A Charlie Brown Christmas
Animation, Christmas, Family, Short
Paramount Pictures  (1965) 25 mins TV-G

8.4 (8,513 votes)
Charlie Brown is depressed. While his friends and family are enjoying the Christmas season, he can't seem to get into the spirit of the holiday. He can't help but feel that it's become too commercial. His baby sister is asking Santa for money, his friend Lucy wants real estate and even his dog, Snoopy, is entering light and display contests for a cash prize. On the advice of Lucy he joins the neighborhood Christmas pageant. There he struggles to create a traditional Christmas pageant as the director. When he becomes frustrated with his peers' idea of a pageant, he is assigned the task of getting the perfect Christmas tree with his buddy Linus. It's there that he discovers the Christmas spirit with a struggling tree and he strives to share it with his friends and family....

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Cast and Crew
Ann Altieri  ......  Freida (voice) (uncredited)
Chris Doran  ......  Schroeder / Shermy (voice) (uncredited)
Sally Dryer  ......  Violet (voice) (uncredited)
Bill Melendez  ......  Snoopy (voice) (uncredited)
Karen Mendelson  ......  Patty (voice) (uncredited)
Geoffrey Ornstein  ......  Pig-Pen (voice) (uncredited)
Director  .....  Bill Melendez
Producer  .....  Bill Melendez; Lee Mendelson
Writer  .....  Charles M. Schulz
Notes
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: During the final scene, the Peanuts gang gathers around the little tree and begins to sing "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" (singing "Loo loo loo"). As everyone takes a breath, Pig Pen's head disappears briefly and Patty's orange dress (she's behind him) "pops up" to where his head used to be. Older VHS tapes have the mistake, newer tapes and DVD do not. (more)

Trivia:
Won an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Children's Program", and a Peabody Award for excellence in programming. (more)

Quotes:
[first lines]
Charlie Brown: [Charlie Brown and Linus stop at a wall on their trip to the pond for ice skating] 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 feel.
[begins to walk with Linus again]
Charlie Brown: I just don't understand Christmas, I guess. I like getting presents and sending Christmas cards and decorating trees and all that, but I'm still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed.
(more)

Awards:
Won Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 1 nomination (more)