Is ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ Really the Best Holiday Movie to Ever Exist?

Published 12/23/2023, 4:08 AM EST

via Imago

The best thing about the sneering coldness of December is that the essence of warmth is more comforting than in the tropical seasons. Unlike the rest, the season’s bidding also brings forth both the old and new, along with its appetite for binge marathons, holiday traditions, and celebrations. The rare thing about the Christmas jitters is they hold leverage to the sound memories of childhood with movies like A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Christmas Carol, or The Polar Express.

Even though they are children-oriented, they somehow bring the lightheartedness of the true spirit of Christmas as an eye-opener, especially A Charlie Brown Christmas. Here is why.

Why A Charlie Brown Christmas will remain ahead of its time

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Based on the comic strip Peanuts, A Charlie Brown Christmas is a 1965 animated television special that debuted on CBS. Staying true to its Christmas feels, the children’s movie was more than a feel-good program, as it found relevance in instilling life’s meaning from early on. While many thought that the big day was all about wishing for the stars, Charlie Brown was the one who taught the world how it is all about the merriment and joy one finds in the little things. 

Feeling like an outsider on the seasonal tides is nothing new. Moreover, people often feel left out due to the delirious expectations of commercial underlining like big-budgeted parties or luxurious vacations. Keeping in mind that society is not staged at equilibrium, the movie was a way to teach youngsters to be just beyond the facade of glitters and extravagant gifts. The Christmas Tree which became the nodal point of the story was the most prominent highlight of how the virtual overpowers the real, only when one lets it. 

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Other than its compelling storyline of revising the real meaning of Christmas, it also became a winner in its aesthetic sense.

The mastery of A Charlie Brown Christmas 

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The Christmas season is nothing without the hitting bricks of nostalgia. And A Charlie Brown Christmas is a reminder of the reality. Although it embarks to deeply negotiate with the honest implications, it never was overburdening. Hence, even with the long list of Christmas-fitting movies, none is as pleasant to witness and convincing. Furthermore, the animation by Bill Melendez Production was spot on. Along with its simplistic storytelling, it served as a moral anecdote.

More beautifully, it captivated the audience with the fusion of traditional Christmas music and jazz. Two soundtracks that became the biggest takeaways from the movie were ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing’ and ‘Christmas Time is Here’. Apart from that, the film had a soothingly appropriate background score to add to the feel. A storehouse of Christmas feels against the customary leverage of expected rituals is why A Charlie Brown Christmas remains the best retreat for the season’s binge.

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Do you think A Charlie Brown Christmas is an apt movie for the season? Let us know in the comments below!

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Anushka Bhattacharya

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I'm Anushka Bhattacharya, an entertainment journalist at Netflix Junkie. Armed with a degree in literature, I once wielded my words to catalyze change within society through my work with NGOs. However, as I stumbled into the exuberant hole of crime thrillers and documentaries on Netflix, it was love at first sight and pushed me into entertainment journalism.

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