This is the 40th anniversary of the much beloved television special A Charlie Brown Christmas. What most people don’t know is that the show originally almost didn’t air. Even in 1965 the television producers were worried about using a reading from the Bible as a key part of the program. Executive producer Lee Mendelson told Peanuts creator Charles Schultz “Look, you can’t read from the Bible on network television.” But Schultz insisted on keeping the reading from Luke in the show.
Television executives were stunned by the wide acceptance of the show. The first year it was shown nearly 50% of the television sets in the U.S. were tuned to the program. Now 40 years later the show remains popular and helps a new generation understand the true meaning of Christmas. Despite the materialistic, secular nature of our nations Christmas celebrations, God is not without His witness.