Charlie Brown’s choice of a Christmas tree. Snoopy enjoying a stack of bones reading the newspaper. The out-of-control Christmas pageant. Everyone ice skating. Everyone (but Charlie Brown) dancing. Sally’s list to Santa. Snoopy’s decorated dog house. Linus reminding everyone what it’s all about.
Just try to argue that this isn’t the truth: A Charlie Brown Christmas is the all-time #1 most beloved, faithful TV or movie adaptation of characters first appearing in comic strips or comic books. The holiday classic, only 25 minutes long, was an immediate hit and became embedded in pop culture and holiday traditions around the world, now universally regarded as the best animated adaptation decade after decade. This week it reaches the 60th anniversary of its first appearance on TV–it first aired December 9, 1965.
The show would win both an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award, whose presenters remarked: “Gentleness is a quality that is seldom understood by television writers and directors. A notable exception was a little gem of a show that faithfully and sensitively introduced to television the Peanuts collection of newsprint characters created by Charles Schulz.” Neither of creators Schulz, director Bill Melendez, producer Lee Mendelson, or jazz composer Vince Guaraldi could have known the longevity their work would have reached back in 1965.
Time flies and it’s hard to believe it’s only 10 years since we celebrated the annual holiday show’s 50th year here at borg with a look back at the show in an anniversary special starring Kristen Bell (that show is streaming free now on Vimeo here). For the holiday classic itself, your best bet (if you don’t still have your clamshell VHS copy or DVD) is streaming it here at Amazon (via Apple TV, which is offering a free trial right now).
The Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California, is airing the show free this month, where you can also see artifacts about the Peanuts gang, including an original script from the show as part of its “60 Years of A Charlie Brown Christmas,” exhibit running through January 11, 2026.
The DVD anniversary edition of the classic is available here
C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg
