Holidays are always celebrated with a bang PeanutChristmas being especially a notable part of the comics and the brand's history. From the annual Christmas comics that take place every December to the huge amount of Christmas decorations with Peanut characters in them – just like the classic 1965 animated TV special – Christmas is almost synonymous with Peanut, much like Halloween.
Peanut hilariously showcased the unique reactions and performances of Peanut children in Christmas plays and programs, as well as in the way they gave and received gifts. Plus, his opinions on Santa Claus have always been given in addition to Snoopy's unique holiday celebrations – the Snoopy way, of course. Every Christmas Theme Peanut strip is a real treat for fans new and old.
10
“Maria Natal”
December 21, 1980
Sally is shown writing letters frequently, whether to real humans like her grandmother or to fictional characters like Harry Potter. When Sally is writing a letter to Santa Claus, she decides to change the subject after hearing that Santa's wife is called Mary Christmas. Writing to her companion, Sally applauds Mary Christmas for keeping her birth name rather than using her married name.
The fact that Sally is willing not to write to Santa Claus, the person responsible for giving her presents, but to his wife shows how much admiration and enthusiasm Sally feels for her. To outshine Santa Claus requires big guns, which Mary Christmas apparently has in Sally's eyes. Charlie Brown, on the other hand, can't help but be confused by the situation.
9
“How gauche!”
December 27, 1970
While everyone knows about kissing under the mistletoe, fighting under the mistletoe is something completely different. Under the mistletoe, Snoopy tries to kiss Lucy (something he tries to do even when there is no mistletoe around). However, she, unsurprisingly, is falling short, waiting for someone more important – someone like her crush to the end of all crushes, Schroeder. Snoopy is hurt by her rude dismissal, so they get into a violent fight.
At that inopportune moment, Schroder passes by, totally disconcerted by his aggressive behavior, recognizing how unromantic and “clumsy“is fighting under the mistletoe. However, all ends well for Snoopy, when he finally receives Lucy's kiss. This comic does not mark the first or last time that Lucy and Snoopy fought, but it is among the few fights that took place in front of Schroeder, embarrassing the usually shameless Lucy.
8
“No problem”
December 20, 1983
Sally, dressed as an angel for her role in the Christmas play, has to put on her coat before leaving, but there's a problem: her wings. However, that's no problem for Sally, as she goes ahead and just puts on her coat normally, even though it makes her look like she has a gigantic hump on her back. Sally doesn't fall apart at the sight of a small problem, ready to solve it in her own unique way.
While Sally practices and practices her one line of “Listen“for the Christmas play, with several of the month's comic strips showing her discussing her role with Charlie Brown, she ends up choking up on stage. Instead of saying her line of”Listen,“she gets confused and says”hockey stick” instead. She is mortified by her mistake and laughs off the stage, but at least her costume is perfect.
7
“'Tis the season to be sarcastic”
December 22, 1992
Peppermint Patty can be a little distracted, to say the least. Knowing this quality of hers, it's no surprise that she can get scatterbrained during the holidays and neglect some important holiday duties. For example, she forgets to buy Christmas cards and stamps, so she asks her more organized friend, Marcie, for some.
Instead of getting the supplies and mailing the letters from home, Peppermint Patty takes the lazy route and just hands the card back to Marcie as if it were her Christmas card. Marcie is fully aware that Peppermint Patty isn't quite in keeping with the holiday spirit, and she lets it be known. However, Peppermint Patty makes sure to give her best friend a little punch. While it's always nice to receive a Christmas card, Marcie finds out the hard way that it's decidedly less so when treated Peppermint Patty's way.
6
“Not in a microwave oven!”
December 25, 1979
Linus tells Charlie Brown about his Christmas, with his family having a traditional Christmas, including chestnuts. However, Linus refuses to consider the roasted chestnuts that his family ate at Christmas traditional, because they didn't roast them over the fire or even in the oven. Instead, they used a microwave oven to roast the chestnuts. There don't appear to be any Bing Crosby songs about microwaved chestnuts, so we can see where Linus is coming from.
