The Charlie Brown Christmas special took a lot of risks. Animations had a low frame rate. Instead of using voice actors, they hired actual children for their characters. Unlike other cartoons in the 1960s, they made no use of laugh tracks. Charles Schulz’s great love for jazz was reflected in the soundtrack. The plot and dialogue moved slowly. A professional children’s choir was asked to sing in a more natural, childlike manner on the soundtrack. And then there was the scene where Linus got up on a stage and read the Bible, which was an unthinkable move in that specific age of national television—even for a Christmas special.
“The Bible thing scares us,” the executives at CBS said after watching a preview of the special that had been produced in just a few short months. But Schulz had already committed to the bit early on. “If we don’t do it, who will?” he once asked his producer.
There was nothing that could stop the clunky special they had just witnessed. It was to air the following week, and CBS, the broadcaster, and Coca-Cola, the sponsor, had already invested thousands of dollars in advertising.
But it all paid off. Over 15 million viewers (almost half the TVs in America) tuned in to see their beloved comic strip characters brought to life as animated cartoons. Positive reviews poured in the next morning—so positive that additional specials were ordered the next day. It was a major hit, and it has remained a Christmas classic to this day, 60 years later.
Schulz followed his convictions, both in belief and artistic direction. Rather than force Peanuts to perfectly match the medium he was bringing it to, he took risks to capture his heart in the project. This has given us something sacred and special. Something unique and provoking. Something that we can all appreciate, whether we’re Christian or not.
What kind of art might God be stirring up in you?
All of the information in this post was gathered from Stephen J. Lind’s book, A Charlie Brown Religion.
Jamin Bradley 
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