I’m sad that Charlie Brown isn’t on TV anymore. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not really that big of a deal – we own the dvds and have Apple TV; but we literally *just* had our annual convo deciding to wait until it was on TV to watch.

I always joke that my kids have to endure long boring stories from me, but the cloyingly sweet truth of the matter is that they actually do enjoy them and want to join in on my traditions when they can. One of those traditions is watching the Peanuts holiday specials.

That giant CBS eyeball on the screen invokes memories of a time in North Babylon, NY, when the air became crisp and Teara and I would ride our bikes with my best friend Christine until it got dark. Then Lol would call us in for dinner so she could stuff us full of fried chicken cutlets, mashed potatoes, and chocolate cake.

The screen door would slam behind me and I’d wipe my runny nose with the sleeve of my windbreaker before unzipping it and tossing it on the bench. My cheeks were rosy and I’d smell like outside. Lol ordered us to wash our hands, then we’d settle down in our chairs and await the feast.

Side note: My chair was always in the corner. Obviously Dirty Dancing hadn’t come out yet or I would’ve run the “Nobody puts Baby in the corner” line harder than I do in this blog.

During dinner Lol would remind us that The Great Pumpkin was on that night. She didn’t like Peanuts because everyone was so mean to poor Charlie Brown. I didn’t mind because everything always worked out in the end and would leave me with the warm & fuzzies.

A calendar wasn’t necessary back then because the shows earmarked exactly where we were in the season. It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown kicked it off, then the Thanksgiving episode, then the Christmas special.

I even loved the commercials. A few years ago the network used the original programming from the ‘80s – commercials and all. It was AWESOME.

I was instantly transported back to my childhood. It was as if I was sitting in my den with the red & black carpeting, wood paneling, and white stucco walls.

While the ads for Folgers coffee, Campbell’s soup, and Ovaltine were on, Teara would make a snack run and I’d scream “IT’S ON!!!” as she’d hurry back with a sleeve of Ritz Crackers under each arm.

After a quick fight over who got to sit in the red velour spinning chair, I’d end up on the couch because Teara was boss. I’d suck my thumb and fall into a Vince Guaraldi jazz-induced trance while stroking my face with the tassel on my blankie.

Memories always seem idyllic in retrospect, but I know these really are spot-on.

Even when the specials were still on regular TV, I missed that time and would try to replicate it as closely as I could with my own family.

Now that the specials are only on Apple TV – a device I don’t even know how to operate without the help of my husband – I’m feeling like Linus when the Great Pumpkin never shows, even though he had the most sincere pumpkin patch.

And when Linus says: “Never jump in a pile of leaves with a wet sucker” – I’m feeling like Apple TV is the leaves and we’re all the wet suckers ☹️ 🍂 💦 🍭