A Charlie Brown Christmas – The Dancers

Thanksgiving Week is here…when Mrs. B and I acknowledge Christmas is not that far off. I have mentioned previously my dislike of Christmas “moving back” in the calendar. We love Christmas. We just don’t love it being promoted during the summer. I love me some Halloween first…and Pumpkin Spice…and leaves. But I digress…

One of my earliest and most cherished childhood memories was seeing the Charlie Brown Christmas special each year. To this very day, I consider no Holiday season complete unless I watch it again. If you feel the same, you may be interested in hunting down a copy of the most comprehensive book on the show I know of, “A Charlie Brown Christmas – The Making Of A Tradition,” which was first published back in October, 2000. It is a fantastic behind-the-scenes look at the genesis, production, and presentation of this historic piece of television born from the legendary comic strip, “Peanuts.”

On the morning of Christmas Day 2015, the data-themed website known as FiveThirtyEight posted a feature entitled “The ‘Charlie Brown Christmas Special’ Dancers You Most Want To Party With.” It was co-written by Walt Hickey and Leah Libresco. These two really put a fun spin on this classic episode of television that day, and hopefully you’ll enjoy it being replicated here.

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It’s a debate as old as time — or, at least as old as 1965’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas Special.” Of the many revelers throwing down sick moves to “Linus & Lucy” by The Vince Guaraldi Trio, who would you most like to party with? So as part of our Christmas Special Thunderdome, we set them up in a series of head-to-head battles and asked voters to decide the winner. Here they are, ranked by the percentage of matchups each won:

11. Sally (30 percent)

Walt: Sally is trying.

Leah: She’s kind of in her own space, having a good time but not drawing me in.

Walt: Nice little one-two step, you know? Basic moves, trucking right along. Go Sally. We have all been there.

10. The Girl In Green (30 percent)

Leah: These are pretty hesitant moves, but if she did this with a little more force, she could be rocking a bullfighting/paso doble thing.

Walt: Right, so I have a specific love for the girl in green, mainly because I, like most people, have been to a middle school dance. This is the dance that you do before your friend in the eighth grade tells you to stop using your arms so much.

Leah: My default in those moments was the Twist.

Walt: My default was “I want to punch the air, but the air right above my head, in particular.” I don’t really disagree with this ranking, but I admit I see far too much of my younger self in the girl in green.

Leah: Just so you know, the usual instruction for stage punches is “Punch a parrot on the shoulder of your scene partner.” You’re pretty close.

9. Pig-Pen (33 percent)

Leah: On the one hand, you get joyful abandon (plus he’s a musician). On the other hand, you get a dirt cloud even worse than when I hang around smoker friends.

Walt: I worry Pig-Pen may have been disadvantaged by the question.

Leah: How so?

Walt: We asked, “who would you most like to party with?” And the answer is never the filthy bassist, you know?

8. Schroeder (41 percent)

Leah: I mean, it’s clear Schroeder doesn’t want to party with us, so this 41 percent must be the ones who like ‘em coy.

Walt: “I’d never join any club that would have me as a member” is Schroeder’s motto. As far as he is concerned, he’s just playing a bit of piano, the party just comes to him.

Leah: Personally, I’d leave him to Lucy.

7. Linus (48 percent)

Walt: Now we’re getting somewhere. Linus knows what’s up. This is exactly how I dance to “Get Low.”

Leah: Gotta say, I think there are some good opportunities for partner dance with the blanket. I have some swing moves I could adapt.

Walt: Unpolished, but going for it. I think Linus is underrated.

Leah: I’ll party with him if our readers won’t.

6. The Girl With Red Hair (49 percent)

Leah: I am, of course, in favor of Frieda, because like her I have naturally curly hair. Unlike her, I have (I think) other distinguishing traits.

Walt: She looks like she’s swinging a person around but forgot to get a person. Appropriately rated.

Leah: I am a fan of her exuberance. Minimalism is only for experts.

5. The Dude In Green (54 percent)

Walt: I love this dude.

Leah: Nice moves, but feels more like a soloist than someone I’m going to dance with.

Walt: Right, like when a random circle opens up on the dance floor, you know this guy would think “my moment has arrived,” and just slay it in the center.

Leah: Exactly. But not the guy I want to spend the whole party with.

Walt: No way. Michael Jackson was lost and alone in 1982, waiting for his next big dance, and then on comes “A Charlie Brown Christmas Special” and presumably the rest is Moonwalk history. True story that I just made up.

4. Snoopy (59 percent)

Walt: WAY OVERRATED.

Leah: I mean, not as great here, but he’s got a pair of aviator goggles.

Walt: Leah, listen to the song “Linus and Lucy,” there is not a guitar part.

Leah: He’s in deep cover to catch the Red Baron’s agents?

Walt: There are two strings on his guitar, Leah. This is a dog phoning it in. He shows up to your party and sits in the corner and says “Hey, do y’all know ‘Wonderwall’?” and drinks all your Bud Heavy.

