50 Years Of A Charlie Brown Christmas, Jill Schulz Interview, + Snoopy Snax Recipe

Momma Told Me: Maybe it just needs a little love...

Does it seem to you that the holidays arrive earlier and earlier every year? Do you walk through the local Walmart and find yourself muttering 'Good grief!' every-time the linen department is taken over with seasonal patterns and prints? It certainly does seem like every last holiday has been over-commercialized; but let's not forget the true meaning behind these joyous events; remembrance, goodwill toward all, and celebration. 

When I was a little girl we were told we would be throwing a Christmas play on the very first day of school. Most of my classmates rejoiced, it was something they'd talk about at breaks and lunchtime with excitement. For me, the introvert with developing social skills, I lamented over the role I would be given, and how long I would have to stand on the stage. As the day grew closer I was assigned the task of one of Santa's reindeer. The day of our big opening Momma stood me before the mirror, tears welling up in my eyes. I wanted to be as pretty as Rudolph, why didn't I get a red nose?

Momma gave me a sharp hug, then disappeared, downstairs for a few moments. "Maybe it just needs a little love?" she said as she strong some bells from our Christmas tree around me neck, and carefully pinned a felt heart to my breast. It was a line I knew well, from a film we watched every holiday season, A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965).

It's amazing, really to think how such a simple message, delivered by such structurally simple, yet internally complex, characters could resonate through so many generations, now 50 years later. The Peanuts crew, with Charlie Brown and his precocious dog, Snoopy, were a big part of connecting my parent's childhood with my own. And every Winter I'd visit my grandparents, grandma would pull out the VHS of the holiday specials and we'd all huddle by the fireplace reciting the lines.

I recently had a chance to sit in on an interview with creator Charles Schulz's daughter, Jill, and discuss what has made the beloved holiday special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, resonate so well after 50 years. She was quick to note "The themes are universal, everyone will continue to experience these themes....The thing with the football and Charlie Brown, everyone experiences losing." And she was right- how many times have I felt the anxiety of judgement over holiday decorations, or saving up enough to complete the items on my holiday shopping list?

As the holidays draw near, it's important that I share these simple messages, and universal emotions, with Sabrina (11), who lives in a generation of computer generation and quick gratification. We recently sat down to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas together over the simple snack mix my grandmother and I used to make; a variation of muddy buddy mix, she'd call Snoppy Snax. As we sat munching on the peanut butter coated cereal Sabrina snickered as Sally announced she was asking for 'tens or twenties' this Christmas, "That's not what Christmas is about!" she noted- smart girl!

As we got to the iconic, and memorable, speech by modest Linus, I paid more attention than I ever had before, now knowing, as Jill Schulz had told us, "Linus' speech was very important to the special, but considered very controversial...it almost didn't happen..." knowing that A Charlie Brown Christmas would not be at all, without this simple moment of reflection made the words even more meaningful as we paused to remember what the holidays truly represent once more. And, while Mr Schulz was inevitably right in stating "Everyone is always more famous after they're gone," the Peanuts gang has been around through three generations of our family, and I suspect their timeless themes will have them sticking around much longer, whether Schulz was still writing, or kicking a pigskin around in heaven.

What Daughter Says: Sometimes the best words are ones that have been uttered a thousand times before.

One Momma Told Me reader will win a special Snoopy Collector's Plush (as shown in the post) and Be Joyful hardbound book by Charles M. Schulz.
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Snoopy Snax

**Click here for printable Snoopy Snax mix recipe

Ingredients:

8 C Chex, Or Other Rice Puffed, Cereal

1 C White Chocolate Morsels

1/2 C Creamy Peanut Butter

1/4 C Butter or Margerine

1 TSP Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 C Powdered Sugar

1/2 C Roasted, Unsalted, Peanuts

1 C Chocolate Shell Candies (Yellow Preferred)

Directions:

1.) Measure cereal into a large bowl and set aside.

2.) In a microwave safe bowl, microwave chips, butter/margarine, and peanut butter on high for 1 MIN. Stir. Microwave 30 SEC longer, or until mixture is smooth.

3.) Pour mixture over cereal- you may wish to do this in layers. Gently agitate with your hands to coat without breaking cereal.

4.) Pour some powdered sugar into a gallon sized bag. Fill halfway with cereal mixture and top with powdered sugar. Seal and shake to coat. Pour coated cereal onto parchment paper or a baking sheet to cool. Repeat until done. Toss with peanuts and chocolate candies. Store Snoopy Snax in a gallon sized bag, and refrigerate.