There are tensions over gifts, decorations, musical pageants, and so on. The commercialism, consumerism, and egoism of the season is weighing upon him heavily. He wants to find the true meaning of Christmas-one with more substance and gravitas than what he is experiencing. In the film, Charlie Brown is engaged in yet another existential crisis that is only exacerbated by his friends and circumstances. In a world that seems so mired in conflict, tension, and cynicism-where there is hesitancy to speak the ancient truths of the Christian faith in response to human need-this piece of popular culture speaks volumes. But it is, indeed, timely and much needed. These things, along with the nostalgic feel of the film, the animation, and the absence of the irreverent and violent themes of our day, may contribute to some describing it as sappy or even irrelevant.
However, it stands in its place as the quintessential Peanuts film-complete with artful music, endearing characters, predictable emotional conflict for the protagonist, and a concluding spiritual moral. It was produced in 1965, and to many today, it may seem terribly dated. One of our annual traditions, which spoke to some of these Christmas tensions, was watching the animated television special, A Charlie Brown Christmas. Competitive neighborhood light displays and the inevitable pressures of gift comparisons were an unspoken but not-so-subtle part of the Christmas experience. Even as a young child, I was aware of the tensions around Christmas-limited finances made gift giving difficult. Our family spent the days together at home, sometimes inviting guests, but never traveling ourselves. My dad made wassail and Welsh cookies every year, and mom made lasagna for Christmas Eve before we opened a “warm-up” gift-after church of course. There were a number of Christmas traditions in our home.
COURIER TIMES FULL
When I was a young boy, Christmas was a big deal, full of mounting expectations woven into the entire holiday season.
0 kommentar(er)
