Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

classicsoncall Along with the following year's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", are there any other programs that qualify as the most watched shows of all time? Almost from the beginning of this one's 1965 Christmas season debut, it's been a staple of annual television viewing almost without interruption. I've probably seen it a dozen times myself when I was younger, and as new generations of kids are born, parents and grandparents have the advantage of watching it all over again with their families. I hadn't seen it for a long time until I called it up from my local library the other day, and the story still resonates with the true meaning of Christmas in a way that most modern day stories don't even come close. I also took note of a couple items I wasn't aware of before, like 'pantophobia' as the fear of everything (Thank you, Lucy), and a Peanuts Gang character I never knew by name reading the comic strips all these years, the girl with the naturally curly hair; that was Frieda. Perhaps my fondest recollection of the story is Vince Guaraldi's memorable tune, 'Linus and Lucy', and of course the transformation of Charlie Brown's sickly Christmas tree into a work of art by the Peanuts folks. The story is topped off with a reverent rendition of 'Hark The Herald Angels Sing' by all the gang, and is just a fitting way to celebrate every Christmas that comes along. This is a holiday staple I will never get tired of.

Eric Stevenson I almost never review stuff that I've already seen before but I will make an exception if it's something that I rewatch because this is the only thing that I consistently rewatch. In fact, given my current state of movies, it might be the only thing period that I watch over and over. I am so glad to have kept this VHS all this year and I'll never let go of it. This is my pick for the all time best Christmas movie ever. Okay, it's not really a Christmas movie as it's only 25 minutes long. It's a Christmas special or whatever. Christmas related media, I think that works too. It's the only thing I consistently watch every year, at Christmas.This actually wasn't quite the first animated appearance of the "Peanuts" characters. They actually first appeared in the late 1950's in Ford commercials. This is obviously the first TV special they ever did. I think this even set a record for most follow ups on this entire website. I counted 51 last time! Well, none are direct sequels, but you get the idea. I've seen this dozens of times and can probably repeat the entire thing word for word. If real life is ever like "Fahrenheit 911" and we burn stuff, this is the work I'm able to recite. It's gotten to the point where I've noticed every single detail about it.I can even point out every animation error! When we see Lucy's psychiatrist stand, the word "Real In" is sitting on the bottom of the screen in a closeup. When the screen changes, we clearly see that the sign is right next to the other words. When Snoopy first appears on his doghouse, he isn't wearing his collar! I know every inch of this cartoon and am proud of it. What makes this so amazing is that there's just no attempt to be elaborate. Looking at most Christmas specials, they're big with Santa Claus imagery and the like. Instead, we get the most sincere Christmas related thing ever created. Charlie Brown even himself complains about the commercialism that we see relatively little of in the whole thing! Having seen nearly all the other "Peanuts" cartoons, this is the best as the first and it will never be surpassed.The best part is obviously when Linus talks about Jesus' birth. That is the true meaning of Christmas. Even if you don't believe it, just remember that it's all done for the sake of love. It's weird looking back at all the "Peanuts" comics and realizing what jokes they took from them. We're so familiar with this version. They did however invert it when it actually had Linus' famous speech being reused in a 1966 comic strip, actually. The weird thing is that if you think about it, we never really do find out what happens to the Christmas play. I guess we've reached the point where we don't care. Everyone has seen this already, but I'll never get over how great it is. It will last forever. ****

Mr-Fusion One year away from the 50th anniversary of A CHARLIE BROWN Christmas and it's continuing relevance it's impressive. I'm always (even just a little) surprised at how strongly I identify with Charlie Brown's struggle with the meaning of Christmas. He's trying to get at the fundamentals of the holiday, and it's increasingly difficult in our world to hold onto those. And even Linus' quoting of scripture at the end feels right (and I'm not a religious person). There's a purity of message here that's extremely refreshing. That said, this annual special is just another reason to hear Vince Guaraldi's iconic score. That guy's a national treasure and his work has only enriched the holiday music this country has to offer.7/10

Bill Tracy I was born about two weeks before this first aired so you could say I have watched this my whole life. I still get a very nostalgic feeling watching this that I just love. It's a permanent part of my life it seems. Me and my wife have two children who are both adults now and they've watched along with me every year and I hope they'll do the same with their own children someday. This will also help me get into the holiday spirit when everything else happening in my life may be pulling me the other way. I'm sure it does the same for many others! I love all of the Charlie Brown specials but this has to be my favorite. Next would be the Great Pumpkin and then the Thanksgiving one. I'm sure these will all be enjoyed until the end of time.