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A Charlie Brown Christmas
Good grief! Snoopy's doghouse blinks on and off with electric lights. Sally thinks only about the presents she'll get. Lucy likes aluminum trees. Is this Christmas? Not for Charlie Brown! In all the glitter he searches for the true meaning of this holiday.
32 pages, Hardcover
Published February 1, 2004
166 people are currently reading
2832 people want to read
About the author
Justine Korman Fontes
444 books62 followersJustine Korman is the author of over 600 children's books, including mega-selling adaptations of Disney hits like THE LION KING, plus her original popular GRUMPY BUNNY series for Scholastic.
Justine has been writing all her life. She worked part-time in publishing while earning her B.A. in English Literature, Phi Beta Kappa from New York University. While an editorial assistant at Golden Books, she met her future husband and partner, Ron Fontes, an artist in the Whitman Comics department, who moved on to mighty Marvel Comics.
When Justine started getting freelance writing assignments, Ron pitched in and a children's book writing team was born! Ron brought visual storytelling, theatre, and history; Justine enthusiasm, humor, and a straight-A attitude.
In 1988, the couple moved to Maine, where they have written everything from beginning readers and novelty books to historical fiction and graphic novels.
Justine's hobbies include fitness, juggling, gardening, cooking, and playing the ukulele. She also enjoys making movies with Ron.
The prolific couple's goal is to write 1001 children's books.
Justine has been writing all her life. She worked part-time in publishing while earning her B.A. in English Literature, Phi Beta Kappa from New York University. While an editorial assistant at Golden Books, she met her future husband and partner, Ron Fontes, an artist in the Whitman Comics department, who moved on to mighty Marvel Comics.
When Justine started getting freelance writing assignments, Ron pitched in and a children's book writing team was born! Ron brought visual storytelling, theatre, and history; Justine enthusiasm, humor, and a straight-A attitude.
In 1988, the couple moved to Maine, where they have written everything from beginning readers and novelty books to historical fiction and graphic novels.
Justine's hobbies include fitness, juggling, gardening, cooking, and playing the ukulele. She also enjoys making movies with Ron.
The prolific couple's goal is to write 1001 children's books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 236 reviews
February 12, 2025
Charles Schultz’s made-for-TV cartoon, A Charlie Brown Christmas, first appeared on the US television pre-Christmas lineup in December 1965. But on me, an alienated 15-year-old, its beautiful effect was lost then: until just now.
This book describes the alienated and clumsy - two traits I shared, and vehemently denied - young Charlie Brown, as he gropes his way through the desert Modern Christmas has become.
I guess he realizes that little Linus is right, and that it’s all a plot dreamt up by an evil Eastern Syndicate.
What can he do?
Like so many other alienated Christians he tries, as the annual Yuletide pageant director, to drive the Christmas message like thunder into his interlocutors’ - his classmates’ - shrivelled ears.
But the kids want the greatest gifts that money can buy!
Most kids want the commercial best that the stores have to offer. One of them wants readymade beauty. Lucy, of course, wants Real Estate...
Good grief, you’re right, Charlie Brown. We’ve too long been in “a desert on a (camel) with no name” and as a result are no longer Wise Men.
At all.
What went wrong?
Well, for starters look at the 15-year-old me, denying he really is Charlie Brown come to life. And NOW look at the months-shy-of-74 old guy I’ve turned into - realizing that I always hated Schulz’s story so much because it HIT TOO CLOSE TO HOME. This time, tonight, I was enlightened.
Got it?
Now extrapolate - go from my particulars to postmodern generalities...
The generality is that we’ve ALL to some extent become alienated by Christmas commercialism. No wonder - we’re no longer kids who want the biggest toys. We’ve grown up. We read voraciously. And now we SEE the world’s game.
So can there still be magic in the season?
Oh, there’s still magic in Christmas, alright!
Just look at Charlie Brown’s JOY in hearing Linus’ Christmas Story at the end of the book.
That’s the joy.
And it’s all we need, just like Charlie Brown.
Wherein is the WONDER, then?
That it took a tiny Baby born Dirt Poor in a cowshed to Finally Give Us Hope.
