 What do you think of when you hear Christmas? Personally, I think of spending time with loved ones, good food, Santa Claus, the art of giving gifts, and then I think of warmth, and food once again. And finally, I think of Christmas specials, a Jetsons Christmas, a Flintstone Christmas, the Polar Express, and my all-time favorite, a Charlie Brown Christmas. Today I want to look at what this timeless classic represents for the upcoming holidays. A Charlie Brown Christmas was created in 1965 and with it a unique inception. As stated in Charles Schultz's book, A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Making of a Tradition, producer Lee Mendelson initially approached Schultz with the idea to create a documentary about his popular Peanuts comic strip, specifically creating a pitch about Charlie Brown and baseball. Though the documentary was never picked up, Coca-Cola was interested in the idea of a Peanuts Christmas special. And with six months to make it, Charles Schultz wrote the special alongside Bill Melendez as the animator, Lee Mendelson in charge of the cast, who were comprised of mostly kids without acting backgrounds, and finally, Vince Garaldi and his team, the Vince Garaldi trio who provided a warm, playful, and a true Christmas soundtrack that later went on to be voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2007. Though Schultz himself believed that his comics were not art and that they were not timeless, the Peanut creator was sorely mistaken. The special would be aired on December 9th, 1965, and on that day, a Charlie Brown Christmas would be immortalized, being the longest running holiday special on television, with its themes still relevant today. Although these holidays are associated with love, happiness, and laughter, we often overlook the other side, a time where some experience depression, anxiety, and stress over many different things over this holiday season. And Charlie Brown himself is no different, he too is feeling the holiday blues, as he constantly reiterates his distaste for Christmas. It has become a time where some students have anxiety or become depressed over finals, simply because of the season, or other things. People stress over that feeling that they are forced to buy gifts for others and spend copious amounts of money that they may not have, and some people don't have loved ones to celebrate the season with them, which again creates those holiday blues. And Charlie Brown is no different, his self-worth is fading because he doesn't receive the attention or the love that he feels the other children are receiving, and the fact that it's the holiday season simply accents his feelings. As the special continues, Charlie Brown searches for the meaning of Christmas, and he later finds it in that little tree that he buys. The other kids heckle Charlie Brown because it's not a big fancy tree like the others, but nonetheless he bought it, and while stating that the tree needs him, I think Charlie Brown needed the tree to strive him away from the commercialism of Christmas. A theme that is so relevant today, and though he believes he ruined their tree in his holiday, Charlie Brown's friends decorating the tree steer him to the true meaning of Christmas. Charlie Brown chose the tree for what it was, a Christmas tree that he loved, and that it was never about the tree, but it was about the fact that the kids were together. Appreciating each other's company and joy. This special doesn't have breathtaking animation, nor does it have incredibly deep philosophical meanings, but that's not what it's there for. A Charlie Brown Christmas has simplicity, vulnerability, innocence, and it is humble. It is there to remind you that your feelings are valid and you are not alone. And it's also meant to teach us that the holiday season is not a time to commemorate materialistic possessions, but a time to spend it with the people that you care about, and the people that you love, and if you don't have anyone to spend it with, it is a time to remove yourself from the dramatics and the pressure of everyday life, a time to relax and a time to be thankful for what you have, and for others a time to be thankful for who you have. So this holiday season, try and make it a time to be in good spirits, spread the love and joy. A Charlie Brown Christmas has been airing for 52 years because of its message of positivity and hope to everyone. And with that, happy holidays.