I have never loved a singular piece of media more than the Charlie Brown television specials. The old DVDs stack neatly downstairs in my home, stained with glitter glue and cookie crumbs. I know for certain my brother and I have seen each special at least a dozen times. Our favorite stretch of them was the big three coinciding with the end of the year: It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Although Halloween is over, nothing competes with the magic of The Great Pumpkin. We used to watch the special well into November every year, eyes wide, trying to suppress our fear over the spooky sequences. For a film following multiple side quests wrapped around Linus’ belief in a Great Pumpkin (a Halloween Santa Claus), the highlight of the hijinks for us was always Snoopy’s World War I side plot. Watching the beloved beagle fight a mythical version of the real Red Baron from his doghouse was mind-blowing. For a children’s Halloween special, you wouldn’t expect such an out-there sequence (I mean, what kid knows what WWI is?), but that commitment to creativity and heart is a core of the Charlie Brown series as a whole.
With Thanksgiving break approaching, there is no greater time to put on the Thanksgiving special. As a long-time lover of the holiday, this special was my most repeated. Everything, from the Snoopy chair fight to the croons of composer Vince Guaraldi’s “Little Birdie” tune, entertained me enough to let my grandpa roast the turkey. Poor Charlie Brown is suckered into having a Friendsgiving where he has no choice but to prep a meal of snacks. As his friends kept inviting themselves over, it was always hilarious to watch Snoopy and Woodstock play amateur chef. We would finish our watch-time to coincide with the end of the film, traveling to Grandma’s house for Thanksgiving dinner.
The DVD we owned also included an episode of the TV series, paired with the Thanksgiving special as “The Mayflower Voyagers.” Obviously, this retelling of Plymouth Rock and the first Thanksgiving is widely inaccurate and problematic; however, as a kid, I was obsessed with how the animation perfectly captured my home state of Massachusetts.
Then there's the magnum opus of all Charlie Brown media. The Christmas special, which was the first animation in the series, is deeply ingrained in the fabric of my family’s Christmas celebration, along with the holiday in general. My mom used to dazzle us with stories of their Charlie Brown trees (picked specifically for their raggedy shape like in the special) before we kids were born. We would watch it every Christmas Eve, bellies full of ham and sugar cookies, eagerly awaiting Santa. Guaraldi delivers hit after hit in the score; the jazzy “Linus and Lucy” is a staple of Christmas radio stations and music. More downbeat songs like “Christmas Time Is Here” are perfect for a calm, reflective, silent night.
Every Charlie Brown special is run on creativity. The animation alone has both home and nostalgia seeped into the characters, the settings and the movement. Although they were made in the ’60s and ’70s, the artistry in each frame (including the beautiful watercolor backgrounds) looks better than aged CGI and current AI slop. The music is fantastic, with Guaraldi pumping out hit after hit. A criticism lobbed at the franchise has been its lack of a concrete plot, something I refuse to see as a bad thing. Each subplot and moment of the special serves a purpose, whether it be comedy or heart. Watching Lucy tuck her brother Linus into bed in The Great Pumpkin as a five-year-old instilled in me the need to always care for my brother. The series has taught children how to lead with their hearts and care for their friends. One of the hallmarks of the series will always be the caroling of each character in the Christmas special, all singing together in childlike harmony on behalf of their friend.
Thanksgiving will be the first time I’m back at home since August. I’ll see my brother and drive the flat roads of the suburbs while we talk about his high school. When I sit down to dinner, I’ll eat a plate of homemade turkey, cranberry sauce and rolls that my grandmother has perfected over years of seeping love into her cooking. All my relatives will coo over my first semester, asking for a course rundown and a life plan.
When I get too overwhelmed, I’ll escape into the den and watch the Thanksgiving special with my brother. We’ll sit together, sleepy heads on pillows, and I’ll remember a simpler time of playground games and packed lunches. Dozing off and filled with turkey, we’ll switch over to the Christmas special. Closing my eyes to the brilliant music, I’ll be reminded of all the love and heart this series taught me.
Charlie Brown may be a blockhead. But he’s the blockhead who's provided millions with nostalgia and joy — something I know this series will continue to do for generations.
Kate LaGatta is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at kal273@cornell.edu.