This book describes the alienated and clumsy - two traits I shared, and vehemently denied - young Charlie Brown, as he gropes his way through the desert Modern Christmas has become.
I guess he realizes that little Linus is right, and that it’s all a plot dreamt up by an evil Eastern Syndicate.
What can he do?
Like so many other alienated Christians he tries, as the annual Yuletide pageant director, to drive the Christmas message like thunder into his interlocutors’ - his classmates’ - shrivelled ears.
But the kids want the greatest gifts that money can buy!
Most kids want the commercial best that the stores have to offer. One of them wants readymade beauty. Lucy, of course, wants Real Estate...
Good grief, you’re right, Charlie Brown. We’ve too long been in “a desert on a (camel) with no name” and as a result are no longer Wise Men.
At all.
What went wrong?
Well, for starters look at the 15-year-old me, denying he really is Charlie Brown come to life. And NOW look at the months-shy-of-74 old guy I’ve turned into - realizing that I always hated Schulz’s story so much because it HIT TOO CLOSE TO HOME. This time, tonight, I was enlightened.
Got it?
Now extrapolate - go from my particulars to postmodern generalities...
The generality is that we’ve ALL to some extent become alienated by Christmas commercialism. No wonder - we’re no longer kids who want the biggest toys. We’ve grown up. We read voraciously. And now we SEE the world’s game.
So can there still be magic in the season?
Oh, there’s still magic in Christmas, alright!
Just look at Charlie Brown’s JOY in hearing Linus’ Christmas Story at the end of the book.
That’s the joy.
And it’s all we need, just like Charlie Brown.
Wherein is the WONDER, then?
That it took a tiny Baby born Dirt Poor in a cowshed to Finally Give Us Hope.
December 10, 2024
Charlie Brown is of course miserable for the holidays--no cards for him--for which we love him:
"Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, you are the Charlie Browniest" ---Linus
But CB has a point; most of his friends just want to GET presents, not give them, and his own dog wants to have everyone compete for MONEY MONEY MONEY in his decoration contest:
"I can't stand it!"--Charlie Brown
Psychiatrist Lucy suggests he direct a Christmas show, which goes as well as his baseball games or kicking a football.
Snoopy wins his own decoration contest, and Charlie Brown buys the saddest little tree and puts the only bulb he can find on it. . . but his friends save the day!
"Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, you are the Charlie Browniest" ---Linus
But CB has a point; most of his friends just want to GET presents, not give them, and his own dog wants to have everyone compete for MONEY MONEY MONEY in his decoration contest:
"I can't stand it!"--Charlie Brown
Psychiatrist Lucy suggests he direct a Christmas show, which goes as well as his baseball games or kicking a football.
Snoopy wins his own decoration contest, and Charlie Brown buys the saddest little tree and puts the only bulb he can find on it. . . but his friends save the day!
April 16, 2009
i really like this book well because it is about me. HAHAHAHAHA lolololol.
-Charlie Brown- plez reply
-Charlie Brown- plez reply
December 8, 2016
This was cute! My students love reading Charlie Brown stories. At one point the book jumped around a little bit and confused them.
December 17, 2025
4.5 stars
Decorations up, dinner finished, and tucked into blankets with hot chocolate, I decided to pull out an oldie, but a goodie, and my grandsons loved this story just as I did when I was younger. This book is full of nostalgia.
A Charlie Brown Christmas is a must-read for fans of classic Charlie Brown (Peanuts). It's Christmas, and Charlie Brown is determined to find the true spirit of Christmas along with his friends.
They now want to read more of Charlie and his adventures.
Decorations up, dinner finished, and tucked into blankets with hot chocolate, I decided to pull out an oldie, but a goodie, and my grandsons loved this story just as I did when I was younger. This book is full of nostalgia.
A Charlie Brown Christmas is a must-read for fans of classic Charlie Brown (Peanuts). It's Christmas, and Charlie Brown is determined to find the true spirit of Christmas along with his friends.
They now want to read more of Charlie and his adventures.
December 23, 2022
Love this story! Childhood memories!!
