Movie Night: Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales, I want a Dog for Christmas Charlie Brown

These are a couple of Charlie Brown Christmas movies available through Instant Netflix.

*** Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales:  This is a bunch of shorts, with nor real plot. Sometimes a couple shorts go together, but never more than three.  This means for lots of different little humorous shorts, much like a cartoon.  It introduced me to Rerun, the younger brother of Linus and Lucy.  He confronts Santa Claus about not getting what he wanted.  Santa Claus (Snoopy) just croaks.  Lucy does not appreciate Snoopy skating with her, and when he licks her it is even worse.  There a a few Schroeder and Lucy scenes.  Schroeder does not give in to her advances.  There are plenty of notes to Santa with different approaches, from Linus's, "skip our house," to Lucy's, "I've been perfect."  Snoopy enjoys the cookies left for Santa Claus.  This is a fun movie.

**** I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown: This is even more fun as Rerun is determined to get a dog for Christmas.  Charlie Brown will not sell Snoopy, but he does let Rerun play with Snoopy.  However Rerun writes to Snoopy's brother Spike, and asks him to be his dog.  Spike lives in the desert.  Spike visits, and Lu  cy fattens him up.  But their mother will not let him stay.  Rerun enjoys their time together, and agrees to continue writing, but Spike goes back to the desert.  I enjoyed this movie as the characters were fresh.  We met Snoopy's family.  We also explore the importance of belonging and being wanted.  Also we see Charlie Brown's love for Snoopy.