Lisa R. Howeler's Blog, page 75
January 1, 2023
Sunday Bookends: Gallbladders, colds, and other inconvenient parts of life
It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays I ramble about what’s been going on, what I and the rest of the family have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing, and some weeks I share what I am listening to.
What’s Been Occurring
First, Happy New Year to everyone visiting today.
I’m looking forward to a new and exciting year.
I will admit I’m kicking off the year with some trepidation and worry as my mom is in the hospital with a gallbladder issue and not feeling well. Surgery is scheduled for Tuesday. I have not been to see her because I am recovering from a cold and because, as usual, she was thinking of others even as she is in the hospital and asked me to come so I wouldn’t be on the roads on New Year’s Eve. I am, however, going to see her today, whether she likes it or not, but briefly and while following hospital policy and wearing a mask. I even have a n95 I might try to slip on but they are horrible to breathe through, especially when I already have serious sinus issues.
Mom has been having pain in her upper stomach area for several months now and has been told each time that it is gastritis. Her heart and other conditions had been checked and that’s all doctors seemed to be able to figure out. Friday night my dad took her to the ER and an amazing doctor decided to run several tests, believing it very well could be her gallbladder, even though the pain was in a different area than it often is for gallbladder issues. They admitted her, sent her by ambulance to a larger hospital, and now surgery has been scheduled.
Not much else has been occurring since Little Miss developed a cold this past week and then I did as well. The cold was very mild, but annoying.
What I/we’ve been Reading
I actually finished A Mark of Grace by Kimberly Woodhouse this week after starting it at the end of the week before. It was a pretty good book, but I do wish every main character in historical fiction didn’t have to go through such hardship. People in the past had happy lives too. It’s okay to show that and not throw in all the sadness you possibly can on them. That being said, I still liked this book (don’t worry, the sadness is not that crazy) and the mystery surrounding it. I felt I had part of the mystery figured out but still wanted to read on to see if I was right.
Now I am on to The Reckoning Trees by Alicia Gilliam, which is a book I started at the beginning of 2022 and for some reason got distracted from and didn’t finish. I am looking forward to finishing it now. Well, soon. If you’ve been here long, you know I don’t read quickly.
In the evening before bed, I am reading Anne of Windy Poplars because it is wholesome and sweet, and I need that right before bed.
At night, Little Miss and I are reading Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman.
The Husband blazed through books this past week since he was on vacation from work. Right now he’s reading Cold Wind by CJ Box.
What We watched/are Watching
Last week I decided to start watching Cary Grant movies for the winter, but I didn’t get to start them yet. I think I’ll start with Holiday with Katherine Hepburn because I don’t remember watching it before.
I hope to rewatch Suspicion because I think I watched it years ago but can’t remember the details.
I watched the first episode of Miss Scarlet and the Duke and enjoyed it -especially because the man has a Scottish accent.
I hope to watch more of the show this week.
Last night I was watching the Youtubber Darling Desi and Little Miss said to me, “Are you seriously going to just sit there and listen to that woman tell you what she got for Christmas?”
I felt so …. Judged. I also turned the episode off and went to bed.
What I’m Writing
I’m taking a break from writing and haven’t even shared a lot on the blog recently, but hope to remedy that this upcoming week as I look back at favorite movies, books, and shows from 2022.
Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.
December 28, 2022
Beyond the Season Free on Amazon this week or the blog always
Beyond the Season, the Christmas novella I shared here on the blog for 12 days in December was free this week on Amazon and I meant to share that news here on the blog but got completely distracted. Thursday is the last day for the sale.
A copy of the book can also be downloaded for free here on the blog by clicking on the link, Beyond the Season, at the top of the page, or visiting this Book Funnel link: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/mzgwhaihwq
For a refresher, the novella is part of the Spencer Valley Chronicles.
The description:
Christmas has come to Spencer Valley and Robert and Alex are busy trying to pull of some big surprises for the women they love. If only life didn’t try to keep getting in the way and messing up their plans. Will they be able to finish their Christmas surprises in time and will there be a Christmas proposal for one of the characters from the small town readers have fallen in love with?
