct the Christmas play, he walks past Snoopy's doghouse and he sees his dog, Snoopy, and Charlie Brown and Snoopy have a bit of an odd relationship.
00:14:38:17 – 00:15:02:00
Unknown
It's actually a very realistic relationship between a human and a dog. Like anyone who's own dog knows that sometimes the dog listens to you, and sometimes the dog doesn't. And sometimes even at the dog park, the dog. Your dog may go and approach other people and want to be taken home by them instead of you. So Snoopy has this kind of independence to Charlie Brown.
00:15:02:02 – 00:15:34:00
Unknown
So Charlie Brown is heading on home and he walks by Snoopy's, doghouse, and he sees that Snoopy is carrying a box of Christmas lights and decorations. And Charlie Brown, being very curious is, you know, moves closer to see what Snoopy is all about. And he asks, Snoopy what's what's going on here? And Snoopy is putting together a crazy display that covers his doghouse up of a display of decorations and Christmas lights, and a big sign that says Merry Christmas and all sorts of things.
00:15:34:02 – 00:16:01:16
Unknown
And so Charlie Brown is like, what's going on here? Snoopy and Snoopy who never talks hands, Charlie Brown a piece of paper. And Charlie Brown is like, what's this? And he reads aloud from the paper and it says, find the true meaning of Christmas when money, money, money, money. Spectacular, super colossal neighborhood Christmas lights and display contest. And Charlie Brown looks at his dog and says, lights and display contest.
00:16:01:18 – 00:16:25:16
Unknown
Oh, no. And then he turns to the camera and exclaims, even my own dog has gone commercial! And this is a wonderful moment, because what we're seeing underline here the is the message that people are getting together to celebrate Christmas, but it's not being done in the spirit of Christmas. It's it's being done out of the commercialism of Christmas.
00:16:25:21 – 00:16:58:13
Unknown
You know, people want things and they don't really, open up their hearts to the generosity of the season. And even Snoopy is very transactional, which is very Mercury ruled, which goes along with his zodiac sign, Gemini. And, he does things if he gets fed or a treat or something along those lines. So Snoopy is the one who's, hit upon this idea of setting up this Christmas display, and he's entered himself into a contest.
00:16:58:15 – 00:17:24:15
Unknown
It's funny where where the, peanuts characters are very much a community, and they're they interact pretty much among themselves. Snoopy is the one who sort of goes in and out of this orb. Of of this place of relating. He goes out into the world and comes back and things along those lines. And it's Snoopy who, for instance, seems to also be the most educated of the peanuts gang.
00:17:24:17 – 00:17:48:02
Unknown
There's an earlier point in the special where Charlie Brown is, Pastor Snoopy, who's perched on top of his doghouse with a huge pile of bones that he's snacking on while he's reading a newspaper. So he's very Gemini in the way that he socializes with everyone. Basically gets along with everyone, and he can be a little bit mercurial at the same time, mercurial, changeable.
00:17:48:02 – 00:18:04:13
Unknown
And his allegiance is where Charlie Brown is more changeable in terms of his mood. Snoopy is more changeable in terms of his allegiances, and doesn't think twice about making fun of someone behind their back or imitating them or something along those lines.
00:18:04:15 – 00:18:10:12
Unknown
this has an interesting parallel in astrology because Mercury, which is the ruler of Gemini and Virgo,
00:18:10:14 – 00:18:13:11
Unknown
is neither a benefic or a malefic.
00:18:13:13 – 00:18:43:22
Unknown
Okay, so it's not a benefic like Venus and Jupiter, which are planets that bring good things, or a malefic like Mars and Saturn, which are planets that bring tough, bad or challenging things. And Mercury is also not a luminary like the moon is a luminary and the sun is a luminary. Mercury stands apart and alone, but at the same time, Mercury is said to reflect whatever planet that it's closest to, and an astrological chart.
00:18:43:24 – 00:19:08:09
Unknown
So if Mercury is near a malefic, it can have a tendency to be more acidic or disparaging in its tone. Whereas if Mercury is next to a benefic, it has a tendency to be more constructive, more upbeat, more positive. So Mercury was always regarded as a planet that was sizing up the astrological situation in a chart before it professed its allegiance.
00:19:08:15 – 00:19:43:12
Unknown
But at the same time felt that it could very easily change those allegiance and allegiances, depending on what was going on in terms of other people's astrological charts or transits that were moving through the chart itself. The person that, Charlie Brown meets after he meets with Snoopy is his little sister Sally, and, Charlie Brown meets Sally, who's holding a clipboard and a pen, and Sally says, I've been looking for you, big brother, will you please write a letter to Santa Claus for me?
