Product: A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
Rating: 5.0
The special that could not be made in this day and age.
In addition to being a true classic, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is a cultural landmark -- an indicator of where our nation has been, and where it is going. In 1965, it was acceptable to put on network TV a program with an explicit Christian message (Linus reads from the Gospel of Luke! The kids sing "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing"! The names "God" and "Christ" actually spoken!). Today, the script would not pass muster at the networks. We might offend someone, you know. I can't think of a better indicator than this great program to measure the decline of our society. I guess when the moral busybodies finally succeed in removing "A Charlie Brown Christmas" from the annual rotation (and they will eventually attempt to do so, in the name of "multiculturalism" or "tolerance"), we can close the book on our once-great country.