A Charlie Brown Christmas
The story of a boy and his pathetic tree, this TV special perfectly captured the spirit of Charles Schulz's 20th-century masterpiece of a comic strip: that even losers, especially losers, are worthy of love. Melancholy but mirthful, soulful but not sanctimonious, this special tapped into the audience's exhaustion with commercialism, even as it became the biggest linchpin of TV's commercial Christmas celebration. Linus's earnest Nativity recital, Vince Guaraldi's gorgeous score and Charlie Brown's dogged struggle to find meaning in the holiday made this a Christmas cartoon to gather around the tree and sing about.