00:19:43:14 – 00:20:09:01
Unknown
And Charlie Brown says, well, I don't have much time. I'm supposed to get to the school auditorium and direct the Christmas play. And Sally basically ignore him. Ignoring him continues. You write it and I'll tell you what I want to say. And Charlie Brown takes the clipboard and the pencil begins writing. Okay, shoot. And Sally continues. Dear Santa Claus, how have you been?
00:20:09:03 – 00:20:38:03
Unknown
How's your wife? Did you have a nice summer? I wish it was. I've been extra good this year, so I have a long list of presents that I want. And Charlie Brown. Oh, brother Sally, ignoring him and continuing. Please note the size and color of each item and send as many as possible. And if it seems too complicated, make it easy on yourself and just send money.
00:20:38:05 – 00:21:03:22
Unknown
How about tens and 20s and Charlie Brown? Tens and 20s. Oh, even my own baby sister. And Sally says as Charlie Brown walks off, disgusted. All I want is what I have coming to me. All I want is my fair share. To me, Sally is very much a Sagittarius, okay, which is a Jupiter ruled, zodiac sign.
00:21:03:24 – 00:21:07:17
Unknown
This to me, explains her, relationship to Linus.
00:21:07:20 – 00:21:16:07
Unknown
Linus was born under Pisces, which is Jupiter ruled, and Sally. Sally is born under Sagittarius, which is also Jupiter ruled.
00:21:16:09 – 00:21:29:18
Unknown
In the Great Pumpkin episode of Charlie Brown, it's Sally who accompanies Linus to the pumpkin patch, and it's Sally who wants to believe, alongside Linus, that the Great Pumpkin is going to arrive.
00:21:29:20 – 00:21:56:09
Unknown
And of course, when the Great Pumpkin doesn't arrive or actually arrives in the form of Snoopy, who is then exposed as, passing himself off as the Great Pumpkin, it's Sally who feels the most betrayed and the most let down. So belief plays a very strong role in people who are born under Sagittarius and Pisces. Pisces has a tendency to extend, disbelief in its belief.
00:21:56:09 – 00:22:13:00
Unknown
In other words, if things don't turn out, Pisces believes that they're not turning out for a reason. Probably a higher reason that they don't understand, maybe a mysterious reason or something like that. And so they will continue with the belief and maybe even reinforce it following a disappointment.
00:22:13:06 – 00:22:19:09
Unknown
Sagittarians have a tendency to be more fiery about the issue of belief, and to be a bit more blunt.
00:22:19:11 – 00:22:48:20
Unknown
And so what we see with Sally is that she is very much born under a fire sign. She wants her fair share. She wants the things that are coming to her. She's much more, extroverted and, popular than her older brother, Charlie Brown. But at the same time, she's very closely knit to Charlie Brown, particularly through her crush, her unrequited crush on Charlie Brown's best friend, Linus.
00:22:48:22 – 00:23:15:03
Unknown
So Charlie Brown shows up at the, school auditorium to direct the Christmas play. After sort of composing some notes, directorial notes that he's going to make. And so when he shows up there, there's this famous scene where the kids are, like, dancing around you know, to this fabulous jazz music. Schroeder is playing away on the piano and Snoopy is playing on guitar, and and they're kind of like a little jazz group right there.
00:23:15:05 – 00:23:37:11
Unknown
And, there are twins who are never named or, like, dancing like this. And different people are doing, like, beat dancing and, and things like this. And the whole point of getting together is to dance to this music and have a lot of fun. And, and the last thing on their mind is anything like a Christmas play. They showed up, but they don't really have much interest in it.
00:23:37:13 – 00:24:02:21
Unknown
And so Charlie Brown can see that directing this Christmas play is going to be analogous to herding a bunch of cats. And so, Lucy hands out the script and casts the roles, and, and people are playing all these different parts and things like that. And, Charlie Brown gets everyone's attention and tries to give them direction, but they're always getting lost in conversation with one another.
00:24:02:21 – 00:24:22:08
Unknown
Or Schroeder starts playing. If it's a dull moment and they go back to their dancing. Now there's a bit where Lucy does try to take control and, you know, she, she, has casted people in the play and, and she, you know, is getting them together to focus on their lines and, and their parts and things like that.
