mental_floss: The Real Story Behind A Charlie Brown Christmas (and why it almost wasn’t shown)

mental_floss Blog - The Real Story Behind A Charlie Brown Christmas (and why it almost wasn’t shown): "In my mind, the Christmas season doesn’t officially start until CBS shows A Charlie Brown Christmas. Who out there doesn’t picture Snoopy dancing joyfully with his nose in the air whenever they hear the familiar strains of that jazzy piano music? Interestingly enough, this Christmas staple - the longest-running holiday special on TV - started out as an afterthought."

There was just so much wrong with it. There was not enough action. It moved too slow. The voices had been done by real kids, not adult actors. There was no laugh track. And Linus read from the Gospel of Luke in one scene. (“You can’t read from the Bible on network television!” they declared in unison.) At the end of the meeting, [animator Bill] Mendelson was told: “Well, you gave it a good shot. Believe me, we’re big Peanuts fans, but maybe it’s better suited to the comic page.”