A Charlie Brown Christmas by Vince Guaraldi Trio (1965) – It’s not Christmas at my house until I hear this album. I will go so far as to say that if you made me choose only one Christmas album for the rest of my life, this would be it.
Guaraldi had a fairly successful jazz career going when Peanuts television producer Lee Mendelson contacted him about writing the soundtrack for the Christmas special. The pianist jumped at the chance, and that joy radiates through the music. He would go on to write music for 19 more Peanuts specials, but for me, there is just this one.
(For the record, Christmas is #1 by a large margin. Thanksgiving and Halloween are OK, and the rest I try to pretend never existed)
There is something about the music that just reaches me. It doesn’t hurt that I love jazz music. The music here doesn’t sound like any other Christmas music I had ever heard, even to today. It still feels like the perfect fit with the Charles Schulz story of a boy in search of the true meaning of Christmas. Consumerism, Santa and yes even Jesus are all brought to bear in that search. My love for the holiday special plays into my love for this album as well. At some point before the 25th, I will settle down to watch it once again. Then on Christmas morning, we will enjoy our traditional breakfast and open presents with this album as part of our Christmas morning soundtrack.
The first piece you probably hear in your head is “Linus & Lucy” and serves as the “theme song” for the whole special. The other piece that is a favorite was co-written with Mendelson, “Christmas Time Is Here”, a gentle child’s love song to the holiday. But the interpretations of the classic songs that make up the rest of the album are amazing as well. “My Little Drum” and “O Tannenbaum” are particular favorites.
This music IS Christmas for me! Hope you have a very happy holiday, whatever your tradition may be.
Peace
Stories Are My Life 
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