December 26, 2022
Sunday Bookends on Monday: Christmas, books to be read in the new year,
It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what I and the rest of the family have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing, and some weeks I share what I am listening to. This week I am a day late since Christmas was yesterday and I was too busy to finish the post, which I actually started Christmas Eve.
What’s Been Occurring
I rambled more about what happened last week in my blog post on Saturday. I included some photos of the kids playing in the snow we received and also shared about the arctic temps we received. You can find that post HERE.
Today I will share that I’ve been in a cocoon of Christmas for the last two weeks and I really am not ready to crawl out of it. It’s been nice watching happy movies and reading fluffy Christmas books.
Yesterday, we visited my parents for Christmas. I only received a couple of gifts this year and that’s the way I wanted it because I was more excited for the children to receive gifts. I was especially excited because my son was receiving a bass guitar, which he’s been wanting to learn for a while now. I wanted to go back to bed after Little Miss woke us up early but I was too excited to see how The Boy would react to the gift, which we had stored at my parents.
I wasn’t sure he’d want me to share the video I recorded here on the blog, so I won’t, but his grin was huge. He was so excited to get home and try it out, but finally went upstairs at my parents’ and tried it, even without the amp. When we arrived home, he went straight upstairs and started practicing.
My dad joked that our neighbors won’t bring us Christmas cookies anymore because we gave The Boy this loud instrument. For now, though, the windows will be closed since it is so cold, so the guitar shouldn’t bother them.
The Husband did buy me the five-DVD set of the original Anne of Green Gables series by Sullivan Entertainment (the Canadian produced one from the 80s) but it hasn’t arrived yet. I am very excited to start watching it when it does since that movie series was part of my childhood.
What I/we’ve been Reading
This past weekend I finished Shepherd’s Abiding by Jan Karon.
It reminded me I really like Jan Karon books but I also get a little annoyed by how she writes them in short bursts of information with tons of section breaks and quite a few points of view changes that sometimes make my head spin. I still enjoy the overall message of them, however, and will continue to read them as comfort reading.
Last week I started The Mistletoe Countess by Pepper Basham and am listening to it on Audible, which we have at a reduced monthly rate as part of a special deal, for four months. I am enjoying it so far. I’m only on Chapter 4 because every time I try to listen to it, I get interrupted or fall asleep (if I try to listen at night).
Quite frankly, I am overwhelmed with book choices right now. I truly feel like I have some form of ADHD because I can’t focus on one book at a time.
I am reading a book called A Mark of Grace by Kimberly Woodhouse right now because it releases next Tuesday (January 3).
I also got back into Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery, but then a Bookstagrammer I follow on Instagram invited readers to join her in reading The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery so I may try to tackle that this week instead. We will see how far I get. She actually suggested readers read it in a weekend. A weekend?! I’ve never read a book in a weekend.
I’m such a slow reader. My brain seems to dart away to other things I need to do. For example, I have blog posts to share or write and social media pages to maintain and homeschool lessons to plan and … blah, blah, blah.
This week I plan to listen to the chapters I assigned The Boy in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn last week for school. I’ll probably do that as soon as I finish this post.
In the new year, I have a whole list of books I hope to tackle, but I’ll ramble about that another day.
The Boy is not reading anything this week that I know of. He’s simply enjoying talking with friends online, making plans to meet them in person, and practicing on his new guitar.
Little Miss and I are reading Paddington At Large at night still and have taken a break on our book for school but may pick it up again this week.
The Husband is reading Game On by Janet Evanovich.
What We watched/are Watching
I watched quite a few movies last week, a few of them with family.
Two we finished up when we were interrupted watching them the week before. One of those was A Christmas Story Christmas, which was a sequel to a Christmas story. It had a slow start but got much better as it went on and we enjoyed it.
