59 years ago today, A Charlie Brown Christmas aired on CBS. Here is the original promo as it aired in 1965. 🎄 🌲🎄☃️🌲🎄🌲☃️🎄🌲🎄☃️🌲🎄🌲 - ThreadSky

The "That's terrible, Charlie Brown!" and Lucy slugs him was apparently cut before it ever aired. I've never seen that scene.

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mapachebandit.bsky.social•148 days ago

It's never Christmas until l see the Charlie Brown Christmas Special.

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sharonleetee.bsky.social•151 days ago

Sweet ❤️💚

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stanimal-68.bsky.social•151 days ago

OMG!! I love this!!. The only thing missing is the Dolly Madison Zingers commercials

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bionicjones777.bsky.social•150 days ago

Note the word “color” at the end. I remember when we got our first color TV and were excited we could watch Rudolph in color. Yeah, Im old.

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artist12.bsky.social•150 days ago

Memories! 😊

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dawnddurante.bsky.social•150 days ago

🙂

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timethreading.bsky.social•151 days ago

That was exciting for my brothers and I! Of course, out TV was black & white, so we didn’t see in color for years. ❤️

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onemargaux.bsky.social•151 days ago

🥰🎁🎄

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yep-she-said-that.bsky.social•151 days ago

🤎🧡🤎🧡

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randy500.bsky.social•151 days ago

I loved the Peanuts specials. They always had a message, and even as a little kid, I always got it.

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realmovieev.bsky.social•151 days ago

the color is very authentic, too

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asitreadalong.bsky.social•151 days ago

Every year this plays on network and every version streaming the last line of the outro song "Hark The Herald" where the choir hits the high note at the finally... IT GETS CUT OFF!!! Talk about stalling the climax. Argh.

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gbsmimi.bsky.social•151 days ago

I watched it! Still do, every year.

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boomersinthehouse.bsky.social•151 days ago

Anybody know who the narrator in the ad is?

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dannyderaney.bsky.social•151 days ago

I am trying to figure that out myself

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boomersinthehouse.bsky.social•151 days ago

Does it sound a lot like Rod Serling?

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boomersinthehouse.bsky.social•151 days ago

I’ve looked carefully at three sources including IMDB. NADA.

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azhbomb.bsky.social•151 days ago

I was in the 2nd grade when this premiered. All our parents bought the Vince Guaraldi record, which we wore out.

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cattlozada.bsky.social•151 days ago

❤️❤️❤️

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thomaswolfe.bsky.social•150 days ago

And Americans still don't get the message.

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silenceredux.bsky.social•151 days ago

They would need to dumb down the promo these days for the people who don't understand the meaning of impudent in reference to Snoopy.

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mjkmjw.bsky.social•134 days ago

I love how Linus drops his blanket when he says “Fear not.” Perfection.

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talonewo.bsky.social•151 days ago

I watched it with my parents, and my 7 month old sister.

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wendyleighb.bsky.social•151 days ago

📌

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frambley1.bsky.social•151 days ago

If you are younger than Gen X, you probably have no concept of how special the tevee Christmas specials were. They preempted normal primetime programming to play each of these shows once per year. You didn't have any other way to watch them until well into the 80s.

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maxedge.bsky.social•151 days ago

How cool. I remember.

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p-staatz.bsky.social•149 days ago

Sweet

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matransplant.bsky.social•151 days ago

Thank you. Many years ago I got to produce an animated commercial with Snoopy. Such a wonderful experience.

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mkmcmillan-1958.bsky.social•151 days ago

I shared this with my brother then realized he wasn’t born until Feb 1966. 😂😂

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hillwomans.bsky.social•151 days ago

Thanks for this 🦋

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ferst60.bsky.social•151 days ago

My fav of the cartoon variety 💙

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geekythinker.com•151 days ago

Watching this right now!

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mysageadvice.bsky.social•151 days ago

Gen X has lived every minute!

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observerbs.bsky.social•151 days ago

It holds up well.

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suziesews59.bsky.social•151 days ago

Damn, I'm old!!!

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dawnblooms.bsky.social•151 days ago

Neato

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alana807.bsky.social•151 days ago

I had forgotten about that Danny!! TY!

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daviddaniel.bsky.social•151 days ago

“Impudent hound”? And Charlie Brown playing Schroeder’s piano?

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dannyderaney.bsky.social•151 days ago

Can we just talk about how they included Beethoven as a character?

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daviddaniel.bsky.social•151 days ago

It really underscores how this was the first Peanuts TV special, and the network really didn't know how to promote it. It certainly seems odd nearly 60 years later -- I wonder how it played at the time.

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teenygozer.bsky.social•151 days ago

I was 7 or 8 at the time (my birthday is in December) and I adored it. My mom had primed the pump by buying a half-dozen or so Peanuts paperbacks for me in the mid-sixties. Also Charles Addams paperbacks. My mom got all the ones published by Fawcett books.

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dannyderaney.bsky.social•151 days ago

Half the country tuned in. It was a sensation.

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daviddaniel.bsky.social•151 days ago

I meant, I wonder how the ad played. Were viewers uncertain what the special would be like, or just thrilled at the prospect of the Peanuts on TV for Christmas? (Judging by the viewership numbers, the latter.)

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kellyknic.bsky.social•151 days ago

So glad I was born Gen X and had a magical childhood.

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seanrt.bsky.social•151 days ago

Same. Wouldn’t trade it for anything.

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kellyknic.bsky.social•151 days ago

Me either. So many adventures on bikes and water fights with amway bottles in the house with my sisters after school. Being outside all day playing. Being free.

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veganmcser.bsky.social•150 days ago

You had me at Amway lol

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cspencef.bsky.social•151 days ago

Wow, sometimes you can forget just how violent Lucy was. Belting CB clear across the room? Yikes.

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staceyt.bsky.social•151 days ago

📌

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bobhudsonvalley.bsky.social•151 days ago

I'm 67 and I still watch the specials and smile.

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abbylynn55.bsky.social•151 days ago

Pure Gold!!!!

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jbeattie53.bsky.social•151 days ago

I still listen every year to the best Christmas music ever recorded because who doesn’t like a kid’s chorus!
#Christmastime
#VinceGuaraldiTrio

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the-hank-s.bsky.social•151 days ago

The music!

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corbyntravers.bsky.social•148 days ago

And I watched it.

😎

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onlylookirish.bsky.social•151 days ago

I loved that show

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flo-waxman.bsky.social•150 days ago

I loved those Charlie Brown tv specials

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rscadence.bsky.social•151 days ago

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dannyderaney.bsky.social•151 days ago

😂

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platogue.bsky.social•150 days ago

🙏💙🥳🎉💕

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kukana29.bsky.social•151 days ago

Always so fun to see a familiar friend.from the other place! Happy Holidays to you and your family🤗

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johnpaulhi.bsky.social•151 days ago

❤️❤️❤️

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lucyjbri.bsky.social•151 days ago

Grew up watching this annually, was much awaited

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lizreusswig.bsky.social•151 days ago

🥰

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rexchapman.bsky.social•151 days ago

❤️

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trddavis.bsky.social•151 days ago

Best. Christmas. Holiday. Whatever. Special. Ever.

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chickenlady.bsky.social•151 days ago

💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

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peterans.bsky.social•151 days ago

Watched it again last night with my stepdaughter. Still holds up, for me.

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kate51.bsky.social•151 days ago

I watched the original broadcast, and have watched it every year since.

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rexab.bsky.social•151 days ago

It’s the one Christmas show I would look forward to seeing each year. Unfortunately, the message on the commercialization of Christmas is lost when it’s no longer aired on free TV.

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ddagger2024.bsky.social•151 days ago

So many of THE BEST Christmas cartoon specials premiered around the time I was born. It was a mini bonanza!!

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observerbs.bsky.social•151 days ago

Grinch was 1966 I think

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themightykenbo.bsky.social•150 days ago

Fast forward to 2005. @npr.org commentator @johnmoe.bsky.social describes his 5 y/o son's reaction (and questions) to an old tv Christmas special his dad clearly loves ... 🎄🙂 https://bsky.app/profile/themightykenbo.bsky.social/post/3lcxgaiuglc2j

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themightykenbo.bsky.social•151 days ago

This lovely piece by Laurent Durieux grabbed my heart the moment I saw it ... https://bsky.app/profile/themightykenbo.bsky.social/post/3lclo7kuoik2p

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themightykenbo.bsky.social•151 days ago

I was 5 years old ... watching with my mother, father and brother ... 🥹

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lissiewyatt.bsky.social•151 days ago

Enjoyed at 6yrs old.🌲☃️⛄️

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amalkoff.bsky.social•151 days ago

Lucy legit bitch slapped CB into a tumble

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dannyderaney.bsky.social•151 days ago

Would love to hear her origin story

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gailonli.bsky.social•151 days ago

I was 12 and I watched it!

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mattbuckelew.bsky.social•151 days ago

The way they relentlessly bullied Charlie was something else

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jeffrey-pinner.bsky.social•151 days ago

Note: the score, and that of all the Charlie Brown TV cartoons, was written by Vince Gauraldi, a SF, Ca based jazz pianist who was personally selected by Charles Schultz. Outside this assignment, his most famous piece is Cast Your Fate to the Wind.

Album: George Winston, Linus & Lucy, on Spotify.

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veganmcser.bsky.social•150 days ago

Thank you for reminding me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC2ap1M3rII

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jeffrey-pinner.bsky.social•150 days ago

I suggest a listen to the George Winston version. At the end, he's directly striking the piano strings with his fingers (I think the nails).

https://youtu.be/p_etFsZ72Mk?feature=shared

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liteapl.bsky.social•151 days ago

One of my faves 💖

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awg50.bsky.social•151 days ago

💙 thanks for the memories

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oddsock57.bsky.social•151 days ago

Not to date myself, but I remember the premiere quite well.

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hoyageorge.bsky.social•151 days ago

Same here!

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dallilama.bsky.social•150 days ago

59 years? How the heck old am I then???!!

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dannyderaney.bsky.social•151 days ago

Also for the Gen xers, a treat while we watch.

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3dkings.bsky.social•151 days ago

HOLY SHIIIIIIIT

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kilocharlie237.bsky.social•150 days ago

Oh yeah! ... Never had one though. 😭

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happytransplant.bsky.social•151 days ago

Every time I ate one, instant regret. Yet I would go back again and again.

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apple-biter.bsky.social•151 days ago

I wouldn’t normally pick these flavors, but I loved these!

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dannyderaney.bsky.social•151 days ago

When i think of zingers, it's these that always come to mind first. Followed by chocolate and I think lemon?

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apple-biter.bsky.social•151 days ago

I didn’t have these until I was an adult because my dad worked for Wonder Bread/Hostess Cakes and we were NOT ALLOWED to have competitive brands in the house. 🙃🤣

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dannyderaney.bsky.social•151 days ago

Did he work in the heavenly factory that smelled like everything wonderful that existed?

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apple-biter.bsky.social•151 days ago

Yep! He was the warehouse manager. A Teamster, back when they were Democrats.

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savvysteph.bsky.social•150 days ago

Happy place

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msdread.bsky.social•150 days ago

Raspberry Zingers ❤️

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dannyderaney.bsky.social•150 days ago

so underrated. Have not had one in 100 years

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dannyderaney.bsky.social•151 days ago

Despite half the country watching Charlie Brown Christmas, CBS hated it after watching it in a private screening.

Proving once again, leave the art to the artists.

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vivian1212.bsky.social•151 days ago

And after all these years it still holds up. Thank you for sharing, Danny. 🎄

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baronessruth.bsky.social•151 days ago

Sparky was such a genius.

