40 Years for 'A Charlie Brown Christmas!'

Good Grief, indeed.

A Charlie Brown Christmas turns forty years old on Friday! Though it seems unimaginable now, the animated classic was almost canceled due to initial concerns about the show's leisurely pace, jazz soundtrack, religious theme, and use of children's voices (kids voices had never been used in an animated special before this show).

However, thanks to a tight deadline and no time for substitution, A Charlie Brown Christmas aired for the first time on December 9th, 1965 on CBS. Nearly half of America's television sets tuned in that night to see the Peanuts characters come to life, set to the smooth bossa nova soundtrack provided by composer/musician Vince Guaraldi.

Schulz, Mendelson, Melendez, and Guaraldi received critical acclaim for their efforts, and the program was awarded an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award for excellence in children's programming.

I think I've seen about 30 of the 40 airings of this special--which dates me, yes, but also illustrates my love for this classic. I would get all excited when it came on, and when that "SPECIAL" animated logo (with the bongos) came on TV, I'd be sure to be sitting literally inches away from the screen.

A Charlie Brown Christmas is as seminal to my cultural development as hearing the White Album for the very first time or watching The Last Picture Show. Why? I can trace many "firsts" back to those cold winter Monday nights when CBS would air this special every year. Thanks to Linus' speech, I memorized the chapter of Luke he recites (the longest extended part of, well, anything I've ever memorized); I heard jazz for the very first time (thanks to the understated, cool elegance of Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack); and it marks a lifelong association of Christmas with a certain degree of melancholy.

Watch it again--for the very first time. It's looking good at 40.