I also watched It Happened on Fifth Avenue, which I stumbled on on HBO Max (via our Roku) and The Husband said he had watched it before when he used to work a night shift as a switchboard operator at the local hospital.
It was very good. If you are interested here is the plot:
On Christmas, The Husband started Miracle on 34th Street at our house and then we finished it later in the day at my parents.
We also watched Charlie Brown’s Christmas at my parents at my dad’s request, even though I had watched it earlier in the week.
On my own, I watched A Walton’s Christmas, which was actually the pilot for the television show. It was a very, very melodramatic and a bit over the top, much like the show could be at times, but still sweet. I don’t know if I’d necessarily watch it again.
I also watched A Little House on the Prairie Christmas special from season eight, which Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs recommended for me and I really enjoyed it. It was very wholesome and heartwarming. Each adult character shared a Christmas memory and Laura’s memory of Mr. Edwards bringing gifts to her family one Christmas when there was a blizzard was my favorite because it is a story that Laura shared in one of her books, which, if you remember, I read a couple of times to Little Miss last year.
On Christmas Eve we watched The Rankin/Bass claymation/animated special Santa Claus is Coming to Town (the one with Mickey Rooney and Fred Astaire) and then really got into the Christmas spirit by watching…. Top Gun Maverick.
What I’m Writing
I am writing nothing right now. Is that proper English. No, probably not, but I’ll roll with it.
I’m on a bit of a fiction writing hiatus after finishing up my Christmas novella, Beyond the Season (which incidentally is free on Amazon this week and via the link at the top of the page). Shores of Mercy is with advanced readers and my editor so I’ll be making corrections on that before long.
On the blog this week I shared:
The TussleSaturday Afternoon Tea and a Chat: Merry Christmas EveBeyond the Season Available for DownloadGet in the spirit of Christmas: Five Christmas Music Specials, Five Christmas Songs, and Three Christmas-themed programs to help you do just that.‘Book review, recommendation: Abiding in Him: A Life Together in Ministry by Bettie and Barry Gilbert
What I’m Listening To
Last week I listened to a ton of Christmas music. I am not currently listening to any specific music this week. I am, however, listening to audio versions of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Mistletoe Countess this week.
Blog Posts I Enjoyed This Past Week
I hope to share some of my favorite blog posts on this post each week. I’ve been saving posts to share for months but haven’t actually sat down and put them together in one post so I thought I’d share at least a few here today.
Mama’s Empty Nest: Catch A Falling StarFuel for the Race – What Child Is This?Jenny Knipfer, author — Drink And Be Satisifed. A Prayer and A VisionNow it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to, or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.
December 25, 2022
The Tussle
By Ronald Robinson (my dad), December 2022
One morning on the family farm in 1927 a tussle broke out between a 16-year-old and his 25-year-old uncle. The reason I do not know but, by the account of the nephew after the tussle his uncle threw a dung (manure) fork at him. A few of you may know what a dung (manure) fork is. At that point, I assume it got more serious The nephew again overpowered his uncle and dragged him through the cow drop, and left him there. Some of you also know what a cow drop is.
That was the lad’s last day at his home. The next day in New Albany he was waiting for the freight train. A gentleman from another farm approached him, “Where do you think you are going? ” In that day trains were linked nationwide even from New Albany. The lad answered “New York City”. The elder farmer said, “You come with me.”
At his farm, he put the young man, for the first time behind a team of horses with a sod till plow and instructed him, “You fix your eyes on a mark on the other side of this field and do not look back” Side note: There are times to look back but, not until the field is plowed. This man and his wife gave the lad a home and provided an upstairs bedroom that had a candle in it for light. The need to be frugal was the time so when he retired for the evening the misses would give him two matches to light the candle. That young man later attended Wilkes barre Business School. After many years of driving truck, he and his wife, a Wilkes-barre Business School graduate became successful benevolent business owners.