December 14, 2021
This is such a lovely and wonderful story.
One of my favorite ones for sure.
It's worth revisiting every year for a little Christmas fun.
One of my favorite ones for sure.
It's worth revisiting every year for a little Christmas fun.
November 13, 2022
Classic
December 22, 2013
"You were supposed to get a good tree. Can't you even tell a good tree from a poor tree?" Lucy asked.
"You're hopeless, Charlie Brown!" added Peppermint Patty.
Lucy may be mean but at least she's original (though a tree elitist). Peppermint Patty is such a lemming. Ugh, girls can be so self-righteously mean. If Charlie Brown wants a smelly old sock for a Christmas Tree he can very well have a smelly old sock for a Christmas Tree. It may be about materialism or consumerism on Christmas, but its also about choices and respecting them. Learn it, kids.
(Read this to my niece yesterday. Of course, we did not have this discussion. Yet.)
December 21, 2017
Awesome.
December 23, 2024
Update, 12/22/24:
One of the most ironic things to occur in the modern age is that this sincere lamentation of the commercialization of Christmas that reflected Charles Schulz's genuine beliefs has raked in billions and billions of dollars in the past 60 years. I'm guilty of contributing to it myself. Aside from this book, I also own the DVD. Among the Christmas stuffed animals by the hearth are three Snoopys and a couple of Woodstocks. Next to them is a Peanuts choir display. On the tree are several Peanuts ornaments, and there are plenty still in the box that didn't make it to the tree this year. (I have enough ornaments for three or four trees, so not all of them make it up every year.) At work, there are a couple of Snoopys on my small desk tree, and in my mother's office is a Charlie Brown tree and small Peanuts display around Snoopy's doghouse. Add to that all the non-Christmas Charlie brown stuff I have, then all the Charlie Brown stuff I don't have, and multiply it by whatever that goes out to the masses, and you can easily see how Peanuts pulls in $2.5 billion a year.
It didn't all start with the Christmas special upon which this book is based; Peanuts had been in the daily comics for 15 years by the time it came around, but this set it on the road to going Super Saiyan.[1]
It almost didn't happen, though. Everyone involved in the production expected it to fail and be forever relegated to the one and done file. It had a budget of $76,000 and went over by $20,000. They were given only six months to do it which explains some of the crude drawings and animation. They were also trying several things that had never been done before. They were showing a cartoon special for kids at prime time at a time when specials of any kind for anybody were verboten. (The big wigs had it figured that regular viewers didn't want their routines disrupted ever in spite of the success of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer the previous year.) They used inexperienced children for the voices instead of adult actors. The jazz style music from the Vince Guaraldi Trio was a novel concept. They didn't use a laugh track which was SOP for a show of that nature back then. There was also a stink about Linus quoting scripture, and while Schulz made concessions during the production, he was adamant that that remain. If you look at the production as a whole, you can see and hear plenty of mistakes and miscues, and such shoddy, rushed work would never make it over the airwaves today. And yet, it. is. perfect. The powers that be saw it and expected the bombiest bomb of all bombdom, and the only reason they aired it was because it was the eleventh hour and it was already slated for a particular time slot less than a week later. But, the public and critics both loved it which just goes to show that TV execs often don't know beans about their viewing audience's tastes. It was aired every single year after that until the jerks at Apple got the rights a couple of years ago and wouldn't allow it on TV anymore.
After this was aired, the game was changed forever. Holiday specials became the happening thing. How the Grinch Stole Christmas was made the next year, and CBS made sure they had a proper budget (four times as much as they allotted for Charlie Brown). Then they started making specials for other holidays, and the rest is history. Still, none of them have the charm of this special. As for this book, I'm afraid it can't touch the show, not by miles. It's still not a bad read, but like I said below in my original review, just watch the show instead unless you're reading this to the kids.
[1]: My apologies to Charles Schulz for referring to Dragonball Z in a Peanuts review, but that's just how my brain rolls.
Original review, 12/10/19:
I've seen the Charlie Brown Christmas special approximately a million times, give or take 999,900. As a result I noticed every line that was slightly altered, and this is just a watered-down version of the show, but I guess that's to be expected when you have a novelization of an existing work.
