While new Christmas content continues to be produced every year, there are some Christmas movies, shows, and specials that are undeniable classics. For example, the 1965 animated special A Charlie Brown Christmas. For decades, viewers have tuned in to the 25-minute show to watch a bummed out Charlie Brown attempt to put on a Christmas play and get into the holiday spirit. The special is so iconic that the idea of a “Charlie Brown Christmas tree”—a tiny, spindly Christmas tree that can barely hold up an ornament—is a reference that pretty much anyone can understand.
But, if you’re looking to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas this year, you should know that times have changed. You can’t just turn on the TV during the holiday season and expect to see it. Instead, it’s now streaming online.
In 2020, Apple acquired the rights to A Charlie Brown Christmas, as well as It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. For the first two years of this deal, the special also aired on PBS, but after nearly 60 years, the special is no longer shown on TV. Fortunately, there is still a way to watch the special for free.
How to Watch A Charlie Brown Christmas as an Apple TV+ Subscriber
If you’re an Apple TV+ subscriber— or would like to become one—you can watch the Charlie Brown Christmas, Halloween, and Thanksgiving specials whenever you like. It’s as simple as that.
How to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas if you aren’t an Apple TV+ Subscriber
If you want to stream the Peanuts gang’s Christmas antics this year, you’ll have to use Apple TV+. But, there’s good news and bad news that goes along with this, if you aren’t a subscriber. The good news? Apple announced that non-subscribers can watch A Charlie Brown Christmas for free. The bad news? There’s a very small window in which to watch. It will be available for free from Saturday, Dec. 16 through Sunday, Dec. 17. (There is literally a petition about the special no longer airing on TV that came after Apple obtained the rights, which explains the need to give people at least a little something.)
By the way, Apple TV+ offers 7-day free trials, so if you haven’t taken advantage of that yet, then you could better time your viewing of A Charlie Brown Christmas to a day that works for you. A subscription is $9.99/month after the trial.
Another Option
There is another option for anyone who doesn’t want to sign up for Apple TV+ and wants some more flexibility in their viewing schedule. Hard copies of A Charlie Brown Christmas are available for purchase. If you have a way to watch a DVD or Blu-ray, you can own your own copy and rest assured that you’ll be able to hang out with Charlie, Lucy, Linus, and Snoopy every year.
