A Charlie Brown Christmas

OK, I'm not going to link to any of the various and infinite videos and images, pirated and otherwise, to Charles M. Schulz's "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

Let me just say two words, however. Pink (and) red. And quite a bit of Violet. I don't remember being so struck as I was Wednesday night by the amounts of red, yellow green and blue, all highly saturated, that filled the show.

My favorite moment (after Snoopy sitting on his dog house, crunching bones from an endless pile and reading a newspaper) was Lucy, capped in a red hat and wrapped in a purple coat, in the scene leading to her asking Charlie Brown to direct the Christmas play.

And when Linus says "Lights, please?!" the whole auditorium goes pink and purple.


That a 45-year-old-show still has such power and draw (we have a group at work quite devoted to it) says a lot for the staying power of its message and the every-day-ness of its characters.

And, as a coda, Vince Guaraldi died much too young.

Thank you Charles M. Schulz, Vince Guaraldi, Lee Mendelsohn, Bill Melendez and all members of the "Graphic Blandishments" crew and the delightful children who gave voice to Charlie, Linus, Schroeder, Lucy, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts crew.

You make my Christmas every year.