Being Thankful for Good Grief

It dawned upon me this Thanksgiving that while I am grateful for many of the perennial blessings we all call upon when asked for our 'list' this time of year, it's only now, in the silence after a huge family dinner, and in the comfort of my living room chair, that I took notice of my appreciation for Peanuts.

Perhaps it's true that, at times, I can be much too nostalgic. It's probably also true that I suffer from some sort of disease that we all acquire at one point in the aging process, a disease that is manifests itself on holidays like Thanksgiving, where we are constantly, and without fail, trying to remember a moment, a sentiment, or something beautifully simplistic that has survived in what I consider to be today's overly complicated world.

For me, Peanuts is that 'something.' Here are the top ten reasons to be thankful for Charlie Brown and his gang:

(1) It validates 2-D animation. Not every animated story line needs to look like Shrek.

(2) There's something comforting about the world's biggest ethical dilemmas taking place in this small unknown neighborhood of children. When I was little, it made me feel like we kids could figure it out. Now that I'm an adult, it makes me feel good that I can remember that feeling while assuming it's happening to today's kids. (Given all the more exciting and technological accomplishments of today, this is a big assumption. This I know.)

(3) It's the only place where scoring a Thanksgiving special with Miles Davis-esque music alongside learning about the Indians and the Pilgrims makes perfect sense.

(4) Equality is expected. "Peanuts is remarkable for its deft social commentary, especially compared with other strips appearing in the 1950s and early 1960s. Schulz did not explicitly address racial and gender equality issues so much as he assumed them to be self-evident in the first place." [wikipedia]

(5) Shulz is the Norman Rockwell of American comic artists---which means he chronicled the most important events of the American 20th Century while inserting his cute little posse into over 50 years of seminal moments.

(6) The yellow shirt with the black zig zag. Maybe the best shirt ever.

(7) The fact that they never age more than eight years old. Shocking that I like this aspect.

(8) The anthropomorphism of Linus' security blanket. He was always more wimpy than you and your blanket--which made it okay for you to hold on to yours a little longer. Or keep it in the back of an undisclosed closet even as an adult?

(9) The way Shulz turned the concept of a lemonade stand in to psychiatric counseling for cents. Sense for cents. This was another validation--for the sentiment you had when you were running your own lemonade stand as a child and felt like the world's hardest working entrepreneur.

(10) The consistency of the green flip flops on Peppermint Patty. Apparently the seasons were no competition for her fashion sense.

If it's been awhile since you've watched a Peanuts special, I suggest you revisit the gang.

They're always waiting.