Cats in the Kitchen

You know, this one:

Again it’s not cheery. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is as far as I’m concerned the only Christmas special based on a cartoon franchise that can actually be considered a classic. Yes, Linus’ “And that’s what Christmas is really about” speech seems a little bit shoved in at the end, and yes every lazy animator’s trick in the book is glaringly evident. (Actually, forget I said that. There’s no such thing as laziness among people who draw sixty pictures for every second their work is viewed.) But I can connect with it. Charlie Brown feels the same way I feel every freaking year. And this song matches the mood perfectly. It’s art.

What doesn’t match that mood perfectly is Richard Cheese’s cover of the song, but it’s still fun:

So, I’ve noticed a trend so far, (I realizing that it’s hardly a trend with only two points of data) the music I’ve chosen this for is more of the dark, contemplative music than the cheery festive music. I think that mood is more suitable for a holiday that celebrates the birth of a divine child whose entire purpose in life was to be brutally executed.

And this song suits that mood fairly well. I remember hearing a radio preacher when I was a kid, who explained that at the time this song was written, the word “Merry” would have meant, “Strong” or “Mighty”, which makes it feel a bit different. “Merry Gentlemen” Brings to mind a short round man rolling around on the floor of the local tavern laughing because he’s had too much eggnog. “Mighty Gentlemen” evokes bearded, armored men, sharpening swords in the forest, preparing to fight to the death to defend their families from… Well, probably Yetis or The Krampus…

I remember watching this performance on television, at my Grandparents’ house on Christmas Day. My family used to all get together on Christmas, three generations deep, and eat a four or five course turkey/ham dinner together that would start with trays of pickles, crackers and smoked oysters, then follow with shrimp cocktails, then break into the three-plates-of-stuffing-and-gravy gorge before dessert. My uncle would dress up as Santa Clause, (much to the chagrin of my Mother and her mantra of “Have Nothing to do with Their Myths”) and hand out everyone’s presents that had accumulated under the tree. We’re all spread out now, and we don’t have the same Christmases anymore. The quiet Christmas dinners with my immediate family are just as good, for a hundred different reasons, but this song always reminds me of Christmas at my Grandparents’.