Sunday, December 2, 2007

"Charlie Brown, this tree needs you!"


I used to decorate for Christmas and hadn't for years until last year, when I bought this tree from UrbanOutfitters.com. It's a replica of the tree from A Charlie Brown Christmas special. Though I vaguely remembered the story line, somehow seeing this tree melted the edges of my scroogy holiday heart. It was also the only sort of tree I could fit in my apartment. I love the dang thing!


Since then, I have become (happily) reacquainted with the story:

"A Charlie Brown Christmas features Charlie Brown's
search for meaning in the Christmas holiday. He starts the special seeking to understand why he always ends up depressed around the holidays. On the advice of Lucy, he gets involved in directing a school play about the Nativity. When he loses control of the production because of the cast members' refusal to listen to him, he is given the lesser responsibility of finding a Christmas tree for the play.

Instead of buying a "big, shiny, aluminum" artificial tree as he was instructed to do by Lucy, he chooses a pitiful little tree, which happens (somewhat symbolically) to be the only real tree on the lot. This makes him the target of laughter and derision by all except Linus. Charlie Brown cries out in abject desperation, wondering if anyone understands what Christmas is all about.

Meanwhile, Snoopy
has decorated his famous doghouse with colorful flashing lights and other baubles, and won first prize in a decorating contest. Charlie Brown takes the decorations and puts a single ornament on his tree, which promptly collapses under the weight. ("I killed it! Augghh! Everything I touch gets ruined!") He flees in despair.

Having heard Linus's explanation of what Christmas is all about, the other kids realize they have been too hard on Charlie Brown, and fix his tree up into a brilliant Christmas display using the rest of Snoopy's decorations. Charlie Brown returns to find the whole gang gathered around his tree. In a rare moment of happiness, he joins the crew in singing the Christmas carol
" Hark! The Herald Angels Sing."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Charlie_Brown_Christmas>

<http://www.urbanoutfitters.com>>

Happy Holidays!

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