Holiday Blues & Hope: A Maryland Counseling Intern’s Take on A Charlie Brown Christmas and Reflection Questions
NOTE: The following blog contains spoilers for A Charlie Brown Christmas. Please proceed with that knowledge.
“I never thought it was such a bad little tree... maybe it just needs a little love.”
While the holiday season may bring feelings of joy and community for some people, many people can experience extreme loneliness and internal conflict during the holidays. The 1965 TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas takes a look at these annual struggles that so many face through the lens of Charlie Brown himself. The special follows Charlie Brown and his friends as they get ready for a Christmas play. Charlie Brown is not feeling festive, so he decides to direct the play to try and increase his Christmas spirit. Throughout the show, we see how mental health can impact the holidays and make the season difficult, but also ways that small changes can make the holidays more bearable when mental health does get in the way.
Themes of grief, loss, and loneliness in Charlie Brown Christmas
Charlie Brown begins the movie overwhelmed by the way commercialism has overtaken Christmas. Whether it be the fake aluminum trees or his friends’ greedy wish lists, Charlie Brown feels as though something is missing from the holiday. Many people feel this lack of festivity or true ties to holidays periodically throughout their life. Whether you’re too stressed to enjoy the holidays, recently experienced a loss, or are frustrated with your surroundings, Charlie Brown’s reaction to the Christmas season is perfectly valid.
Being upset and feeling lost is natural, especially when considering something meaningful like a holiday season. In trying to cope with these feelings, Charlie Brown tries to find purpose somewhere else: the Christmas play. Oftentimes, finding purpose can be hard but can also be rewarding, in that it allows us to experience the harder moments in life with a different lens. When life gets difficult and the fun days do not feel the same, it is important to remember that these feelings are valid and that there are ways to improve our experiences.
So, Charlie Brown puts all of his energy into directing the Christmas play. For a while, it gives Charlie Brown something to look forward to. He fully dives into being a director and tries to bring his own creative flair to the production. But unfortunately, this does not quite help him fully figure out his holiday blues. Charlie Brown is still searching for meaning, for something significant to feel during the holidays. Many times, we try to fill our schedule to cope with our frustrations or “off” feelings. And while this can be helpful for a time, simply adding activity is not a permanent solution to the hurt we carry. Charlie Brown learns this through this increased stress and frustration during the Christmas play, but it can apply to many activities we try to get busy with.
Practicing self-care and self-compassion during the holiday season
After a frustrated outburst during rehearsals, we see Charlie Brown and his friend, Linus, go to find a Christmas tree. In a sea of bright lights and confusion, Charlie Brown finally finds something he relates to: a small, droopy little Christmas tree. Just like Charlie Brown, when we feel stuck in the mud, it can be helpful to find an object or symbol of ourselves. For many people, small things like a Christmas tree or a piece of art can be healing to identify with. Charlie Brown sees all aspects of himself in the tree and seeks to give the tree a new purpose alongside himself.
Excited, Charlie Brown runs back to show off his new tree. However, he is immediately heckled by all of his friends. This causes Charlie Brown to feel even more defeated and hopeless. Charlie Brown runs away and tries to find a little bit of beauty with his tree, but ultimately gives into the holiday blues he’s been feeling. Charlie Brown storms inside, leaving his little tree alone. And just when things seem hopeless for Charlie Brown this holiday season…
Linus comes back out and gives the tree another look. He realizes the tree, much like Charlie Brown, is missing something important: a little love. As Linus swirls his blanket around the cold tree, the rest of Charlie Brown’s friends rush out and give the tree more love than it could have imagined. And just then, Charlie Brown returns to see his friends caring for the tree he saw himself in. The holiday season can be lonely and frustrating, filled with reminders of all of the hard parts of life. But sometimes loving others or letting others love us can be more powerful than we imagine. It took Charlie Brown a whole Christmas special to find the love he needed that holiday season, so it is important to never give up on looking for the people that care. They might be right in front of you the whole time.
Charlie Brown spent his holiday season searching for ways to battle his depression and hopelessness. All of the methods he tried are valid ones that work to help battle these feelings: filling our schedule with activities, finding symbols of our pain, and looking for the love of others. It is important to remember that, like Charlie Brown, sometimes it takes a few tries to find what clicks for you. But as the holidays roll in, remember that, even when you feel hopeless and lost, there are ways to make your season just a little more joyful this year.
Charlie Brown Christmas Discussion Questions for Children, Teens, and Parents
Below are some discussion questions to talk about with your kids after watching the special, or to reflect on yourself!
Is there anything making the holiday season especially difficult this year?If so, what?
What are some activities you enjoy doing during the holiday season, or that are meaningful to you?
What is an object that might show others how you feel about the holiday season?
Who are some people around you that love you?
Who are some people that you can show love to this holiday season?
A Charlie Brown Christmas was directed by Bill Melendez
Produced by Lee Mendelson Film Productions and Bill Melendez Productions.
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Are You a Man in the Baltimore Area Who’s Interested in Online and In-Person Counseling for Holiday Stress, Anxiety, Depression, and Loneliness?
If you’re a Marylander who knows that counseling is the direction you need to take, the therapists at LifeSpring Counseling Services are here to help. We offer online counseling services for mindfulness, depression, anxiety, trauma, and grief and loss. We also offer Brainspotting as a specialized service, and Brainspotting can be done online, too!
Here’s how you can get started! Online and in-person counseling for stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness around the holidays aren’t the only services offered at our Baltimore, MD office.
The counselors and social workers at our Maryland office also offer counseling services for trauma, grief and loss, boundary setting, communication skills, and difficult life transitions. We also offer specialized counseling services including Brainspotting and spiritually-integrated counseling. Because we are located next to several local universities, we also work with college students.
Written by: Jackson Borchers, Counseling Intern at LifeSpring Counseling Services
Jackson Borchers is a Masters-Level Counseling Intern who is studying at Towson University. Jackson works with adults grappling with sadness, loneliness, isolation, and grief. As someone who is new to the Baltimore area, Jackson understands the intricacies involved in finding connection and finding your community.
