Why I love Lucy, Snoopy & The Peanuts Gang

When I was a little girl, my mother used to call me Lucy when she said I was being crabby. She was referring to the character from the Peanuts Gang. This did not upset me, I liked Lucy cause she WAS crabby and not well behaved. One of the things I liked best about her was how she always yanked the football away from Charlie Brown just as he went to kick it. AND HE ALWAYS FELL FOR IT. Lucy was never going to leave that football in place but he still kept hoping. She continually fooled him and he never caught on, (he was either an eternal optimist or a total yutz.) I liked Lucy's style. I also loved her psychiatric booth, "The doctor is IN." She told it like it was, "five cents, please." Lucy was a kick ass role model.

I never really liked Charlie Brown much cause I thought he was a wuss. I still do. I know he was supposed to be an "everyman" but I always wanted him to grow a pair you know? I guess someone had to be the conscience for the other characters. Even his dog had more oomph than he did. He was however very dear in A Charlie Brown Christmas, trying to get everyone to understand that the holiday wasn't all about commercialism. He definitely had bad tree karma though, (I loved how the Christmas tree with about 10 needles suddenly became a full on tree. The joys of animation.) And couldn't someone teach this kid how to fly a kite without there being a "kite eating tree" around??? Poor Charlie Brown.

Snoopy, ah Snoopy. He had the best fantasy life of anyone I knew. Snoopy fought The Red Baron, ("Curse you Red Baron!") in his sopwith camel. He traveled to Needles to visit his long lost brother, Spike. He fought regularly with the cat next door. And he did a fabulous job decorating his doghouse for Christmas! And I loved how he danced. Snoopy was a regular Gene Kelly. He also had a tummy alarm and always knew when it was supper time. Heck he even had a song and dance for it. "Oh it's supper time....!" And I adored his friends, Woodstock the yellow bird was such a cutie. And when Snoopy got annoyed he had great payback, he kissed the girls, "Ewww dog germs!!!" Snoopy ruled.

A Charlie Brown Christmas is my required holiday viewing. And of course I own the cd. Awesome jazz by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. "Christmas time is hereeeeeeee." My friend Cathy and I always call each other from out of state to remind the other one the show is on. We both love the scene where all the Peanuts Gang are dancing in rehearsals before the Christmas show. Our favorite is the twin girls tossing their heads, dancing from one leg to the other. Many a drunken party we have emulated these girls :-)

I was devastated when Charles Schulz died. I felt like I lost a friend. The Peanuts Gang had been around my whole life. Luckily through the joys of media, the "classic" cartoons are still in the newspaper and I can watch all the holiday specials on tv or dvd... "I got candy! I got a cookie! I got a rock."

Rest in peace Mr. Schulz and thanks.

Keep on dancing Snoopy!