This comic is also aided by some historical context, with microwaves becoming commercially available in the late 60s and being widely used by families around the world in the 1970s, the decade in which this comic was published. Hence, Linus's disappointment in using a microwave instead of a fire would point to his reluctance to accept new technology that may be more convenient but definitely less traditional in his eyes.
5
“For the round-headed boy”
December 25, 1989
Although Snoopy undoubtedly loves Charlie Brown, he doesn't always treat him in the best way. He's thrown his dinner plate at him before and isn't always very grateful for Charlie Brown, even when he tries to go above and beyond for Snoopy. The beagle's lack of consideration extends into the holidays, as can be seen in this comic.
Snoopy gives Charlie Brown a Christmas present, only to ruin the sentimentality by addressing the card to “the round-headed boy,“not even remembering his owner's name. One can appreciate Snoopy's generosity, as he remembered to give Charlie Brown a gift in the first place, but not even remembering his name is not a good look for the little dog generally adorable. Understandably, this hurts Charlie Brown's feelings that his own dog can't remember his name, but let's be real: this isn't news to Charlie Brown.
4
“Sing, you idiot!”
December 24, 1963
Linus, who is supposed to be singing “Jingle Bells”, manages to give a talk about how holiday shows can cause worry and tension in children. Angered by Linus' open lecture, Lucy yells at him to start singing, which he quickly complies with, finally breaking into “Jingle Bells”. But going back to the beginning of the story shows that this entire singing ordeal is partially Lucy's fault, because she signed Linus up to the program to sing without his knowledge – and knowing that he couldn't sing.
It was doomed to be a disaster based on the beginning alone. Linus even says that having to sing on the show is ruining his end of year festivities, which are very strong words, but appropriate for the poor boy. Singing in front of the PTA is what really makes him a nervous wreck, leading him to inform the crowd how much this show ruined his holiday season and certainly did for other kids as well.
3
“Those Stupid Reindeer”
December 23, 1966
Worries are quite common during the holidays, with some Christmas worries being buying gifts, finding the time needed to do everything that needs to be done and stressful meetings. One thing most don't tend to worry about is Santa's reindeer stepping on their bellies; this is the first time.
Yet that's exactly what Snoopy worries about this time of year, having had the harrowing experience of Santa Claus landing on the roof of his doghouse at two in the morning. His reindeer kept stepping on Snoopy's belly. There's only so much space at the top of a dog house, so reindeer have to step somewhere. Santa on the Roof might be the highlight of a person's life for some, but for Snoopy, it's a nuisance and also a little painful for the pup's stomach.
2
“Not very practical”
December 27, 1985
Writing a letter to his brother Snoopy to talk about his Christmases, Spike, who lives in the desert, confides that he bought himself a Christmas present he's always wanted, but probably isn't the most practical: a sled. That new sled probably won't get used as much as Spike would like, but at least he finally got the gift he always wanted.
Spike is a bit like the Charlie Brown of his family in that he always gets the upper hand. Likewise, he even has a tragic backstory that explains why he exiled himself to the desert in the first place. As a result, it's finally a victory for Spike when readers get to see him with a Christmas present that he's always wanted and that makes him happy, even if he can't use it all the time…or maybe even at all.
1
“I wonder where he got all the decorations…”
December 15, 1991
Setting up the Christmas tree and decorating it with lights, tinsel, and tinsel is a beloved Christmas tradition for many who celebrate the holiday. So, it's no surprise that Charlie Brown and his family celebrate the holiday with a well-decorated tree, a tradition that Snoopy also tries to follow.
Snoopy has his own little Christmas tree to match his small stature with decorations that make Charlie Brown look in awe… until he discovers where Snoopy got the tree decorations from: the family tree! An entire chunk of Christmas ornaments is missing from Brown's family tree, which looks like a mess thanks to Snoopy's theft. Snoopy's tree may be the most beautiful in the world Peanut story, but it's arguably just another example of Snoopy's out-of-control personality.