A Charlie Brown Christmas second to create the illusion of movement. Melendez had previously worked for Warner Bros. and Disney, and working on "Peanuts"-related material gave him a chance to animate a truly flat cartoon design. The movement of Schulz's characters, particularly the "Peanuts" gang, was very limited. The character of Snoopy, however, proved the exception to the rule. "He can do anything – move and dance – and he's very easy to animate," said Melendez. The soundtrack to "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is an unorthodox mix of traditional Christmas music and jazz. The jazz portions were created by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Producer
The Spirit of Christmas (TV program) broadcast. The jacket also describes it as a "50s TV Christmas classic, which has led it to being misdated as first being shown in 1950. After its initial 1953 showing and into the 1960s, this special was aired multiple times per Christmas season, without commercial interruptions except for opening and closing remarks by "your telephone company" (Bell Telephone). It was also available as a 16mm film licensed to schools for showings to students. It disappeared from the airwaves for several decades but recently has been aired on public television since 1998. Prints of the 16mm film occasionally show up at