“Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!”

It’s that time of year again – Gleecember! And the best part about this season, aside from the great holiday spirit, is the movies.  Holiday movies always make me smile, and no winter would be complete without A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Not only is it one of the films chosen for our Chick Flick Reviews Christmas Movie Marathon, but it’s one of my favorite Gleecember movies of all time.

A Charlie Brown Christmas is a classic animated tale of Charlie Brown and the Peanuts (Charles Schultz’s comic strip) and their unique perspective of the Christmas holiday.

Charlie Brown is depressed because he can’t seem to find happiness amongst all of the commercial gimmicks that everyone else is so in love with.  He can’t be happy at Christmastime because he doesn’t understand why everyone else is.

He gets put in charge of the Christmas play where he tries to lead it honestly and professionally, but no one seems to want to do anything but dance.  It’s not until Charlie Brown almost reaches his “boiling point” that Linus, the blanket-carrying philosopher, explains to him the true meaning of the holidays and turns Charlie Brown’s perspective around.

Now, beside the fact that it mostly focuses on Christmas and some of the religious aspects of the holiday, I think this movie conveys a great message: the holidays aren’t about gifts or trees, it’s about being happy and thankful for the people in your life and the fortune those people bring.  Charlie Brown realizes that the holidays aren’t about presents, but about surrounding himself with the people he loves most.

Not only is it a classic tale of true holiday spirit, but Schultz has created a timeless movie about the true meaning of the holidays.  Every year, people get caught up in the newest toys and gadgets or the best gifts possible when, in fact, the holidays should truly be viewed as a celebration of happiness and being thankful.

A Charlie Brown Christmas is a short film, it’s classic animation, and it’s got one of the best holiday soundtracks of all time.  Jazz legend Vince Guaraldi and his trio recorded the soundtrack and it contains some of the most memorable holiday tracks of all time.  I haven’t met one person who wouldn’t be able to correctly identify “Linus and Lucy” upon hearing that memorable piano progression.

I give this movie 4 stars.  It falls short of 5 because it’s so short and it’s a little bit of an older title.  If this movie is not already a part of your holiday tradition, you should definitely give it a try this holiday season.