A Charlie Brown Christmas, the 1965 animated classic which has been on the TV every Christmas season for 48 years now, beat the finale of The X Factor in the rush ratings last week:
Simon Cowell’s “X Factor” came to an ignominious end on Thursday night. The battered series not only finished third in its time slot, it drew fewer viewers than a rerun of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” first aired on CBS in 1965. It’s been on TV every year since then. Last night the ABC special pulled 6.41 million total viewers vs. “X Factor” with 6.22 million.
All hope is not lost.
It’s not the best Christmas present ever, but I’m not selling it short either…
The “Charlie Brown Christmas” has been a holiday favorite of mine since it debuted back when I was in grade school. A Charlie Brown Christmas tree became my choice of Christmas decoration as soon as I became an adult and was able to start buying a Christmas trees on my own.
I give copies of it to the children of friends every Christmas with hopes that they pick up on the significance of the show, the straggly tree, and the meaning of Christmas. I still cannot watch the show without choking up a bit. I pray that I never lose that weakness … I wish you all a merry and blessed Christmas …
I am gratified to hear that such an old show stood its own against Simon Cowell.
My favorite heart warming Christmas movie that I make it a point to watch each year is: The Lion In Winter. Peter OToole, Katherine Hepburn in a lovely story about a family that gets together with their children for Christmas.
To my thinking this is THE Christmas special.
Merry Christmas Mitch.
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Yea, I think that WDFL used to run this back to back with Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Both holiday faves in our house.
Another related Christmas treat is the “A Charlie Brown Christmas” soundtrack album by Vince Guaraldi and his combo.
Cool, great, grown-up, 50’s – 60’s-style jazz; basically piano (Guaraldi), bass and drums. The cut “Christmas Time” is a favorite, as well as “Linus and Lucy” AKA: the Charlie Brown theme song. A definite must for us Christmas celebrators of a certain age.
Not nearly as meaningful, but still memory-evoking is “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” Same era.
Arguably the birthplace of the “bubblegum rock/pop” genre thanks to the Snoopy vs. The Red Baron subplot.