I was just a kid in 1966 when “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” aired on television for the first time. I’ve been watching it, along with “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” every year since. I am now 65. I’ve enjoyed these wonderful shows with my kids and was hoping to share them with my grandchildren. But upon looking for an air time of “It’s the Great Pumpkin,” I found that the Charlie Brown television specials are no longer being shown on broadcast TV. My heart sank. While PBS has made a deal to televise the Thanksgiving and Christmas specials, it’s not quite the same.
These shows are timeless in revealing the kid in all of us. Like jumping into a huge pile of leaves or spontaneous and sometimes bone-chilling snowball battles, the shows remind us of the fun and laughter, the pondering of what life is all about and who we may become. And we certainly learned how life can be cruel and disappointing at times.
We are not all tech-savvy, and I’m sure there are many old-schoolers like me who don’t want to have an app to stream these shows. Somehow “heartwarming” and “app” do not go hand-in-hand.
These programs have brought great joy and comfort to my children and me, and bring to mind a much simpler time. That’s what Christmas is all about. Gathering around the television on a fall or winter evening was a tradition for us to enjoy through the years.
Please bring all of these timeless shows back to our “TV sets.”
Steve Krisnosky
Greensburg