In the 60s TV executives were eager to provide wholesome family entertainment. Charles Schultz had provided that in cartoon form, so they approached him about a Peanuts Christmas TV special. Schultz ran with the idea starting with the familiar scene from the printed page where Charlie Brown checks his mailbox hourly to no avail. No Christmas cards. Not one. The head honchos at CBS loved the familiarity of that scene.
Feeling dejected, another familiar line shows Charlie visiting Lucy’s psychiatric booth to get a mood boost. We know better. Charlie should have, too. Lucy adds to his depression over the commercialism of Christmas, shouting: “Christmas is nothing but a bunch of stupid toys! What I really want is real estate.” Loud applause from the TV execs.
Next Charlie witnesses Snoopy decorating his doghouse with gaudy lights and only one goal: winning “money, money, money” in a neighborhood house lighting contest. “Good grief,” said Charlie. CBS cried, “More!”
His little sister Sally talks him into writing a letter for her: “Dear Santa, Just send money, preferably tens and twenties.” Howls of hilarity from the CBS heads.
The final straw in the manger is when Lucy assigns Charlie to pick out a Christmas tree for the neighborhood pageant, directing him: “A big shiny aluminum tree…maybe painted pink.”
No dice Lucy. Instead Charlie Brown returns with a tree befitting his personality; a bedraggled bare branch of a tree that the kids all hate: “You blockhead, Charlie Brown!”
Exasperated, Charlie screams: “What is Christmas about anyway?”
To center stage steps Linus reciting the most familiar Bible passage of the Christmas story: “…And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tiding of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.’
Suddenly the CBS execs interrupted the angelic chorus. They were now singing a distinctly different tune. “You can’t quote Scripture on TV…the King James version, no less! People will abandon us, and our advertisers will follow. The Bible has to go.”
Shultz stood strong: “If the Bible goes, so do the Peanuts kids.”
Lots of ponderings, pow wows and puffs of smoke came out of the board room. Their final edict: “We will OK it, knowing we will pay a terrible price.”
The TV special was shown. As soon as they signed off the CBS switchboards lit up like Chevy Chase’s house in “Christmas Vacation.” Most callers asked: “When can we get more of this?”
A legend was born. 50% of America tuned into that show, it won an Emmy and Peabody award. TV Guide distinguished Linus’ recitation as one of the top 35 moments in TV history. It became the longest running special on CBS.
We live in a world that often tries to hide faith, especially when it’s expressed in Jesus Christ. But amazingly he as a way of shining as brightly as the Star of Bethlehem through the lights of his people…people like Charles Schultz. Then there are all those Christian valedictorians that refuse to remove Jesus from their valedictory addresses, even taking school boards to court for the privilege of keeping him in their testimony.
But Jesus also shines from ordinary people like you and me who simply look for ways to be the lights he called us to be when he said: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl” (Matthew 5:14-15)
Are people trying to hide your light? Don’t worry about them. Simply focus on what you can do to let the light of Jesus in you shine.
