By Jess Owens – News Editor 

The animated movie “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is a 1965 television special and was the first TV special based on the comic strip “Peanuts” by Charles M. Schulz. The movie was produced by Lee Mendelson and directed by Bill Melendez. 

The program debuted on CBS on December 9, 1965, and it remains a Christmas classic to this day.

Depressed at the commercialism he sees around him, Charlie Brown tries to find a deeper meaning to Christmas. His friend Lucy suggests that he becomes the director of the school Christmas pageant. He accepts but it becomes a struggle for him.

Charlie doesn’t want to let commercialism ruin his Christmas so he attempts to restore the proper spirit with a pitiful, little fir Christmas tree to show his cast that the “sad” tree will still work in the play, even though it is not what the others originally wanted.

Charlie uses the little tree to show his cast that they don’t need the type of Christmas that they see on commercials and that all they need is their loved ones around them. The story is meant to show them that there’s more to the holiday than just presents and money.

One of the most admirable things in the movie is that Charlie started off hating Christmas but came to love it when he learned what it was truly about. Another admirable thing about the movie is that it was people around him that helped him realize the true meaning of Christmas.

This is a great movie for kids being that it teaches them it is not about what presents they get but about what they can do for other people to spread Christmas cheer during the happiest time of the year.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars