A Charlie Brown Christmas

ORLANDO, FL -- Charles Schulz, the award-winning creator of the Peanuts comic strip going back to 1950, was a devoted Christian who included the gospel in more than 560 of his 17,800 creations. One of the most recognizable examples of his theological messages is packaged in A Charlie Brown Christmas television special that has aired annually for 54 years. On December 9, 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas first appeared on television screens at 7:30 p.m. ET throughout America. The special was a collaboration between Schulz, producer Lee Mendelson, and director Bill Melendez, with a music score by Vince Guaraldi. The reviews were outstanding. In fact, Washington Post TV critic Lawrence Laurent wrote, “Good old Charlie Brown, a natural born loser … finally turned up a winner.”