When I was a young child, each year after Christmas at New Years’ time I accompanied my parents to my uncle’s and aunt’s home, at the same farm and a meal was prepared. Hominy was always served because the nephew liked it. Me, I did not like it at all. That was by the way, where I saw a television for the first time. The screen was round, slightly larger than a dinner plate, and the images that evening could not be made out. Even after I was married, Carolyn and I were invited to that Hominy meal one time. I do not know when it happened or if the healing process was gradual. but, reconciliation had taken place.
If this year I find some Hominy I will savor it.
Of course, that lad was my Dad.
Bitterness and unforgiveness destroy lives.
Christmas time is a good reconciliation time. Reconciliation is possible when Jesus reigns.
“And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end”. Sometimes we do not see His reign, Why? Who is the house of Jacob? Jesus reigns where He is welcome, where there is room for Him to reign.
When there was no room in that inn years ago, Jesus as a baby reigned from that stable. He now reigns in the hearts and affairs of of men when we allow Him, when we make room. Amazing that the ruler of the universes came down from His Glory and knocks on the door of our heart. May we make room, room for the king of Kings to reign in our heart and help us reconcile with others as Father Reconciles us to Himself when we accept Jesus.
RGR, December 2022
“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation”
The Tussel
By Ronald Robinson (my dad), December 2022
One morning on the family farm in 1927 a tussle broke out between a 16-year-old and his 25-year-old uncle. The reason I do not know but, by the account of the nephew after the tussle his uncle threw a dung (manure) fork at him. A few of you may know what a dung (manure) fork is. At that point, I assume it got more serious The nephew again overpowered his uncle and dragged him through the cow drop, and left him there. Some of you also know what a cow drop is.
That was the lad’s last day at his home. The next day in New Albany he was waiting for the freight train. A gentleman from another farm approached him, “Where do you think you are going? ” In that day trains were linked nationwide even from New Albany. The lad answered “New York City”. The elder farmer said, “You come with me.”
At his farm, he put the young man, for the first time behind a team of horses with a sod till plow and instructed him, “You fix your eyes on a mark on the other side of this field and do not look back” Side note: There are times to look back but, not until the field is plowed. This man and his wife gave the lad a home and provided an upstairs bedroom that had a candle in it for light. The need to be frugal was the time so when he retired for the evening the misses would give him two matches to light the candle. That young man later attended Wilkes barre Business School. After many years of driving truck, he and his wife, a Wilkes-barre Business School graduate became successful benevolent business owners.
When I was a young child, each year after Christmas at New Years’ time I accompanied my parents to my uncle’s and aunt’s home, at the same farm and a meal was prepared. Hominy was always served because the nephew liked it. Me, I did not like it at all. That was by the way, where I saw a television for the first time. The screen was round, slightly larger than a dinner plate, and the images that evening could not be made out. Even after I was married, Carolyn and I were invited to that Hominy meal one time. I do not know when it happened or if the healing process was gradual. but, reconciliation had taken place.
If this year I find some Hominy I will savor it.
Of course, that lad was my Dad.
Bitterness and unforgiveness destroy lives.
Christmas time is a good reconciliation time. Reconciliation is possible when Jesus reigns.
“And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end”. Sometimes we do not see His reign, Why? Who is the house of Jacob? Jesus reigns where He is welcome, where there is room for Him to reign.
When there was no room in that inn years ago, Jesus as a baby reigned from that stable. He now reigns in the hearts and affairs of of men when we allow Him, when we make room. Amazing that the ruler of the universes came down from His Glory and knocks on the door of our heart. May we make room, room for the king of Kings to reign in our heart and help us reconcile with others as Father Reconciles us to Himself when we accept Jesus.
RGR, December 2022
“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation”
December 24, 2022
Saturday Afternoon Tea and a Chat: Merry Christmas Eve
Ready for a cup of tea or cocoa? I think most of us need it considering how cold it’s gotten out there in almost every single state of our country.
It seems crazy to me that it is already Christmas Eve, but here we are and for us arctic temperatures have settled on us. Temperatures this cold scare me, I’m not going to lie. What was really crazy was yesterday when we watched the temperature drop from 46 degrees to negative three in less than ten hours. Last night it was negative five (Fahrenheit).
