Peanuts Worldwide is kicking off a year-long celebration of 50 years of A Charlie Brown Christmas! December 2014 marks the 50th time the beloved special will air on television.
To launch the celebration, Jill Schulz, 56, the youngest of Charles M. Schulz’s five children, recently sat down with bloggers around the country to share her personal memories of her Dad; the family Christmas traditions that she shared with her siblings Meredith, Amy, Monte, and Craig; and, of course, the way that A Charlie Brown Christmas has touched her life and the lives of millions of fans across the globe.
What was it like to celebrate Christmas in the Schulz family?“I always had great memories of it, but to us, that’s just how our Christmas was.”
“Back then, there was not as much merchandise, publicity, worldwide status for Peanuts and Snoopy.”
“We had a pretty typical Christmas, except that we opened our gifts on Christmas Eve. Typically, we’d have neighborhood friends and kids coming over and my mom cooked a great big dinner. Then we’d wait for Santa Claus, I’d always sneak back down and open a window because I thought there was no way he could fit down the chimney.”
“In the morning, we’d get a special present. One year I got a puppy, but it was a little disconcerting because I thought I was getting an Old English Sheepdog like the one from Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, but my puppy wasn’t furry and didn’t have a tail.”
“Once the TV show came out, that became a tradition: both Christmas and Halloween, they became something we’d gather around TV to watch. But to me, it just seemed like a normal family Christmas.”
For me Snoopy has always been a part of my childhood and the TV specials are always a way to signify the holidays. Not only that but our family spends a lot of time at Knott’s Berry Farm so Snoopy has become even more beloved to our family.
Now at Hallmark you can launch the holiday joy early, as you anticipate the 50th airing of A Charlie Brown Christmas! The soft and huggable Snoopy plush brings cheer any time of day or night, while the charming Be Joyful book keeps you in a Peanuts spirit year-round.
Giveaway!!
We have this Snoopy prize pack including a hugable Snoopy plush and the Be Joyful book to also give away!
I have always loved Snoopy and Charlie Brown since I was very young. My children grew up enjoying them also.
When I broke my arm at the age of 3 had to be hospitalized my Dad bought me a huge snoopy dog to make me feel better. I had him for years and shared him with my three sisters, he got worn out from being hugged and loved so much.
I used to have the nickname “red baron” as a little kids because I was always crying and red.
I loved the Snoopy come home movie.
We always enjoyed the Snoopy Holiday Specials on television as kids. It was always a treat to watch.:)
We always watch the Charlie Brown and Snoopy christmas show.
Gotta love the Snoopy dance
My husband grew up with Snoopy and Woodstock! He is now 60 and a retired Air Force Colonel who has Snoopy in his man cave. He doesn’t let anything happen to them until we started raising our grandson and now he plays with them. Sharing the love of Snoopy!
I always like watching the halloween, thanksgiving, and Christmas movies on tv
I always look forward to the holiday special Charlie Brown episodes. I love the Halloween one especially!
I loved watching the holiday episodes of Charlie Brown when I was young, now I love watching them with my kids.
My favorite Snoopy moments include watching the Charlie Brown specials every holiday as a child!
I grew up with snoopy and every holiday, just couldn’t wait until they had the shows on tv.
my parents do a charlie brown house at Christmas, they have all the Christmas characters in their front yard
I remember looking forward every year to the Charlie Brown Christmas special.
Aside from watching the cartoon specials and reading the Sunday morning comic with my dad when I was learning to read, I remember having a ton of Joe Cool stuff, including a skateboard. I am not sure why it Snoopy in sunglasses and a tank top was called Joe Cool, but it probably made it more acceptable for a young boy to wear it.
The red Barron song is perfect
The great pumpkin one was always my favorite. I can remember being a little girl and watching it with my grandma. I know get to watch it with my own little girl!
Charlie brown specials were the only ones my dad actually liked and would watch with us.
vmkids3 at msn dot com
I love snoopy sleeping on his dog house
My husbands Aunt collects anything and everything Snoopy. I love watching her sit and read Snoopy books with my kids, or sitting on the floor playing with Snoopy Characters!
My family would always watch Charlie Brown for Halloween and for Christmas!
I remember when I was a kid back in the 80s, it was a really big deal whenever a Snoopy special was going to be on. I looked forward to it for days and made sure I watched it.
So many good memories watching Snoopy specials on TV with the family!
I remember when I was a llittle girl I had a woodstock stuffed animal I absolutely loved!
I remember as a kid sitting in my rocking chair in front of the tv watching the Charlie Brown specials.
Snoopy lights up our Christmas spirit. I have him in the form of a light up Christmas Santa Light decoration in front of the house.
I loved watching the Charlie Brown specials.
I remember waiting anxiously for the Charlie Brown special that would come on for each holiday.
I loved watching Charlie Brown Thanksgiving each year as a kid
I loved Snoopy so much as a little girl. I looked forward to the Thanksgiving and Christmas shows every year. I also named my first dog, a beagle, Snoopy.
I remember it being tradition to watch a Charlie Brown Christmas every holiday season! We still do 🙂
I always remember watching It’s a great pumpkin and the charlie brown christmas every year when I was little!
I always like when Snoopy was the Red Baron.
My kids LOVE watching it during the hoildays
I loved watching the Charlie Brown and Snoopy Christmas show every year.
I have a set of Charlie Brown books from my childhood. Half way through you turn them upside down to read the other half. I always loved Snoopy’s antics!
I grew up on snoopy – my mom and dad loved the peanuts so a lot of the items I had were gifts from them!
I loved watching Charlie Brown movies growing up and Snoopy was always my favorite character. I always wanted to have a dog just like him.
Now that I have children of my own I still watch all of the Charlie Brown specials with them and enjoy them just as much as I did as a child.
jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com
We always watched Snoopy as kids. My favorite memory is my sister teaching me how to draw Snoopy.
watching the dvd’s as kids
Now being a grandmother my favorite memory is watching is a Charlie brown Christmas that is still played today.
My dad would always watch Charlie Brown holiday specials with me and especially loved Snoopy. One year he was stationed overseas and at 7 I dreaded watching it without him at Christmas. The day the show was to come on a big package arrived and inside was a huge Snoopy stuffed animal. He watched it with me that year.