It is time once again for a holiday television spectacular! All the Christmas specials are already beginning to run. They have for the past week also. A select group of United States stations traditionally specialize in Christmas gems, such as CBS for animated specials, TMC for movies, or ABC Family for the big mix of movies, specials, and animated tales. As usual, we stay tuned to TBS for a full 24 hour “A Christmas Story” marathon and the traditional showing of the popular Christmas classic, “It is a Wonderful Life,” on Christmas Eve on NBC. Early in the season, they begin to run “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” That is one of my favorites. It will probably run several times during the next month. I hope so. Commercial television this time of year is like a peppermint stick dipped in whipped cream: the sugar rush will either thrill you or make you jumpy enough to hide in the garage until New Year’s Day.
Charlie Brown has the blues. His head is down, and he carries his usual forlorn look. This time, he “just does not know what Christmas is all about.” Lucy tells him it is about getting presents; his sister, Sally, says it is about Santa Claus; Snoopy thinks it is about winning the neighborhood lights and display contest. Even the Christmas pageant turns into a dance a thon, with all the kids complaining about their parts. One proposal is that Christmas must have something to do with a big artificial tree. But all this celebration only leaves Charlie Brown more miserable. Eventually, he cries out in despair, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” I have been asking the same question for some time now, and it seems I ask it again every Christmas. I forget sometimes because of the hustle and bustle of life. Tom Thatcher writes, “When we look around and see what Christmas means in our culture, we are often forced to ask the same question. Even in Japan, a country where there have never been many Christians, Christmas is celebrated with decorations, parties, and presents as a commercial holiday. In many ways it is hard to see how things are any different where we live. Did Jesus come so that we could celebrate His birthday with expensive cards and presents and parties? And, honestly, do we really need Jesus to have Christmas, or would it be just as much fun without Him?” Many non Christian cultures celebrate the season as the “Holiday Season,” not the Christmas season.
I understand that the first Christmas special in 1965, the year I graduated from High School, Charles Schulz insisted that the television special ended with an explanation of the true meaning of Christmas. It barely made it past the censors, but since he would not allow it to air without it, we get Linus’ famous reading of the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke. He begins, “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field.” Then, after quoting the rest of Luke 2:8 through 14, he says, “That is what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” That is what Christmas is all about and no matter what occurs in all the other television specials, do not you forget it!