(A Guest Post by Jason Soroski)
This week A Charlie Brown Christmas aired on national prime time television for the 55th time. In a world where the latest greatest technology is outdated in a matter of months, and social media trends come and go in a matter of days, 55 years of anything becomes quite meaningful.
I am a fan of all things nostalgic and all things Christmas, and so when the two are combined I am hooked, and the Charlie Brown Christmas special falls squarely into that category.
I was in the first grade back when they still performed Christmas pageants in schools (less than 50 years, but still a very long time ago), and our class performed a version of the Charlie Brown Christmas. Since I was kind of a bookworm and already had a blue blanket, I was chosen to play the part of Linus. As Linus, I memorized Luke 2:8-14, and that Scripture has been hidden in my heart ever since.
But while working so diligently to learn those lines, there is one important thing I didn’t notice then, and didn’t notice until now.
Right in the middle of speaking, Linus drops the blanket.
Charlie Brown is best known for his uniquely striped shirt, and Linus is most associated with his ever-present security blanket. Throughout the story of Peanuts, Lucy, Snoopy, Sally and others all work to no avail to separate Linus from his blanket. And even though his security blanket remains a major source of ridicule for the otherwise mature and thoughtful Linus, he simply refuses to give it up.
Until this moment. When he simply drops it.
In that climactic scene when Linus shares “what Christmas is all about,” he drops his security blanket, and I am now convinced that this is intentional. Most telling is the specific moment he drops it: when he utters the words, “fear not” (at :38 seconds in his speech).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vJPAQJAyjg
Looking at it now, it is pretty clear what Charles Schultz was saying, and it’s so simple it’s brilliant.
The birth of Jesus separates us from our fears.
The birth of Jesus frees us from the habits we are unable (or unwilling) to break ourselves.
The birth of Jesus allows us to simply drop the false security we have been grasping so tightly, and learn to trust and cling to Him instead.
The world of 2021 can be a scary place, and most of us find ourselves grasping to something temporal for security, whatever that thing may be. Essentially, 2021 is a world in which it is very difficult for us to “fear not.”
But in the midst of fear and insecurity, this simple cartoon image from 1965 continues to live on as an inspiration for us to seek true peace and true security in the one place it has always been and can always still be found.
This article was published here by permission, thank you to Jason for allowing us to share your words.
As a writer and musician, Jason Soroski strives to communicate in a way that is insightful, meaningful, relevant, and mindful of the small things that we may otherwise overlook in our everyday lives. He effectively taps into his experiences as a worship pastor, classroom teacher, husband, and homeschooling father of five to relate poignant stories from real-life experiences. Jason holds an M.Ed. from Missouri Baptist University, has been featured in various print and web publications, and currently resides in Houston, TX. Read more from Jason at his blog https://jasonsoroski.net/ The Way I See It.
Originally published at The Way I See It, it also appeared at Crosswalk here: http://www.crosswalk.com/special-coverage/christmas-and-advent/just-drop-the-blanket-the-moment-you-never-noticed-in-a-charlie-brown-christmas.html
Thank you so much Debbie. I had never really paid much attention to the fact that Linus dropped his blanket AND at that very moment❤️🙏 You, Debbie, have definitely found your calling, and please don’t ever stop. I’m so happy I ‘liked’ your page. I have found that your words bring me so much peace, wisdom and help guide me through some paths in my life where I found myself having difficulty. God is guiding you, you have a purpose, you truly are a blessing…love and prayers…Karen Cassagne, Cleveland, TN
Karen, thank you so much for kind words! This great article was written by a fellow writer at Crosswalk.com & pastor, Jason Soroski. So thankful for this powerful reminder for I’d never noticed that key moment of “fear not.” Grateful you are here & blessings to you today. 🙂
AMEN. MERRY CHRISTMAS IS THE REASON ,
So beautiful and moving, I love this.
So agree Danell!
Oh wow….what a lesson, right there with Linus. And gosh, I missed it all until this post! Great insight, wonderful read. Thanks for sharing!
Me too Kristi! Have watched it for years & never noticed, love the encouragement through one of my fav Christmas shows ever. 🙂
may i have your whatsapp number. seeking for prayers
I too never noticed that in all the times we’ve watched that show. But, few years back I had read about that scene. Thank you for sharing as a reminder. Enjoy your posts
I came across “drop the blanket” several years ago and ha=e shared it a couple of times with different groups at a transitional home for women coming out of prison and/or addiction where I volunteer. There is also a part two that was written a day after the original post about Linus picking the blanket back up. If you watch the Charlie Brown Christmas film to the end, you’ll see Linus lay his blanket down at the foot of the “tree”. I’d never noticed that part before either! Check out part two for the whole story, and thanks for sharing!