the tindog coffeehouse

mental_floss has the story behind the class A Charlie Brown Christmas… and why it almost didn’t air.

I’ve always been a huge fan of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the gang, so naturally I make it a point to watch the Charlie Brown specials whenever they’re on, especially the Christmas special, and it’s become a holiday tradition for us and the kids. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without Charlie Brown’s sad little Christmas tree.

I’ve always wondered how they could get away with quoting Scripture in prime time, and I wonder every year if this will be the year ABC will edit it out and replace it with some sort of product placement spiel for Disneyworld. In recent years, they’ve followed the original version with a newer Peanuts Christmas cartoon which is more Santa-oriented. While still good, it definitely lacks the heart and soul that Charles Schulz put into his characters which made the original Christmas special so endearing.

And don’t even get me started on Shrek the Halls.