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widge.bsky.social•151 days ago

@diggingthegreats.bsky.social put out another banger of a video about this a little over a week ago:

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danisue.bsky.social•151 days ago

Totally unrelated but rings true in landscape too. Let the people make the paths before you install the hardscape.

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themightykenbo.bsky.social•151 days ago

I understand the ACBC production team was not happy with the finished product as mistakes were obvious to them. But to me, all those little "glitches" add to its charm. I wouldn't change or eliminate any of them ...

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dannyderaney.bsky.social•151 days ago

I know for sure Charles Schulz was not happy with, especially with the continuity issues. He did not animate the film despite many thinking he did.

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themightykenbo.bsky.social•151 days ago

That is my understanding as well ...

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themightykenbo.bsky.social•150 days ago

BTW ... re. continuity errors particularly glaring - the opening daytime skating scene becomes dusk with Charlie and Linus carrying their skates, then night (with no skates), then back to day. 🙂

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jeffrey-pinner.bsky.social•151 days ago

And leave the score to the original author. Score written & performed by Vince Gauraldi, personally selected by Charles Schultz.

Album: George Winston, Linus & Lucy on Spotify.

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nbabeau.bsky.social•151 days ago

“Leave the art to the artists” is a Constitutional Amendment I would support

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dannyderaney.bsky.social•151 days ago

Same

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kcgrandpa.bsky.social•151 days ago

On my desk. Peanuts forever.

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kerrylynn.com•151 days ago

Still the only tree I put up.

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dannyderaney.bsky.social•151 days ago

We used to have one too.

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kerrylynn.com•151 days ago

My grandkids are still young enough that they insist I put it up lol 😆

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dannyderaney.bsky.social•151 days ago

The show was sponsored by coca cola who after seeing Charlie Brown on the 1965 cover of Time, they asked about the possibility of sponsoring an hour-long animated holiday special. CBS and Coke only gave them $76,000.

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heatherthomasaf.bsky.social•151 days ago

Best Christmas jazz ever!

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fat-guy-on-a-bike.bsky.social•151 days ago

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coolnameliz.bsky.social•151 days ago

Absolutely my kids and I play it the day after Thanksgiving, and we are Jewish!

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oreillyiam.bsky.social•151 days ago

Yes!

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paulgrows2.bsky.social•151 days ago

Love me some Guaraldi

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charcoaljar.bsky.social•151 days ago

Vince is a legend!

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thedaveabbitt.bsky.social•151 days ago

My fave as well! ☕️🎄

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philblackwell.bsky.social•151 days ago

It was the soundtrack more than anything that made this special. Original, haunting, beautiful. Oh and you could happy dance to some of it.....

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dannyderaney.bsky.social•151 days ago

and oddly enough, Charles Schulz was not a jazz fan. He let Lee Mendelson choose the music.

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heatherthomasaf.bsky.social•151 days ago

You know everything, Danny.

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peevee55.bsky.social•151 days ago

Danny is the purveyor of historical data.

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dannyderaney.bsky.social•151 days ago

so the next time somebody tells me, Danny, you think you know everything?, I can just call you and you can say, ya he does?

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heatherthomasaf.bsky.social•151 days ago

👍

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dfahnz.bsky.social•151 days ago

Every year I make copies of good holiday music to pass out to retail workers who are on the verge of Jingle Bell Rock burnout. This is forever in the rotation.

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akabruno.bsky.social•151 days ago

There's a good book by Micahel Keane, "Charlie Brown's Christmas Miracle: The Inspiring, Untold Story of the Making of a Holiday Classic" that is worth checking out.

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jbeattie53.bsky.social•151 days ago

Wow, thanks Danny. It’s like a lightbulb going off. I was only 12 years old, but Snoopy and Charlie Brown were a big deal in my house growing up and I never made the connection with Coca-Cola. My dad worked for Coca-Cola for 40 years and was a big snoopy fan!
… and Time magazine!

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