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| “It always looks darkest just before it gets totally black.” ~Charlie Brown~ |
Good old Charlie Brown. "Chuck," as Peppermint Paddy so often referred to her downtrodden Pal. Charlie Brown is the Hallmark of Christmas and Hallowe'en children's television. At least it used to be in the late seventies when I was a "children".
If you ever google "Charlie Brown psychology", you'll find a long list of resources which site Charles Shultz's comic strip as a study in human psychology - existentialism, personality types, depression, early psychiatry etc.
I mean, "Good Grief", haven't we all felt a little Charlie-Brownish on occasion? We feel left out, misunderstood, like the world just isn't on our side. Calling out to the powers that be, we hear a thundering echo of silence in return. Instead of a glowing white light, or soft, reassuring voice coming from the heavens, we're surrounded by Lucyss and Pigpens and little sister Sallys. "Good Grief!", indeed.
Poor old Charlie Brown. He gets volun-told to direct a play in which none of the cast will take direction. He is sent out to find a Christmas tree to use as a prop in the play, and in the true spirit of Christmas, he decides to love a tree that needs the most loving.
Only after good ole' Chuck convinces himself that the group will criticize his choice, he abandons the decrepit little tree that can't even bear the burden of one shining Christmas ball. After his leaving, Charlie Brown's peers gather around, love the tree, and make it the most beautiful Christmas tree ever. Charlie just doesn't get to see this or be part of making the tree beautiful.
Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. Receiving a gift is a gift to the person giving. In being able to love the tree, the Charlie Brown children created their own wonder. When someone wants to care for you, whether it is materially or spiritually, their is an alchemy in the exchange. The person giving and the person receiving are sharing an intimate ritual that gives meaning to both of their lives.
Wishing you the magic of sharing this Christmas.
Poor old Charlie Brown. He gets volun-told to direct a play in which none of the cast will take direction. He is sent out to find a Christmas tree to use as a prop in the play, and in the true spirit of Christmas, he decides to love a tree that needs the most loving.
Only after good ole' Chuck convinces himself that the group will criticize his choice, he abandons the decrepit little tree that can't even bear the burden of one shining Christmas ball. After his leaving, Charlie Brown's peers gather around, love the tree, and make it the most beautiful Christmas tree ever. Charlie just doesn't get to see this or be part of making the tree beautiful.
Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. Receiving a gift is a gift to the person giving. In being able to love the tree, the Charlie Brown children created their own wonder. When someone wants to care for you, whether it is materially or spiritually, their is an alchemy in the exchange. The person giving and the person receiving are sharing an intimate ritual that gives meaning to both of their lives.
Wishing you the magic of sharing this Christmas.
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