Thankfully our wood stove has been repaired and if we were to lose power in the next couple of days, we’ll at least have the wood stove to keep us warm.
On Thursday we were hit with snow and the youngest was excited to go out and play in it. The pets enjoyed it for a while but eventually decided they’d had enough too. Now, though, the cats are pacing inside by the back door because they think they want to go outside. We are refusing to let them go, of course, because I don’t want to pry their poor frozen bodies off the back porch. They have been chasing each other today to get out the energy — wait, I should say the oldest has been smacking the youngest because she is mean but it looks like play — but later the youngest (Scout) will fall over in front of the wood stove and we will have to check if she is breathing after a few hours.
By that night, rain had moved in and the temperatures rose but the snow still remained by Friday morning when the temperatures started dropping.
As I’m writing this we are at negative three and are supposed to get to at least negative four. (It actually dropped to negative five). I know that’s nothing compared to the folks in Alaska and parts of Canada and we are fine with that. These temperatures are not something we are used to or adjust to well.
The high on Christmas Eve is supposed to be 10 and the high on Christmas Day might be 19.
By next weekend we are supposed to be in the 50s again, which will be odd and bring on a lot of illness probably.
(How’s your drink? Need a warmup? An extra cookie? Take an extra cookie. We have a lot, which is unusual for us, even in pretend world.)
This week was very uneventful, other than the fact Little Miss had severe pain in one of her teeth and was up all night Monday and then in pain again on Tuesday. We thought we might need to get an emergency dentist appointment but then discovered a spot on her gum behind her tooth on the bottom that made it look like she might have cut her gum somehow. We still aren’t sure what happened but by Wednesday the pain was gone and she’s been fine since.
We have a dentist appointment in late January to see if we can get some issues with her teeth taken care of. Those issues, from what we have been told in the past are caused by an enamel deficiency.
With her tooth issues behind her, she is looking forward to Christmas and a week off from school. Both kids and even mom are looking forward to that break. It will help all three of us regroup and get ready for a new year of learning come January 2.
Between the tooth issue and the cold weather, Little Miss and I didn’t get out of the house much so we took some time to make no-bake cookies and chocolate-covered pretzel sticks for our neighbors. The neighbors closest to us, send over a huge pan of homemade cookies every year and Little Miss wanted to send them a treat back. We could never top what they send, of course. My neighbor and her daughter spend two days baking all kinds of cookies and then giving them away to family, friends, and neighbors.
We did purchase a gift basket for them this year, to try to show them how thankful we are for them being our neighbors and for the cookies they always provide.
I had considered buying cookies from a popular bakery near us and pretending I made them all but, in the end, I really couldn’t do it.
(I might have one of those cookies with my tea now, come to think of it.)
As I write this, we are watching Top Gun Maverick instead of Christmas movies but did watch one of the old 60s Santa Claus claymation movies earlier in the evening.
Today we were going to go to my parents to make homemade pizza, but we decided to stay out of the frigid temps and instead just brave them one day this weekend.
Tomorrow we will have to brave them to spend Christmas with my parents, however. It will be worth it and we are all looking forward to it, though we are disappointed that my brother and his wife have decided they won’t be able to attend.
So, how is the weather where you are? Freezing cold still? Ready for Christmas tomorrow? Or maybe just ready for some downtime? Let me know in the comments and if I don’t talk to you before then, have a Merry Christmas!
Beyond the Season Available for Download
The BookFunnel link to Beyond the Season, my Christmas novella, is available for download for free for blog readers and you can find it HERE.
The book will be on Kindle Unlimited next week and can also be purchased for 99 cents there.
If you want to read the book chapter by chapter here on the blog you can go HERE.
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and thanks for reading along!
December 23, 2022
Get in the spirit of Christmas: Five Christmas Music Specials, Five Christmas Songs, and Three Christmas-themed programs to help you do just that.
