It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown (1992)

This special is not as well known as A Charlie Brown Christmas, but in some ways, it lends itself more to rewatchability. A series of vignettes taken directly from the original comic strips, it showcases the brilliance of the witty four-panel structure very well. Storylines include selling wreaths door-to-door, Charlie Brown needing to raise money to buy a girl some gloves, and many of the Peanuts cast taking part in a Christmas play. Although it's not as well-regarded, it deserves to be watched in tandem with the original.

4 Harold Angels out of 5

Frosty Returns (1992)

The animation company changes hands from Rankin/Bass to Bill Melendez Productions, which likely explains why this special feels so oddly Peanuts-esque. Something about it just doesn't work. Not sure if it's the awkward casting of John Goodman as the titular snowman, the uninspired plot or the dull song(s). This one caps off the "Frosty trilogy" beginning with Frosty the Snowman and Frosty's Winter Wonderland and it couldn't come soon enough.

2 Summer Wheezes out of 5 

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)

Peanuts covered all the major holidays, which is why all my childhood memories are indelibly linked to them. It was the combination of the simplistic colorful animation and Vince Guaraldi jazz compositions which captured the imagination. Watching this stuff play out was more entertaining than the holiday itself, which always ended up being a disappointment. Truth be told, I can't think of many others besides The Mayflower Voyagers and Garfield's Thanksgiving Special.

Anyway, Peppermint Patty invites herself over to Chuck's, so he and Snoopy must improvise in a hurry. It's not quite the classic that Christmas and Halloween were, but it's in my top 5 favorite Peanuts specials.

4½ jelly beans on toast out of 5

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)

"On Halloween night, the Great Pumpkin rises out of his pumpkin patch and flies through the air with his bag full of toys for all the children." So the legend goes.

Charlie Brown's cut too many holes in his ghost costume. Snoopy imagines he's a WWI flying ace shot down by the Red Baron. Linus stays up all night in the pumpkin patch waiting for something that will never come. Disappointment all around; a metaphor for life. Oh well, maybe next year will be different.

Fun bit of trivia: This was the first Halloween special ever to be broadcast annually. Still ranks up there with the best of them.

5 rocks in the trick-or-treat bag out of 5

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

The greatest Christmas special ever made. Good ol’ Charlie Brown is depressed about the overcommercialism of Christmas. He’s put in charge of directing the holiday play. He ends up buying a puny tree that nobody likes, everyone laughs at him and ridicules him. Linus waxes poetic on the true meaning of Christmas. Understanding, love, acceptance, the tree is born again. Until next year...

5 "The Doctor is Out" out of 5