3 and 2. The Girls In Pink (64 percent and 65 percent)

girl_in_pink

girl_in_pink2

Leah: So, twins, I guess.

Walt: I normally hate arbitrarily lumping twins together — they’re two separate people with rich and distinct inner lives! — but this is either some twin coordination or a hungover animator.

Leah: They’ve got my favorite moves on the floor, so if anyone was going to be copy-and-pasted.

Walt: There’s so much nuance in the moves! At first, you just think, “Oh, they’re waving their arms around,” but then you see the footwork.

Leah: The double taps!

Walt: This was “whip my hair back and forth” decades before Willow dropped the track.

1. This Guy In The Orange (75 percent)

Leah: See, this is the kind of dancer who can pull off minimalist moves.

Walt: The only reason I would not want this guy at my party is he would hook up with everyone.

Leah: So, are you against meritocracy, Walt?

Walt: Far from it, just intimidated by greatness. This man is a force of nature. Look at the footwork!

Leah: It’s great top to bottom. But not as aggressively showy as the guy in green. If only we knew the name of this background guy to send him an invite to the office bash.

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After looking over all these entries, I do think two best represent how I worked the floor during my peak dancing years. Early at the club or a party…my moves resembled Linus. By the end of the night…The Dude In Green.

Charles Schulz, the genius behind “Peanuts,” was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on November 26, 1922. His comic strip has meant so much to so many people of all ages over all these years…including this memorable Christmas classic. Happy Birthday, Charles…and thank you!

Pictures Courtesy Amazon/FiveThirtyEight

82 thoughts on “A Charlie Brown Christmas – The Dancers”

  1. Omg. I love this… and can honestly say I never paid enough attention to the dancers to realize they had independent moves.
    Now I’ll appreciate the show even more. Thanks for that!
    ❤️

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  2. This is hilarious Bruce! You never think of these little cartoon characters as individuals when you watch the classic movie but look at them! I see a riff or two on the infamous Elaine dance from Seinfeld. I also see a version of season 1 Wednesday dancing to The Cramps Goo Goo Muck.

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    1. Thanks, Deb! Elaine’s “little kicks” dance on Seinfeld is legendary, isn’t it? And, the Wednesday dance is a scene I never get enough of watching. Brilliant!

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  3. Happy heavenly birthday to the man, the legend…Charles M. Schultz. What a lovely homage to him as well as to all who love the classic Christmas special. Like you, let each holiday have its time in the spotlight. Wishing you a wonderful holiday season, Bruce.

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  4. This is such a wonderfully fun and creative post, Bruce.

    I definitely related to Schroeder. Too awkward and insecure to let loose on the dance floor, I’d be the guy trying to orchestrate the show and keep the music going.

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  6. This is hilarious! They really did their homework on the dance moves–the double taps, the footwork…! 😆
    “Hey, do y’all know ‘Wonderwall’?”–with us, it was always, “Can you play ‘Wipeout?”
    Happy Thanksgiving, Bruce, to you and Mrs B! Dance-off after dinner! 😂

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  11. Bruce, this put a big smile on my face. Such cleverness to it. Took my mind to an old but new at the same time place. I agree with you and Mrs. B that they’ve hijacked Thanksgiving this year. We went to Meijer Gardens yesterday and they already have their full Christmas decorations set up 🙁

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    1. Glad you got a smile out of this, Lisa. At first, I thought it was just me being me. But, after talking with some other folks, we all agreed in our area Christmas took Thanksgiving “out” this year when it comes to retail, and to be honest it even tried to eclipse Halloween.

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  13. Funny what pops into your head when you’re reading a post. I forget where you’re from, Bruce, but there is a small regional airport about four hours away from us called the Charles M Schulz Sonoma County Airport. Yes, it’s named after the creator of Peanuts. I read somewhere that he died in Santa Rosa, which is only seven miles away. Here’s a quick video:

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    1. Hi Pete, I was aware he moved to Santa Rosa around the year I was born, and lived there the rest of his days. Santa Rosa fully embraces the Peanuts experience, including holding an annual seniors hockey tournament there in honor of Charles’ love of that sport. Thanks for sending the link to the video. That made my day. Mrs. B and I have talked about visiting that part of the US someday, and maybe we’ll get to use that airport!

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  15. During this time ofbthe year I enjoy reading or re reading Christmas stories by Debbie Macomber and others. I loved watching such movies too. Thank you for sharing.

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  23. I LOVE the Peanuts. During the 90s….one of the things that bonded Mrs Badfinger and me was The Peanuts. We went to flea markets, antique shops (out of town), and everywhere inbetween to find peanut items. Right now…down in our garage we have around 5 plastic tubs filled with 60s-70s peanut items. We get them out once in a while and display them. We probably will never sell them…whats the fun in that? A lot of memories.
    When I was a kid…the Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas episodes along with Rudolph and Frosty was just as part of Christmas as the tree in the 70s.
    Oh…BTW…I would hang with Pigpen…because I WAS him as a kid…and…sometimes now! My mom determined to keep me clean for church one fine Sunday morning…got me dressed and put me in the car 15 minutes before we left so I would be completely clean…when she came to the car…I was in the ashtray and had it all over me…she had to change me again.