Some years we are either too busy, too nerved up, or too down to really feel the Christmas spirit. If you need a little help this year, for whatever, reason, here are some ideas to give you a brief time of peace or joy as we remember the true gift of Christmas, our savior Jesus Christ.
Five Christmas Music Specials
1. Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith
2. A Story of the First Christmas with The Chosen (includes the short film, The Shepherd)
https://youtu.be/T5ftnTK9-3w
3. Michael W. Smith and Friends
4. Christmas on Broadway with CeCe Winans
5. Gaither Christmas Sing-A-Long
Five Christmas Songs
https://youtu.be/ElJ0fiD0lkcIt’s Beginning to Look A Like Christmas by Michael BubleAmy Grant, Breath of Heaven
Three-Christmas Themed Programs (or old specials)
1. A Walton’s Christmas
2. A Garfield Christmas
3. The Berenstain Bears Christmas
Bonus: one movie
The Bishop’s Wife. This is a heartwarming tale of a Anglican Bishop who has become so obsessed building a Cathedral that he has lost sight of what is really important in life, including his wife and daughter. Enter Cary Grant, playing an angel, who wants to get the bishop back on track again before he loses everything.
‘Book review, recommendation: Abiding in Him: A Life Together in Ministry by Bettie and Barry Gilbert
When you deal with chronic illness, it isn’t easy to always stay upbeat or hopeful.
You feel as if God can not use you because you struggle to even leave your house, let alone go out into the world and preach the gospel.
Bettie Gilbert and her husband Barry learned over the years that not even chronic illness, various attacks on their joy, and heartache could stop God from using them to further his kingdom.
That’s the story that is written in Bettie and Barry’s new book Abiding in Him: A Life Together in Ministry.
This beautiful book which can also be used as a devotional was written in the past year by Bettie and Barry and is published by Chronic Joy, a wonderful organization that Bettie is a part of. The organization helps support those who struggle with chronic illnesses.
The book is full of inspiring stories, poems, Bible verses, and reflective questions to help bring you through your own trials, questions, and journey, whether you are in ministry or not. Each chapter ends with a beautiful prayer and three questions to help you focus on your own life.
This is a book for those of you in ministry, yes, but for any of us who face trials no matter what we do in life.
This is a book full of hope in a hurting world, a reminder though how God worked through Bettie and Barry’s life that he can and will do the same for us — maybe not in the way we want or expect but in a way that we need and will, many times, blow us away.
You can learn more about Bettie and Barry’s beautiful book on the Chronic Joy webpage. (https://chronic-joy.org/abiding-in-him/) or you can order it right from Amazon.
Just a closing, thought, Bettie Gilbert’s writing changed the way I think about chronic illness, especially the one I deal with. Her writing reminded me that we are called to worship God in all things, even the hard things. She made me think about how for those of us with a chronic illness will rejoice that much more in heaven because we will know what it is to not have full health on earth and then realize it in our heavenly bodies.
Thank you, Bettie, for your inspiration, your words, and your faithfulness.
To read Bettie’s past words about her journey through ministry and life check out her archived posts on her blog (as she’s currently in retirement from blogging).
December 22, 2022
‘Tis the Season Cinema: Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas and Charlie Brown’s Christmas
To close out our ‘Tis The Season Cinema feature, Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs and I watched Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas and Charlie Brown Christmas this week. Blogger Katja from Breath of Hallelujah joined in as well.
Both films are aimed at children but carry inspirational messages for all ages.
I don’t know how I had never heard of the Emmett Otter movie until Erin mentioned it, but I hadn’t. It is shocking considering – gulp – how old I am and it was released in 197…er..something. The year I was born. Anyhoooo…
The movie is a Jim Henson creation and is about Emmett Otter and his mom who are living alone after the passing of Emmett’s father. They both decide to enter a music contest where they could win $50, hoping they can win and buy each other store-bought gifts. Neither of them knows that the other one has decided to enter.
The story is a twist on the story The Gift of the Magi and in the end, sacrifices have to be made to be sure they can get their loved one the gift they want.
