Wishing You A Charlie Brown Christmas

Read: Luke 2:1-20

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 1:8-12)

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) is widely considered to be a classic Christmas TV show, and it remains, for me, an all-time favourite. Centred around Charlie Brown’s disillusionment with the commercialization and secularization of Christmas, and his resulting quest for the true meaning of Christmas, this animated Christmas special continues to resonate with new generations of viewers.

On of my favourite moments in the show is when Charlie Brown, having been dispatched to get a “big, shiny, aluminum” Christmas tree for the Christmas play, ends up choosing a tiny dwarfish real tree, which loses more of its precious few needles every time it is touched. Charlie Brown justifies his choice to a sceptical Linus, saying, “I think it needs me.” But when Charlie Brown returns to the auditorium with the little tree, all the other kids make fun of the tree and deride him for choosing such a pathetic tree. Exasperated, Charlie Brown yells out, “Can’t anyone tell me what Christmas is all about???!!” Linus responds by reciting Luke 1:8-12, and concluding “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

Even for us who are Christ-followers, and thus know what Christmas is all about, it’s often far too easy to get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of shopping, and wrapping, and planning, and visiting that we lose sight of the Reason for the Season. May we all refuse to be satisfied with immersing ourselves in the external trappings of Christmas, and instead, like Charlie Brown, embark on a quest to re/discover what Christmas is all about.

Dear Lord Jesus, This Christmas, captivate our hearts and minds anew with the wonder of what you did for us that first Christmas by being born as baby to become our Saviour. In that sense, may this Christmas be, for each of us, a Charlie Brown Christmas. In Jesus’ name. Amen.