Plus, you can't hear Vince Guaraldi's music in the book, or watch the dancing...
...and that's half the fun! (Though there is a still of the gif above in the book.)
Is it sad that I know the names of all the characters in this thing? Well, almost. I couldn't tell you which of the twins is 3 and which is 4, but that kind of thing happens with identical twins in identical outfits. 5, of course, is their older brother with the best dance moves. I bust that out every chance I get.
Anyway, I enjoyed reading this with my nephew tonight, but if we weren't practicing reading, I'd just as soon watch the special.
One of the most ironic things to occur in the modern age is that this sincere lamentation of the commercialization of Christmas that reflected Charles Schulz's genuine beliefs has raked in billions and billions of dollars in the past 60 years. I'm guilty of contributing to it myself. Aside from this book, I also own the DVD. Among the Christmas stuffed animals by the hearth are three Snoopys and a couple of Woodstocks. Next to them is a Peanuts choir display. On the tree are several Peanuts ornaments, and there are plenty still in the box that didn't make it to the tree this year. (I have enough ornaments for three or four trees, so not all of them make it up every year.) At work, there are a couple of Snoopys on my small desk tree, and in my mother's office is a Charlie Brown tree and small Peanuts display around Snoopy's doghouse. Add to that all the non-Christmas Charlie brown stuff I have, then all the Charlie Brown stuff I don't have, and multiply it by whatever that goes out to the masses, and you can easily see how Peanuts pulls in $2.5 billion a year.
It didn't all start with the Christmas special upon which this book is based; Peanuts had been in the daily comics for 15 years by the time it came around, but this set it on the road to going Super Saiyan.[1]
It almost didn't happen, though. Everyone involved in the production expected it to fail and be forever relegated to the one and done file. It had a budget of $76,000 and went over by $20,000. They were given only six months to do it which explains some of the crude drawings and animation. They were also trying several things that had never been done before. They were showing a cartoon special for kids at prime time at a time when specials of any kind for anybody were verboten. (The big wigs had it figured that regular viewers didn't want their routines disrupted ever in spite of the success of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer the previous year.) They used inexperienced children for the voices instead of adult actors. The jazz style music from the Vince Guaraldi Trio was a novel concept. They didn't use a laugh track which was SOP for a show of that nature back then. There was also a stink about Linus quoting scripture, and while Schulz made concessions during the production, he was adamant that that remain. If you look at the production as a whole, you can see and hear plenty of mistakes and miscues, and such shoddy, rushed work would never make it over the airwaves today. And yet, it. is. perfect. The powers that be saw it and expected the bombiest bomb of all bombdom, and the only reason they aired it was because it was the eleventh hour and it was already slated for a particular time slot less than a week later. But, the public and critics both loved it which just goes to show that TV execs often don't know beans about their viewing audience's tastes. It was aired every single year after that until the jerks at Apple got the rights a couple of years ago and wouldn't allow it on TV anymore.
After this was aired, the game was changed forever. Holiday specials became the happening thing. How the Grinch Stole Christmas was made the next year, and CBS made sure they had a proper budget (four times as much as they allotted for Charlie Brown). Then they started making specials for other holidays, and the rest is history. Still, none of them have the charm of this special. As for this book, I'm afraid it can't touch the show, not by miles. It's still not a bad read, but like I said below in my original review, just watch the show instead unless you're reading this to the kids.
[1]: My apologies to Charles Schulz for referring to Dragonball Z in a Peanuts review, but that's just how my brain rolls.
Original review, 12/10/19:
I've seen the Charlie Brown Christmas special approximately a million times, give or take 999,900. As a result I noticed every line that was slightly altered, and this is just a watered-down version of the show, but I guess that's to be expected when you have a novelization of an existing work.
Plus, you can't hear Vince Guaraldi's music in the book, or watch the dancing...
...and that's half the fun! (Though there is a still of the gif above in the book.)
