Charlie Brown Christmas

When the kids were young there were three movies we watched as a family every year at Christmas.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

White Christmas 

It's a Wonderful Life

Tonight I was thinking about A Charlie Brown Christmas 

and pulled up a clip on utube. 

(at 53 seconds to 1:32)

"I think there must be something wrong with me Linus,

Christmas is coming, but I'm not happy.

I don't feel the way I am supposed to feel.

I just don't understand Christmas I guess.

I like getting presents and sending Christmas cards,

and decorating trees and all that,

but I'm still not happy, I always end up feeling depressed."

"Charlie Brown, you are the only person I know

who can take a wonderful season like Christmas 

and turn it into a problem.

Maybe Lucy is right,

of all the Charlie Brown's in the world,

you are the Charlie Browniest."

Do you ever feel like Charlie Brown?

That you are the only one who just doesn't "get it"?

Like everyone around you knows a secret you don't know.

Do you have a friend like Linus

who isn't necessarily trying to be hurtful,

but they just cannot see things from your perspective?

I think the "problem" Charlie Brown has,

the problem Linus has,

the problem we can all have,

is that they are comparing lives

and judging themselves and others

based on what their own life has been like

and no two lives are the same.

Very few Charlie Browns are willing to risk being 

transparent

vulnerable

honest

open

about the the pain, the doubts, the sadness that they battle.

Especially at this, the most wonderful time of the year.

And the Linus people,

who don't fight the same battles Charlie Brown does,

don't understand.

Charlie Brown does not desire to be on the outside looking in,

but there is not a door in sight that will give him access

to what "everybody else" seems to have.

It is lonely to be in that place.

Charlie Brown's Christmas tree 

is a good example 

of what makes the difference in life.

"...maybe it just needs a little love."