Since it is the end of the month, I guess I will finally concede that it is now the Christmas season. It isn't that I hate the holiday, I just strongly dislike the pomp and circumstance that surrounds it. Decorations start to appear in the stores in October while the streets and public places hang garland and lights in the middle of November. Every commercial is about how you need to find those perfect gifts and you can't escape the freaking Christmas music. I honestly admit that I avoid pulling my Christmas tree out until the very last minute, if at all some years. It just gets to be too much for me and every year it seems like the season is getting longer. Now there are elements I enjoy, even a couple of songs that I don't mind. I like the holiday parties people tend to organize and the Christmas baking. I enjoy looking for gifts for people, trying to think of those little things that feel right for each individual. And I really love what few family traditions we have. One of which does actually tie into tonight's sticker, I promise. Growing up we had a couple of holiday specials and movies that we always watched to get in the mood. There was Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas, multiple viewings of A Christmas Story, and most of the Rankin/Bass collection. One of my personal favorites though was always A Charlie Brown Christmas. I can't really explain why I love this special so much but I always make sure I watch it each and every year. I mean I've always been a bit of a Peanuts fan but I'm certainly not a die hard one. Even though I'm pretty sure my only real exposure to the Peanut's gang were the holiday specials and the occasional Sunday comic strip, they are something I am regularly drawn to. One of my favorite shirts is actually a Snoopy shirt. Going back to the Christmas special though, I think what makes it so timeless is how simple it is. There isn't some grand adventure, the holiday doesn't "need" to be saved, and they fully admit that even in the 60's this holiday had its issues. Everyone but Charlie Brown is more concerned about the gifts and celebrations than they are about the "true" meaning of Christmas. Now I'm not saying Christmas needs to be about Christ but I do like that mildly playful reminder that there is more to the holiday than just the pomp and circumstance. Tonight's sticker is of Snoopy while he is pretending to be the famous World War I Flying Ace. Sitting on top his dog house, Snoopy flies the air above Europe fighting the dangerous Red Baron. It's always a very dramatic battle and generally ends with Snoopy landing his "plane" full of holes. I'm pretty sure this may be one of the more iconic appearances of Snoopy, other than Joe Cool obviously. This version is so popular that there are actually two older video games out there where you battle the Red Baron, Snoopy and the Red Baron and Snoopy vs the Red Baron. I was a little surprised when I found this sticker on the street but it looks like Snoopy is a bit of thing here in Pittsburgh. I found a couple of images where they gave Snoopy a Steelers logo or where he's dancing in front of some trophies. Apparently there was even a bit of a local scandal involving a wooden Snoopy and his house being taken from Boulevard of the Allies years ago. While he doesn't technically show up in the Christmas special, the World War I Flying Ace does have his own Christmas song. It's a terribly kitschy thing recorded by a group called the Royal Guardsmen that details a fight and celebration between Snoopy and the baron. It is one of the few Christmas songs that I can't say I hear 30 times a week though, probably because it is such an odd thing.
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Maggie Ondrey
An amateur photographer and writer capturing a small portion of the city. Archives
August 2017
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