Peanuts for Christmas ~ Greg J

Where I stood was mud the day before. Now that farm road was frozen hard as iron. I pondered:
 
“The TV bosses let a kid quote the Bible for a minute. Maybe there's hope for this world!”

This nostalgic moment is easy for me to pinpoint. I was waiting for the school bus at 7:45 a.m., Friday, December 10, 1965. Many others also were reflecting on the previous evening’s premiere of A Charlie Brown Christmas.

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Over the background brain jazz of “Christmastime is Here” and “Linus and Lucy”,  I reconsidered the words of Linus and Luke: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields…”. 

Commercials urging “Winston tastes good like a cigarette should” and “See the USA in your Chevrolet” had given way to "Glory to God in the highest!" Scary scenes from Selma and Viet Nam were for a while displaced by "Peace on earth, good will to men.” And by a blue blanket.

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Most of the Peanuts kids—kids like me—knew well the Christmas biz. As Lucy confided, “We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket! It's run by a big eastern syndicate you know!” She urged, “Get the biggest aluminum tree you can find, Charlie Brown, maybe painted pink!”

For me, the compelling character in Peanuts was not Charlie Brown, though I felt his pain. Snoopy was more flamboyant than anyone I knew.  I was a Linus fan. Later I learned that Linus was not always the brave evangelist who could calmly summon, “Lights, please.”  Linus had been forgetful, anxious, and odd. For example, rewind to December 21, 1958.

A running gag especially in December was that Linus had stage fright. Lucy continued to encourage Linus in her persuasive way.

I appreciate Linus' compassion. The other kids relentlessly dismiss and ridicule Charlie Brown. Linus is to Charlie a merciful, supportive, frank, and insightful friend.

Linus is unembarrassed about his security blanket.  In A Charley Brown Christmas, this versatile blanket serves as tow rope, slingshot, head covering, hiding place, and potentially a sport coat. Concerning Linus' attachment to his blanket, in 2015 Jason Soroski published a profound observation now echoed at over fifty websites:

In that climactic scene when Linus shares what ‘Christmas is all about’, he drops his security blanket, and I am now convinced that this is intentional. Most telling is the specific moment he drops it: when he utters the words, ‘fear not’.

There is a second blanket drop! Linus selflessly gives his prized blanket to restore the little limp Christmas tree. What do you think becomes of the blanket?

Walk with me in the starry night with Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, and all others who would go. We will purpose our security for kindness.  We will trade cold tinsel for warm treasure. 

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Footnote 1:  Linus steps up.

   1952 ... 1953 ... 1954 ... 1955 ... 1956 ... 1957 ... 1958
    ... 1959 ... 1960 ... 1961 ... 1962 ... 1963 ... 1964 ... 1965
       ... “Every now and then I say the right thing”

Footnote 2:  Linus steps back.
   Other Peanuts characters took much of Linus' role as sage and poet, even slinging a T.S. Eliot reference in one of the following Christmas strips.

  "Begat" ... "House of Bread" ... "Abiding" ...  "Attention" ... "I hate shopping" ...
     "Warned in a Dream" ... "Calling Bird" ...
         "Hark, Harold Angel" ... "Hockey Stick!" ...
            "Joe Handel" ... "Gabriel" ...
               "Sheep" ... "Moo! Whatever!"

Footnote 3: More Peanuts.

   Peanuts for Christ ...
       Peanuts Wiki on A Charlie Brown Christmas ...
            Charles Schulz' Spiritual Walk