Despite saying he would come back to it, we never heard about how awesome the music is for Charlie Brown Christmas. This was what put Vince Guaraldi in every home in America and associated his work with Charlie Brown for all time. Muppet Christmas Carol is the only TV special or movie I can think of whose soundtrack would even compare to Charlie Brown.
Also, on top of the message about commercialization (which is still a pointed commentary 45 years later, even though no one remembers aluminum Christmas trees any more, except your dad when he was Charlie Brown's age), there is Linus' recitation of the gospel message at the end. It nearly didn't air for that reason but it was a dealbreaker for Schulz, kinda like the network specifically wanted Rodenberry to take Spock out of Star Trek, and he changed the entire crew EXCEPT for Spock. And you basically still won't see anything like that these days; for everyone else the True Meaning of Christmas (tm) is being with your family or giving gifts rather than getting them (another timeless commentary, Schulz?). Frankly, it blew my mind to see the recent Glee holiday episode toss in their reference to that scene; that would have been the last show I'd expect to see that.
If I had to go by only the material offered in this episode, Charlie Brown would win going away. But Everything Else was poorly defended. People have mentioned the Muppet Christmas Carol multiple times and it's right there with Charlie Brown for me. But It's a Wonderful Life is not only my favorite holiday movie, it's my favorite movie of any sort, anywhere, ever. As charming as the Charlie Brown special is, that movie is just too classic to deny.
Armchair Quarterback says: a better holiday NRA might have been something like:
- Best Scrooge Ever: Bill Murray vs. Mr. Magoo
- Best Holiday Song Ever: Do They Know It's Christmas vs. Same Auld Lang Syne
