SEASON’S GREETINGS or “Good Grief”

Many of us grew up watching the yearly Holiday TV special, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (Charles M. Schulz 1965) which has become a tradition, and many have enjoyed watching this program in the last 60 years. This short film emphasizes that not everyone is geared up for the holiday’s uplifting experience. Some people can relate to Charlie Brown who is feeling “depressed” during a time when most appear joyous.

In this brief movie, The Peanut’s gang is caught up in the holiday spirit, singing carols, his dog Snoopy is competing for best Christmas light decorations, and his friend Lucy is demanding that investment stocks be given to her as presents. Charlie Brown finds no pleasure in this, feeling isolated and lonely. The celebratory mood around him seems to bring him down.

During the holidays, many of us get caught up in this cheerful and festive mood. Society seems to be invested in promoting these attitudes. Many anticipate and bring out all their props to materialize their emotions to get into the season’s festive mood.

Let’s look at the impact that the holiday season has on some people. Overall, most of the data and research studies in the last decades don’t reflect an increase in depressive disorders, psychiatric visits to emergency rooms or suicidal tendencies during the holiday period. On the other hand, for some this can be a stressful time.

Recent mental health polls done by the American Psychiatric Association in November of 2025, noted that more than half of Americans polled at this time were experiencing moderate stress related to the state of the economy, political tensions, healthcare status and immigration issues. This stressful time can be worsened during the holidays during certain activities like family encounters, excessive spending, feelings of loneliness despite being with others, and grief experienced with recent losses. These and other difficulties can lead to anxiety or temporary sadness in some individuals.

This brief story, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” exemplifies that the majority of the “Peanut kids” are enjoying the moment and are in a celebratory mood, yet they notice that one of their friends, Charlie Brown is experiencing a difficult time. They decide as a group to embrace and support him. One of his friends decides that giving him the responsibility of directing the play might help him by distracting and getting him more involved, this however distresses him more. Eventually the group decides to restore and decorate his faulty Christmas tree, and he eventually realizes that his friends are there for him and he is not alone.

This story is a reminder that despite the season’s joyous spirit, some people can struggle with their emotions and might feel left out. Hopefully, as we celebrate, we can also be empathic to those that are feeling stressed, lonely or sad. As we join others during our holiday gatherings, we can be more inclusive, tolerant and giving to those that are going through a hard time, hopefully reminding us of the meaning of giving.