✕
☰

Celebrating a Peanuts-style Christmas in KC

by

Since 1965, Americans have been watching A Charlie Brown Christmas with their families annually. The familiar Vince Guaraldi melodies, Charles M. Schulz’s beloved Peanuts kids catching snowflakes on their tongues, Snoopy’s decorated doghouse, the whole gang’s ice-skating, Charlie’s selecting the smallest tree, and the struggling pageant, all leading up to Linus’ cherished moment as he reflects on what Christmas is really about … the show is a quintessentially American Christmas tradition. This year, take a page from the Peanuts gang and celebrate A Charlie Brown Christmas in Kansas City.

Watch A Charlie Brown Christmas at the Coterie.

This show is going to run for a hundred years. ~ Ed Levitt, one of the Christmas special’s animators.

We are delighted that Coterie is bringing the beloved classic back to the stage this holiday season. The Coterie presents the show with beautiful sets and costumes that feel as if they are lifted straight from the animated special and brought to life. The cast portrays the Peanuts gang wonderfully as Charlie Brown embarks on his journey to discover the true meaning of Christmas. One of the highlights of the show is the fabulous musical rendition of “Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron.” Showing through Dec. 31: TheCoterie.org/performance/Charlie-Brown-Christmas-2022.

Read KC Parent's review of Coterie's production of A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Crown Center

Ice-Skate

Happiness is a new pair of ice skates.

One of the favorite scenes in the Charlie Brown film is the Peanuts gang enjoying a spin on the ice. During the holiday season, the Crown Center Ice Terrace, Kansas City’s original outdoor rink, plays Christmas music and offers a beautiful view of the mayor’s Christmas tree. They offer a concession stand that sells hot cocoa and other snacks to enjoy as well. CrownCenter.com/iceterrace. Find even MORE Ice Skating Rinks in our guide.

Visit a Christmas Tree Farm

I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It’s not bad at all really. Maybe it just needs a little love. ~ Linus Van Pelt

Head to the tree farm or lot to choose your own Christmas tree, just like Charlie and Linus do. Are you partial to the small, unloved trees or are you looking for something more classic? Choose your own fresh Christmas tree at one of the area Christmas tree farms featured in our guide on KCParent.com. Family Tree Nursery offers three area locations with beautiful trees, too, and additional holiday décor—including some inspired by the Peanuts Gang, all season long.

owned by The Culture House

Living Nativity Christmas Pageant

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:9-11) That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown. ~Linus Van Pelt

Take Linus’ words to heart and experience a living Nativity. Use our guide to Living Nativities in KC for many local live manger scene experiences. We especially recommend the Culture House’s A Child of Hope and Journey to Judea hosted by Countryside Church in Overland Park.

Love Your Own Snoopy

Did you know, I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown is another, lesser-known, Peanuts holiday special?

Snoopy is my favorite dog of all time (yes, I know he’s animated). Do you want to invite a new pal into your family this holiday season? Great Plains SPCA is one of KC’s largest no-kill animal shelters. They facilitate pet adoptions and help find the perfect pet for families. Wayside Waifs is another local no-kill shelter with a commitment to finding homes for all adoptable pets. If you already have a beloved dog in your home, you may want to treat him to a special Christmas gift from one of these local dog bakeries: Three Dog Bakery, Brookside Barkery & Bath and Treats Unleashed.

New-Fallen Snow

It’s too early. I never eat  December snowflakes. I always wait until January. ~ Lucy Van Pelt

Eat fresh snow just like Linus does. For a real treat, make snow ice cream. Mix eight to 12 cups of fresh, white, new-fallen snow, one 10-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk and one teaspoon of vanilla. You may eat it immediately after mixing or freeze to enjoy later. Then, take the kids to one of the best sled hills in KC in our guide, have snowball fights, play in the snow and make snow angels.

Hallmark and the Peanuts

It’s not what’s under the tree that counts—it’s whose around it. ~ Charlie Brown

Arnold Shapiro, a Hallmark employee in the 1950s and an avid Kansas City Star reader who loved the Peanuts comic strip, pitched an idea to J.C. Hall in 1959 that Hallmark work with Charles M. Schulz to develop greeting cards featuring the Peanuts characters. The cards were tested at Kansas City shops and soon became popular with customers. This began a decades-long relationship that continues between the two brands to this day. Hallmark still sells Peanuts greeting cards and features the characters on many of their Christmas ornaments and products. You will find these available at local Hallmark stores, including the flagship at Crown Center, and you can see many of these items on display at the Hallmark Visitors Center, one of KC’s beloved free attractions. On your visit, be sure to make a reservation to visit Kaleidoscope, a free hands-on art center in the Crown Center district, where kids can create their own cartoon characters and style them on greeting cards and other works of art. HallmarkKaleidoscope.com

Three Bonus Ideas:

Kristina Light writes about Christmas in KC all season long on KCParent.com.

Back to topbutton