The two rarely seen
Peanuts
"extras," created by Schulz—a series of vignettes, and "The Christmas Story"—are back, in a popular stocking stuffer format.
During his fifty-year career, ninety-nine percent of Charles Schulz’s creative energies went into the daily
comic strip. But once in a while he would create a special something else on the side, and this adorable little package collects two of his best “extras” from the 1960s: two Christmas-themed stories written and drawn for national magazines. Created in 1963 (two years before the
Charlie Brown Christmas
TV special) as a supplement for
Good Housekeeping
magazine, “Charlie Brown’s Christmas Stocking” comprises 15 original captioned vignettes featuring the entire
cast of the time — Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, Schroeder, Frieda, Violet, Shermy, and Sally — each with a joke or reflection about the season. “The Christmas Story” is an original tale created for
Woman’s Day
in 1968, this one focusing just on Snoopy and the Van Pelt siblings, with Lucy and Linus each explaining the meaning of the holiday to Snoopy. “I’m going to have to be careful,” Snoopy reflects at the end of the story, resting on his doghouse next to his bone-decorated tree; “all this theology could ruin my Christmas.” The book also includes notes on the provenance of the stories and a pocket-sized biography of Schulz. A perfect gift item for the season!