“Everything I touch gets ruined.” Recently I experienced my 44th straight viewing of A Charlie Brown Christmas… yes, I have the DVD, but there’s nothing like recreating the delayed gratification of one’s youth by watching it on broadcast TV. (Sans the Dolly Madison commercials, sadly.) A Charlie Brown Christmas, to me, is like spending bittersweet, hard-drinking time in the best dive bar… there’s a character here and there who validates everything I believe about myself, other people and life in general. It echoes the highest highs and lowest lows of the season. It’s the best holiday special ever made. “Christmastime is here… have another beer.”
