TVSquad

I will admit this right off the bat: I am just over 34-and-a-half years old. So, when I first saw A Charlie Brown Christmas, it was relatively new, as Christmas specials go. What did I remember from the first time I saw the special, all those years ago? Well, the sickly little tree that wilted under the weight of one ornament, of course. Linus reciting the Bible verse. And the music. Who can forget the music? From the sad refrains of "Christmastime Is Here" to the syncopation of "Linus and Lucy" (which is regrettably being used to sell Ford vehicles these days), it stuck in this five-year-old's brain to the point where I look forward to seeing the show every holiday season, even as an adult.

Which is why it pains me to say this: the most famous Peanuts special of them all is turning -- gulp -- 40 this year. It first aired on CBS on December 9, 1965. ABC plans on airing it in full at 8:00 tonight (with today's complement of commercials, the uncut version runs over 30 minutes).

What's amazing about this special is how, to this day, it seems like it deals with modern themes. Even 40 years ago, Charles Schulz felt that the religious aspect of the Christmas holiday was being lost in a sea of overcommercialization, and had Charlie Brown lament this as he went to look for a Christmas tree for the school play. But Linus was always there to bring things into perspective. "Charlie Brown, you're the only person I know who can take a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem. Maybe Lucy's right. Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, you're the Charlie Browniest," he would tell ol' Chuck.

Even the religious theme, which would have been touchy to pull off in these ultra-PC times, is done gently and with sensitivity. Linus recites the story of Christmas at the rehearsal, answering Charlie Brown's cries of "Isn't there anyone out there who can tell me what Christmas is all about?" and leaves it at that. No beating the religion over the audience's head, and no retreating into the "Happy Holidays" copout, either. Christmas is, in essence, still a religious holiday, and Schulz acknowledges it without shutting out those who like Christmas merely for the festivity and the "Ho Ho Ho".

It's a wonderful show. And if you can't get enough of the gang skating on the pond or Snoopy decorating his house, you can visit the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, CA and see the exhibit dedicated to the show's anniversary. Or you can buy this new CD that brings together modern adult-contemporary artists to redo Vince Guaraldi's classic soundtrack. Or you can just sit back on December 6, relax, and enjoy the cartoon, commercials and all, just the way you did as a kid, which is likely what I'm going to do. I just have to remember to turn up my hearing aid first...