Guest column

By Tom Purcell

Good grief. Since 2020, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” has been gone from network television.

For 54 years, the special aired on CBS, then ABC, every December — and millions of kids made sure they were sitting in front of the TV the moment it aired.

My family followed the same ritual for years: sitting in our wood-paneled basement family room, we’d plug in the Christmas tree and turn off the lamps.

As the Christmas lights glowed softly, we’d smile as Vince Guaraldi�...