In elementary school, I remember before winter break the class would put together a party where we could wear pajamas and bring blankets to snuggle up in, while we enjoyed our hot chocolate, and holiday treats. The teacher would then normally put on a holiday movie that was secretly sneaking in a lesson. 

The 1965 short film animation “A Charlie Brown Christmas” directed by Bill Melendez and written by fellow Minnesotan Charles Schulz; may be a little old and outdated, I believe the lesson behind it still stands. 

The first line said comes from Charlie Brown voiced by Peter Robbins. Charlie is walking with Linus, voiced by Christopher Shea, when Charlie turns to Linus and says, “ I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. Christmas is coming, but I’m not happy. I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to.” Charlie then continues by listing all the things he likes to do around Christmas, but despite those, he still feels depressed. 

This short film meant for children had a lot of deep messages. Although this film is 58 years old, it communicates the idea that Christmas was becoming more commercialized, which is still true to this day. 

The true meaning of the holidays is about being with loved ones, but many people turn it into a competition of who can buy the most presents, who can make the most delicious food and who can decorate their house the grandest. 

It is easy to feel depressed around the holidays like Charlie Brown when happiness is a competition. This is shown in the short film when Charlie and Linus go to find a Christmas tree for the play they are performing. Charlie and Linus walk into a patch of fake, colorful trees and Charlie picks one of the only real trees, it being the smallest and scrawniest out of all of them. His friends did not like the tree so Charlie takes it home to give it a little love by decorating it. In doing so he believes he has killed the tree and walks off to sit with his sorrows because he thinks he ruined Christmas. Later his friends find the scrawny tree and by decorating it and giving it some love it turns into a beautiful little tree. 

This shows that the holidays are not about buying the biggest or most expensive stuff. It is rather about putting love and authenticity into what you have with the people you care about. “Charlie Brown Christmas” does a great job of getting that message to children and even adults whom have lost track of the real reason behind the holidays.