A Charlie Brown Christmas

I grew up in the 50s and 60s in a New York City suburb in Connecticut. We had a dachshund named Snoopy, I collected Peanuts books, most years a Peanuts calendar hung above my desk, my bed was covered by a Peanuts bedspread, and I saw the stage production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown in the East Village in 1967.

And most Christmases since 1965 I've tuned into the animated TV special, A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Then I came upon 14 Blockheaded Facts about a Charlie Brown Christmas on mental_floss. Schulz thought the animation was crude and hated the jazz score, but wisely nixed the laugh track. After a screening before its first broadcast in 1965, CBS said it was slow and lacking in energy.

Good grief!

While walking to my car last Sunday night after the New York Rangers game at Madison Square Garden, I walked by Macy's storefront at Herald Square on Broadway. Guess what's still in fashion and the theme for their holiday windows? That's right. In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the television special, A Charlie Brown Christmas.