The movie began as a stage adaption by Henson and was later transformed into the film to be shown on CBS.
The puppetry is cute, like all of Henson’s movies, and the songs are sweet and full of warmth. I’d listen to them on a soundtrack even without the movie.
The love between Emmett and his mom is so tender and wholesome. Plus the puppets are so cute I want to reach through the screen and cuddle them.
Henson’s version is based on a story written and illustrated by Russell and Lillian Hoban, creators of Bread and Jam for Frances and other treasured children’s books, in 1971.
The film featured Muppets characters but also Hoban’s characters. The main Muppets character showcased in the film is Kermit.
If you want to watch the movie you can find it for free on YouTube or streaming on Amazon and Peacock.
I’m glad Erin told me about it and I’m sure it will be one we will watch again in other years.
Charlie Brown’s Christmas is one we try to watch each Christmas.
The songs sung during the show transport me back to a simpler time in a similar way to I’m sure how the songs on Emmett Otter transport Erin back to a simpler time for her.
In the beginning, Charlie laments with his friend Linus that he doesn’t feel like he thinks he should feel for Christmas. In fact, he feels depressed. If you ask me, Charlie has put on himself the same pressure we put on ourselves to be happy at Christmas by participating in all the activities, sending the cards, and buying the gifts, but not really realizing that Christmas is much more than all of those things.
As Charlies discovers, Christmas is about being together with family and recognizing the ultimate gift of the season — hope found in the birth of Christ.
The main plot of the movie is that Charlie feels detached from Christmas emotionally and to make him feel more involved, Lucy tells him he can direct their (school, church, community? I don’t know which) school play. Charlie decides to take the job seriously and gets very into it. Lucy gets into it as well, yelling at the cast to respect their director, as well as threatening them with bodily harm.
I always forget certain lines in the movie, including the one that Lucy says about not eating December snowflakes because the ones in January taste better. I may totally test that theory out.
The scene that people who have seen the special remember the most is when Linus gives a speech about what Christmas is really about by reciting from Luke 2:8-14. This comes after Charlie declares that getting more involved in Christmas activities has still left him depressed and he calls out, “Does anyone really know what Christmas is about?”
I love that this was part of the film and that when it first aired on television in 1965 it was something television stations didn’t even blink at showing. The Christian message of Christmas was still very much a part of society at that time.
Producers, however, tried to talk Peanut’s creator and illustrator Charles M. Schulz out of keeping in the part with Linus reciting from Luke. Schulze, according to Amazon’s trivia section on the film, refused by saying “If we don’t, who will?” The recitation was praised as one of the most impactful moments in that special and any animated episode. In the original comic strip that featured the story, Linus was actually stressed out about having to learn and give the recitation.
As a little bit of additional trivia, the producers of the show were convinced the show would be a flop and were surprised when it was well received by viewers.
The special remains the second-longest-running Christmas special on US Network Television behind Rudolph the Reindeer.
Incidentally, every time I watch a Peanuts movie I try to figure out who I relate to most and I think I relate to more than one character. I relate to Linus because I had a blanket as a kid too (my mom eventually sewed it into a pillow when there was barely anything of it left). I also relate to Charlie, though, because he’s always melancholy and searching for happiness. I may have a bit of Lucy in me as well because I’m also a bit bossy and trying to fix everything or make sure it goes my way. Luckily not as aggressive as she does it, though.
As usual, I feel bad for poor Charlie Brown, who everyone always makes fun of, or rejects, but, of course, in the end, the real message for Charlie is finding out what Christmas is really about. His friends and classmates also rally around him in the end by decorating the little tree he found and making it a real Christmas tree while singing Hark the Herald Angels Sing with him.
These two Christmas specials were a nice, wholesome, and heartfelt ending to our Christmas movie feature. I hope all of our readers found a movie you weren’t as familiar with and either found time to watch one with your family or will find time in the next few days and into next week.
To read Erin’s impressions of these Christmas specials you can read her post on her blog. To read Katja’s you can visit her blog.
