Christmas Classics — Charlie Brown Christmas & Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

’Tis the season for holiday-themed TV specials, music and family nights in! This may be a silly question, but are you having a hard time getting the little ones into the Christmas spirit? Well tuning in to YTV’s big fun holiday programming will help! A childhood Christmas tradition for me was trying to catch as many Christmas specials on TV before the big day. And now that I have two nieces I’m looking forward to revisiting them.



A Charlie Brown Christmas – Thursday, December 22nd at 7 p.m. (check local listings for channel)
Charlie Brown is the only person who “can take a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem.” I personally love the look and feel of Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts TV shows. It’s perfect for all ages – no scary parts. This holiday special goes back to basics with the characters ice skating, dancing to Christmas music and trying to catch snowflakes on their tongues. A definite viewing pleasure for all ages!

 

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Saturday, December 24th at 5 p.m. (check local listings for channel)
Watching this special as an adult feels a lot different. The stop-motion animation is completely amazing, the details on the characters are impressive. Note how thin and stylish Santa is at the beginning of this tale, before becoming his plump self at the end. And let’s not forgot a song about “Misfits”—featuring an elf who doesn’t want to make toys, but wants to be a dentist. And of course Rudolph himself is a misfit—a reindeer with a glowing red nose. Keep in mind, in this story there is an abominable snowman lurking around causing trouble. This may give the little ones a bit of a fright.

Despite the underlining sad themes present in both these holiday classics, they always end on a very happy, positive and musical Christmas note. And as most families can attest: what is Christmas without a little drama?