00:24:22:10 – 00:24:45:00
Unknown
And she's turned to Snoopy and said, well, you're going to play all the animals in the manger. And so Snoopy is like, okay. And she's like, asks him if he can imitate different animals. And he does in a very sort of Charlie Chaplin esque way. And, she's delighted and satisfied with it. And then, Snoopy, when she's not looking, starts to imitate her behind her back.
00:24:45:02 – 00:25:05:11
Unknown
You know, she's giving out, directions and things like that. And it's actually an extremely funny and hysterical and very Gemini, type of scene. And then she turns around like, you know, are you imitating me? And he looks are right across the face. And Lucy screams, I've been kissed. I've been kissed by a dog. I have dog germs.
00:25:05:13 – 00:25:26:04
Unknown
Get hot water, get disinfectant, get some iodine, you know. And so, of course, this brings everything to a huge halt. Charlie Brown actually is a very it's doing a very good job at directing in terms of like what he wants to do. He's got a vision of what this Christmas play, which is essentially and activity play is supposed to do.
00:25:26:10 – 00:25:53:00
Unknown
And he, gives everyone direction as if he were coaching a baseball team. I mean, that's his background and, and and he gives them, you know, hand signals, like a baseball thing like this means moving faster. This means go. This means go in this direction. This means go in that direction. It's all very thought out. And, and of course, the kids ignore him because at that point, Charlie Brown has become an adult, you know, an authority.
00:25:53:02 – 00:26:12:10
Unknown
And the thing that happens to authorities in the peanuts universe is that they get tuned out. I think the only time you ever hear from an authority is a teacher in class, and you never hear the teacher's, words. It's like warm and warm. Warm, long, warm war, you know? And it's the kids just naturally churning out adults.
00:26:12:12 – 00:26:39:15
Unknown
And they're doing the same thing with Charlie Brown, who is very earnest about wanting to do this Christmas play about doing this nativity story. And so the play is a disorganized mess. No one's paying attention, and they're dancing and they're having all kinds of fun. And so Charlie Brown and Lucy decide that what they need most to set the proper mood to kind of center everyone's attention and their focus is a Christmas tree.
00:26:39:17 – 00:26:54:14
Unknown
Okay. And so, and so Lucy's like, why don't you go out and get a Christmas tree? And Charlie Brown is like, sure, I'll go ahead and do that. And Lucy says, I want an aluminum tree and Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown wants a real one, a living tree.
00:26:54:17 – 00:27:21:07
Unknown
Now, believe it or not, aluminum Christmas trees were a thing. Aluminum Christmas trees were a popular fixture in 1960s America, and the Aluminum Specialty Company of Manitowoc, Wisconsin helped launch the craze. Their tree, the Ever Gleam, was the most popular tree available, and millions of them found their way into American households.
00:27:21:09 – 00:27:55:01
Unknown
So Charlie Brown and Linus go shopping for a Christmas tree. They wind up at a Christmas tree lot, which is full of aluminum Christmas trees. But they have trouble finding a real one. Charlie Brown has his heart set on finding a real living Christmas tree and not a fake one. And eventually they do. It's a small little tree in the corner of the lot, with maybe about three little branches, and it's teeny, and whenever they pick it up or move it around, it has a tendency to shed its needles and a little cloud of sprinkles.
00:27:55:03 – 00:28:22:12
Unknown
Charlie Brown says to Linus, this little green one here seems to need a home. And Linus says, I don't know, Charlie Brown. Remember what Lucy said? This doesn't seem to fit the modern spirit. And Charlie Brown replies, I don't care. Well, decorate it and it will be just right for our play. Besides, I think it needs me. And so they purchased the Christmas tree and they bring it back home.
00:28:22:14 – 00:28:47:23
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Now it is very much what you would imagine a Charlie Brown Christmas tree to be despondent and a bit depressed. Okay, in the lot they were surrounded by these aluminum trees that were orange and yellow and pink and bright and huge and tall. And here they come back to the auditorium with a little tree that sprinkles and sheds its needles whenever someone holds it.
00:28:48:00 – 00:29:11:19
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And so everyone looks aghast at this tree. They're completely appalled and surprised and just, just they're like, this is the worst thing ever. And it's Violet who's the first one to break the silence? And she says, boy, are you stupid. Charlie Brown! And Patty chimes in with, what kind of tree is that? And Lucy says, you were supposed to get a good tree.
00:29:11:23 – 00:29:15:02
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Can't you even tell a good tree from a poor tree?
00:29:15:04 – 00:29:22:00
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And Violet says to Lucy, I told you he'd goof it up. He's not the kind you can depend on to do anything right.
