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50th Anniversary of It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

by Chloe Koffas, Regular Contributor

Nothing makes me more content from the red leaves of fall to the icicles of winter than watching retro Gen X holiday specials.  With Halloween being on a Monday this year, this weekend was about getting ready for the big day and even celebrating a little early.  The final costume fitting took place, the porch was decorated, and the candy was picked up from the store.  The jack-o-lantern was carved, and in spite of our hard work and all the orange bits now stuck to the kitchen floor, he doesn’t look even remotely spooky, he just looks kind of concerned.

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50th Anniversary:  It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

It was raining in California which hasn’t happened much over 2016, so we kept the patio door open to hear the raindrops splashing as we watched It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.  With hot popcorn in our bowls, pizza straight out of the toaster oven, and Tootsie Rolls for dessert, my daughter and I were as cozy as you can be on a drizzly October afternoon.  We generally watch this special every year, though this year it was extra important for us to watch it:  It’s the 50th anniversary of this Peanuts special.  The first showing was October 27, 1966 when First Wave Gen Xers were just tots and many of us weren’t even born yet.

Other than Charles Schulz’s storytelling that happens on the level of kid’s humor, I don’t think my daughter gets all the more subtle jokes, but she’ll better understand Peanuts more and more as she gets older.  My hope is not only that she someday will fully grasp the humor, but that she also sees the bigger picture of it all.  My hope also is that she remembers all the holiday pop culture I handed down to her, not just because it was important to me, but because it was important to my generation.

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Snoopy and Charlie Brown Halloween Costumes, 1977

Happy Halloween Generation X, to you and to the kids in your lives, as you share with them the pop culture, photos, and memories of your own growing up years.

An article from Relevant Magazine about faith, sincerity and The Great Pumpkin: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/slices/charlie-browns–great-pumpkin-remains-one-tvs-great-faith-metaphors

Full Episode of It’s The Great Pumpkin


Gen X Chat on Twitter

As we get closer to Christmas, Jennifer and I will be hosting a Gen X chat on Twitter about holiday specials (and other retro holiday pop culture) of Generation X.  Tune in at #GenXChat, a Thursday evening Gen X get-together hosted normally by Christian Spoerl. –Chloe, Light From A Pixel

 

Gen X Blog Jennifer Chronicles

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