It's Christmas time again Charlie Brown !
Saturday, December 10, 2005
When I was a kid, I thought the general theme of the movie was just watching Charlie Brown mess up his Christmas play and act like the ol' blockhead that we know and love. I totally missed Schluz's commentary on the 'commericalization of Christmas' that distracts us from the Christian meaning of the holiday (try getting away with a message like that these days !)
It's such an old cartoon, but when you think about it, the subtext of the movie is incredibly poignant and provocative in today's day and age. Poor ol' Charlie Brown, frustrated about the crappy little tree that he bought, cries out:
"Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?"
Linus stops sucking his thumb for a second (he even drops his blanket, *gasp*) and responds to Charlie Brown with a word for word reading of the nativity story in Luke 2. Just in case the audience didn't get it, he ends by calmly asserting: "that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown".
Heh, talk about a bold cartoon. I know there's been a lot of controversy over this subject (aka. Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas - the never ending debate), but Schluz made a simple statement - sure, holiday traditions and 'Christmas cheer' all help to make the season something to look forward to, but those things should never replace the need for reflection during Christmas. Definitely something to think about this month :)
~~~
Well, it's off to the Philippines for me again. Hope you guys all can have some fun and relaxation at home (or wherever you may be), and enjoy the cold while I sweat to death in Davao.
Best of luck with exams, and God Bless (^_^)
Posted byCharles Ang at 12:53 AM
