60th Anniversary Of A Charlie Brown Christmas!

Welcome to a SPECIAL EDITION of the Piece of Advice Newsletter!

Good morning! Today is the 60th Anniversary of arguably the best Christmas Special of all time, “A Charlie Brown Christmas”! I was lucky enough to ask questions to Jason Mendelson, son of Lee Mendelson, who is the person most responsible for “A Charlie Brown Christmas” existing! I also got to ask Craig Shulz, son of Charles Schulz (creator of Peanuts) some questions too!

When Coca-Cola approached producer Lee Mendelson in 1965 looking for a “Peanuts” Christmas special, he didn’t hesitate; he told them he had one ready to go. The only problem? He didn’t. In reality, he hadn’t even discussed the idea with “Peanuts” creator Charles Schulz. Mendelson immediately called Schulz, and by the end of the weekend, they had sketched out a rough concept for what would become “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. With just a few months to produce it, they pulled in animator Bill Melendez to help bring the story to life.

The team made a series of bold creative decisions that raised eyebrows at CBS. Schulz insisted on a Bible passage from Luke, untrained child voice actors, no laugh track, and a quiet, reflective tone. Mendelson recruited jazz musician Vince Guaraldi, whose now-iconic score added warmth and character. The special’s focus on simplicity, sincerity, and anti-commercialism was unlike anything else on TV at the time; and the network was skeptical.

But when the special premiered, over 15 million viewers tuned in, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Critics praised its heart and authenticity, and it went on to win both an Emmy and a Peabody Award. What began as a last-minute pitch turned into one of the most beloved holiday specials of all time, thanks to the creative chemistry between Schulz, Mendelson, and Melendez; and a shared belief in doing things differently.

Jason Mendelson:

Jason Mendelson, son of Lee Mendelson, has continued his family’s legacy in animation and television production. As a child, he lent his voice to several “Peanuts” characters, including Rerun van Pelt, Marcie, and Peppermint Patty in various 1980s specials. Transitioning behind the scenes, Jason has served as a producer and editor on numerous “Peanuts” projects, notably earning an Emmy Award for “It’s Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown!” in 2016.

Giancarlo: What does “A Charlie Brown Christmas” mean to you personally? 

Jason: “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is the entertainment program my father (and thus our family) will always be most associated with. Despite my father doing scores of other documentary and entertainment projects, this was his most lasting and culturally significant special. It always thrills me that he sat down with Charles Schulz, and Bill Melendez, and Vince Guaraldi (all whom he worked with on the unaired documentary that preceded it) and along with the cast and crew they created something poignant and interesting and everlasting. The special is enduring and epitomizes Peanuts, and the sixties, but is also just a good piece of television storytelling. It will last forever – and was created by that unbreaking partnership – and led them to work together until each of their passings for over 40 years.  Everyone can relate to it, and so it fills me with pride, to help steward it now sixty year later.

Giancarlo: How do you think this special has influenced Christmas specials after it? If at all? 

Jason: “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was unique; some of that uniqueness came out of necessity, but it was really because each of the creators put their own stamp on it. The music is as beautiful and timeless as any holiday music.

The animation was true to the beloved strip, and immediate recognizable and different from everything else (as the strip always was). The child actors (who were rarely used before this) brought the wisdom of Sparky’s thinking into the world perfectly, because they were children. And the story, based on feeling blue when you think everyone is having a good time, is profound. The idea that this all comes together to create the real magic of the season is also idiosyncratic. It is almost impossible to replicate, but I think it has clearly become the standard upon which all other attempts are measured.  It is also a great presentation of those “Peanuts” themes; brought to life in a hurry; where there is a truth that you could rarely pull off anymore (or if you had more time to think about it).

Giancarlo: The relationship that started between your father, Bill Melendez, and Charles Schulz during that weekend writing the outline for the special spawned an amazing legacy. Would you say that this fact alone makes “A Charlie Brown Christmas” extra special? 

Jason: Like Charlie Brown, the creation of the show came out of the failure of the earlier documentary “A Boy Named Charlie Brown” to get picked up by a network. After trying for months, Lee was eager to try to get something else in front of the networks. Sparky’s loyalty and perseverance made all this happen. 

I think the fact that they all cared so much, and the necessity of their limited time to make the special produced the diamond that would become the show. But it was also built on a mutual trust and appreciation and a willingness to let each other use their best talents that led to what makes the Special “special”. It’s immediate success also allowed them to create, unfettered, the many scores and scores of music, tv, movies and creative projects that followed after that first TV show. 

Giancarlo: From what you know of Charles Schulz, do you think he was completely satisfied of the special and its reception?

Jason: I never asked him that directly, but I know he loved Bill’s animation, and he must have loved the special, because they immediately started working on “Charlie Brown’s All Stars” and over 40 more shows after that; so he must have really enjoyed the special and its reception and resonance in the American culture and around the world.

 I think they were all trickled with Christmas’s success.  But I know Bill and Lee both felt like Charlie Brown when he put the ornament on the tree, when they first looked at what they made, they feared that THEY MAY HAVE KILLED “Peanuts”, but Sparky told them he loved it, and to stay the course.  

 Others thought it was too slow, the character moved funny, the voices were not professional enough, that the music was Jazz, which was inaccessible.  All those others proved wrong, and Sparky proved right!

Craig Schulz:

Craig Schulz, son of Charles “Sparky” Schulz (creator of Peanuts) has been instrumental in preserving and expanding the legacy of his father’s beloved comic strip characters. As president and CEO of Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, he has overseen various adaptions including co-writing and producing “The Peanuts Movie” (2015) and producing several specials for Apple TV+, such as “Snoopy Presents: Welcome Home, Franklin” (2023)!

Giancarlo: This year is the 60th Anniversary of the beloved “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and it’s still as popular as ever; what does that mean to you personally?

Craig Schulz: It shows how people worldwide connect with what my father created. There will always be an audience for what he created.

Piece Of Advice:

Giancarlo: What is this best piece of advice you’ve ever been given growing up around such amazing people?

Jason Mendelson: Work hard, do your best, and keep getting up. Being associated with Charlie Brown, who always loses, fails, gets knocked down, but always comes back, is a pretty good role model. The people who worked on these shows (and I have had that privilege all my life) knew to respect the vision of Charles Schulz and just do you best to honor that vision.

Craig Schulz: “Make your bed”. If you can’t even make your bed, how do you expect to get anywhere in life?

Thank you for reading! Have an amazing day and we will catch you again tomorrow for another special edition!

-Giancarlo