00:29:22:05 – 00:29:33:21
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And Patty says, you're hopeless. Charlie Brown completely hopeless. And Lucy, shaking her head, says, you've been done before, Charlie Brown. But this time really did it.
00:29:33:23 – 00:29:42:23
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and the kids and Snoopy laugh as they all walk away, leaving Charlie Brown alone with Linus in silence.
00:29:43:04 – 00:30:02:01
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And finally, Charlie Brown says. I guess you were right, Linus. I shouldn't have picked this little tree. 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?
00:30:02:03 – 00:30:22:10
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And after a moment Linus says, sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about. Linus then walks to the center of the stage, dragging his blanket behind him. He addresses someone in the tech booth and says, lights, please. The auditorium lights dim and a spotlight shines on Linus,
00:30:22:12 – 00:30:51:20
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And then Linus says, 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 you tidings of great joy, which will be to all people.
00:30:51:22 – 00:31:22:20
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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, goodwill toward men.
00:31:22:22 – 00:31:47:02
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Linus picks up his blanket and approaches Charlie Brown. That's what Christmas is all about. Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown picks up the little tree and he walks out past the group of quiet kids. Charlie Brown walks past them out of the school auditorium and out into the snowy night, and he gazes up at the stars,
00:31:47:04 – 00:32:08:13
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And Charlie Brown says Linus is right. I won't let all this commercialism ruin my Christmas. I'll take this little tree home and decorate it, and I'll show them that it really will work in our play. And Charlie Brown walks past Snoopy's over decorated dog house ablaze in lights and sees that it's won first prize.
00:32:08:15 – 00:32:11:17
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And Charlie Brown says first prize.
00:32:11:19 – 00:32:38:19
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Charlie Brown happily sets down his little tree, which sheds a few more needles, and he sees a red ornament that he picks from Snoopy's doghouse, and he hangs it on the tree. The tree slumps over from the weight of the bulb. At that point, Charlie Brown cries out, I've killed it! Oh, everything I touch gets ruined. Charlie Brown exits, leaving the sad little tree bent over in the snow.
00:32:39:00 – 00:32:56:20
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the peanuts kids enter and they gather around the tree. And it's Linus who says, I never thought it was such a bad little tree. And Linus pulls up the droopy branch, and he straightens it out, and he wraps his blanket around the base of the tree so that the tree is now standing upright.
00:32:56:22 – 00:33:02:13
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And Linus says, it's not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love.
00:33:02:16 – 00:33:13:00
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The kids take the ornaments from his prize winning doghouse display and they decorate the tree, transforming it into a beautiful little Christmas tree.
00:33:13:02 – 00:33:29:20
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And Lucy says Charlie Brown is a blockhead. But he did get a nice tree. At which point the kids begin to hum the Christmas carol O Little Town of Bethlehem, and Charlie Brown reenters and asks, what's going on here?
00:33:29:22 – 00:33:44:03
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And the children all shout in unison. Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown and Charlie Brown smiles and joins them in singing Hark! The Herald Angels sing
00:33:44:08 – 00:34:09:05
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The Peanuts Christmas TV special remains one of the few holiday films to be annually aired that so prominently discusses the religious inspiration for Christmas. It's faith based tone was a point of pop culture contention from the beginning, when producer Lee Mendelson and Charles Schulz first pitched the scene with Linus reciting the Gospel of Luke.
00:34:09:07 – 00:34:11:17
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The CBS executives balked.
00:34:11:22 – 00:34:23:10
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we told them we wanted to read a short passage from the Bible. Mendelson told the Star-Telegram a lot of eyebrows went up about that, but the duo did it anyway.
00:34:23:12 – 00:34:57:08
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In the book the Art and Making of Peanuts Animation Celebrating 50 Years of Television Specials. The director, Bill Melendez, said he was frank with Schulz, whom he called Sparky, about the religious implications. Sparky, this is religion, he told Schulz. It just doesn't go in a cartoon. Schulz, who was raised Lutheran but later called himself a secular humanist, offered a simple response Bill if we don't do it, who will?
00:34:57:10 – 00:35:42:01
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me, this is such a pure expression of Jupiter, the planetary ruler of Sagittarius. Spirit is not defined by doctrine, nor is it confined to a house of worship or lorded over by any single religion. It emerges in the coming together of people to celebrate fellowship. A Charlie Brown Christmas is a critique of materialism and return to the simplicity of the Christmas story, which is the promise of hope and peace and goodwill toward humankind, a hope that we still follow to this day like a great star shining in the nighttime sky.