Peanuts was a beloved comic strip created by Charles Schulz. Children and adults alike would wait for the paper to see what Charlie Brown and his friends would do next.
In the 1960's they were adapted for television. The broadcast of Charlie Brown's Christmas special became a tradition.
In this story, Charlie Brown and his friends seek the true meaning of Christmas in the production of a school pageant, decorating a tree, and the selection of Christmas music. Eventually Linus sorts it out and explains the true meaning of Christmas.
You can use this story to talk about Peanuts and other cartoons. Or Christmas or other seasonal specials broadcast every year on television. What rituals do you associate with the holiday? Were you in a school pageant? What role did you play? Did you buy a tree in a parking lot or did you cut one down yourself? Who decorated it? Were there any decorations that were particularly meaningful to you? What about music? Did you sing Christmas carols?
But it's also an occasion to talk about the meaning of the holiday in more personal terms. Maybe Christmas was a difficult time, particularly because everyone else was supposed to be happy. How did it make you feel? Perhaps the holiday had a religious significance you'd like to discuss.