Is it sad that I know the names of all the characters in this thing? Well, almost. I couldn't tell you which of the twins is 3 and which is 4, but that kind of thing happens with identical twins in identical outfits. 5, of course, is their older brother with the best dance moves. I bust that out every chance I get.
Anyway, I enjoyed reading this with my nephew tonight, but if we weren't practicing reading, I'd just as soon watch the special.
March 25, 2025
Snowflakes in the air
Carols everywhere
Olden times and ancient rhymes
Of love and dreams to share
Carols everywhere
Olden times and ancient rhymes
Of love and dreams to share
December 11, 2019
Because we need to be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas...
February 8, 2017
Every now and then a person wants to read a book that makes them feel light-hearted. This happens to me after reading a heavy themed novel. The Peanuts Christmas book and television special are a classic that elevate my spirits. I love The Peanut characters, the drawing style, and the message and always will.
December 20, 2013
The kindle version did not allow for the letter size to be increased, making the verse unreadable. The pictures were nice, but really!
May 21, 2023
It’s never the wrong year to read a Christmas story. 💚❤️
Read
December 15, 2025I love you snoopy
December 17, 2025
Such a lovely classic!
December 7, 2018
A must read every year during the holiday season. Always 5 stars!
July 19, 2014
This is a sweet Christmas story about Charlie Brown feeling sad at a time when he thinks he should be happy. He told Linus, "I just don't understand Christmas. I like getting presents, sending cards, decorating trees, and all that. But I always end up feeling sad." He joined in the Christmas play and brought a tiny little tree that he thought was perfect but everyone else laughed at it. During the play he realized what Christmas was all about and felt happy. He took his tree home. His friends saw it and decorated it with the decorations from Snoopy's dog house. Charlie Brown saw his beautiful tree and realized it was a true Christmas miracle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2013
Great story. I got the free kindle version. But the letters are very hard to read and for some reasons, you can't enlarge them. I couldn't read it on my kindle because of that, but I read it on my cloud reader from kindle. I was able to see the letters a little better. The pictures make up for this though, they are very beautiful. Would recommend it but not on the kindle.
May 28, 2022
Super cute book who doesn’t love Charlie Brown
April 15, 2025
I think it had no rhyme or reason. Yes, Charlie Brown is displeased with the commercialization of Xmas and he sees that everyone has forgotten what this holiday is about, buuut the way in which things are fixed is not really a satisfying ending. So Charlie Brown notices stuff is not to his liking, he is told he must become involved in a Xmas activity, ends up directing a Xmas play, but wait, there is no play cause all the childred want to do is sing and dance, so Charlie Brown decides to go buy a Xmas tree... gets the most ridiculous one (of course, natural cause the others are metal), gets back and gets bullied for buying an ugly tree, but then one of the children gets up on stage and tells a story about Jesus being born and peace on Earth and Charlie Brown leaves with the ugly tree certain that now he knows that Xmas is all about, tries to decorate the tree, fails, feels destituted, his friends come, they all decorate the tree, the tree is now gorgeous and all are happy. If you are as confused as me as to the logical link between the events you are not alone. I am very certain that this is 1. a very poorly written story and 2. a story that tells you absolutely nothing about the essence of Xmas (it doesn"t matter if you believe in the Jesus part or just see it as a family gathering etc.).
December 5, 2022
I'm not really a Charlie Brown fan. I've went to the A Charlie Brown Christmas play before as well (because my friends are BIG fans). It's fine.
I read this as part of a Christmas readathon prompt.
I read this as part of a Christmas readathon prompt.
November 23, 2017
I like this story.
Read
December 10, 2024Perfect read aloud for any grade! Thank you, Mr. Schulz, for reminding all about the true meaning of Christmas.
December 24, 2024
It’s definitely a Christmas tradition to watch this movie but thought we’d change it up.
December 17, 2025
Excellent as usual. Read it sitting in Barnes/Nobel
Read
December 20, 2025I had my niece read this to me and it’s a cute little story :)
December 26, 2021
As usual with Peanuts, Schulz delivers a superior and intelligent little Christmas tale as Charlie Brown expresses his disappointments with his materialist fellow man… and dog.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 236 reviews