Beyond the Rhetoric

“I never thought it was such a bad little tree… It’s not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love.”

Most of us are familiar with the sad little tree from A Charlie Brown Christmas. Charlie Brown was sent out by the rest of the Peanuts crew to buy the best Christmas tree that he could and he comes back with effectively the runt of the litter. Its needles are falling off the branches, it’s smaller than the rest, and it can’t even support the weight of a single ornament.

The rest of the kids belittle Charlie Brown, saying that he failed at such a simple task. This goes on for quite a while in the famed Christmas special, which happens to be one of my favorites, but we are offered a very powerful lesson toward the end from one Linus van Pelt. Yes, even the smallest among us have some wisdom to share and his message gets right to the point: “Maybe it just needs a little love.”

Sometimes, the spirit of Christmas gets lost among all of this buzzing activity. We get caught up in wanting the newest shiny gadget or the hottest new toy. Yes, there are certainly some very commercial items that I want for Christmas, but we shouldn’t lose sight of what the spirit of Christmas really means. Every one of us “just needs a little love.” Everyone wants to feel loved and appreciated… and the little tree is no exception.

Wrapping up the sad little tree in his treasured blanket, Linus is able to provide the tree with strength, comfort, and confidence. The rest of the kids are then able to decorate the little tree without any trouble and it becomes quite a beautiful sight. You just have to get past its seemingly weak appearance and realize the potential that it contains.

Makes you wonder: what other little trees (so to speak) could use your love this holiday season?

Tags: christmas, classics, love

Filed under Arts and Entertainment.