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    1. Max, I knew you loved Peanuts from prior posts and comments…and I thought this post would be of interest. We have a lot of Peanuts merch we put out over the Holidays, and we just got our annual desk and wall calendars which of course are out and about all year. When it came to church, I’m pretty sure my mother identified me as Pigpen also!😁

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  24. So good! I wish I’d seen your post before we took my disabled sister home…she would’ve loved every bit of this…so I’ll make a note and save it to show her next time. We’ve been forever fans of Peanuts and Lisa remembers Charles Schulz trivia like no one I know. Thank you so much, Bruce! 😊❤️😊

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  25. Great analysis. I haven’t seen the TV special in many years, but every year I haul out the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s album ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas.’ It’s a tradition and the perfect accompaniment to our family gathering.

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      1. My pleasure, Bruce! It is great music for the season. And I’m glad you stopped by my site, too, so that I could discover yours.

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          1. Likewise, I am glad! I look forward to yours, and hopefully discovering more great music. I publish every day, with help on Thursdays when a permanent contributor takes on that day.

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  27. I’m with you, we have to let each holiday breathe and get its feet before we move to the next one. It’s a commercial dynamic that we shouldn’t be giving in to. Personally, I give Halloween two months, starting in early September, because it’s a favorite. I give Thanksgiving all of November and I give Christmas the last month. I’m simple that way.

    As for the guy in orange, he is giving me serious Tom Jones/James Brown vibes. Which is the highest of compliments, really.

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    1. I give Halloween two months as well – nice to know I have company on that. A shout-out to The Guy In Orange for getting a Tom Jones/James Brown comparison. I am sure he’d be thrilled!

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  28. What a fun post! It’s crazy how all the years of watching and I never paid attention to the dancing. As for Christmas getting earlier every year, it makes me crazy when people put up their outside lights and turn them on before Thanksgiving. It gets cold in Ohio so I understand putting everything up on a warmer day but DON’T light them. Lol

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    1. Thanks, Diane! I agree on the Christmas decorations in that if you catch a good weather day, and those conditions are not going to last, go ahead and get ’em up. Lighting them at night before Thanksgiving is however something that would never happen with ours. The lights wait their turn.💡

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  30. Not sure how I missed this post, but I’m sure glad I found it! Like you, I loved “A Charlie Brown Christmas” as a child, and still do. Being a huge “Peanuts” fan, I can of course, give the names of the characters described simply by their clothes: the girl in green is Violet, the boy in green is Shermy, the boy in Orange is “Five” and the twins are his sisters, who I believe are named Three and Four. (Their dad was struggling with how numbers were being forced on society, and this was his little bit of rebellion.) Anyway, as a child, I was most fascinated with Shermy’s dancing, even though now it just looks like an early rendition of the “MoonWalk.” I loved reading that I wasn’t the only one to see it that way!

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    1. Thanks, Ann! It is very nice to know you are as big a fan of Peanuts as I am, and especially when it comes to the Christmas special. I watch it at least once every year, and it always brings back great memories. No matter where I am, I’ll always make sure to see it each Holiday. And to be sure, this article made me focus in much more on the dancing part of the show…especially the “MoonWalk!”

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  32. This is a classic Christmas movie. I think I still have our family VSH copy. It’s one of my all time favorite Christmas movies. I want to dance with the girl in pink. She’s free and just rockin it.

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    1. We are looking forward to watching it once again this weekend, and since this column first appeared I’ve been more attentive to everyone’s dance moves.

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  36. It doesn’t help that your Thanksgiving is so close to Christmas. We Canadians have it mid-October and we don’t go as crazy for it as you Americans. I’m quite good with skipping Halloween altogether outside of pumpkins being available in the store for my recipes. I know, I know, it’s awful of me.
    All that to say that yes, can we stop merchandising the holidays two and three months before said holiday? No? too late, eh? Sigh.
    K. That’s it, I’m not backing up further but hopefully, my resubscribing to your blog that I was already subscribed to will ensure I get your future posts!

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    1. Dale, thanks for being here. I am so happy you subscribed…again! Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are acquired tastes for lots of folks. As we both well know, sometimes those times of year are rememberances of life’s hardness instead of softness. Yet, it seems each year the retail world wants to stretch the calendar out further. I like to celebrate each Holiday as they come, in order, and we don’t need to make the whole deal six months long. I look forward to your comments in the future – always love your takes!

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      1. Didn’t know I was unsubscribed! The nerve of those WP gremlins!
        I agree. Each holiday deserves its spot. Mick loved Halloween and used to go all out on the decorations. Now? I don’t even hand out candy!! (course, there are hardly any kids anymore).
        The retail world sure knows how to kill things.

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