“Skating” by Vince Guaraldi for “A Charlie Brown Christmas”.From a green vinyl album recently received as a birthday present, just in time for the holidays. Charlie Brown Christmas was part of my childhood memories, though not one of the perennial family traditional viewings like the Rudolph or other stop-motion animation specials. (The voice of Burl Ives is still evokes a warming, cozy feeling of sitting on the couch in the family living room at the magical time of year.) Still, I recall how accessible and calm the show was - perhaps a little more close to reality when compared with all the unrelenting smiling and jingling of other specials.Being now the longest continuously broadcast show (second only perhaps to the Rudolph), it may seem odd that it almost didn’t make it to air and was deemed sure to flop by the CBS executives who were only forced to air it since it had already been announced and in the published schedules.It’s been a lot of fun to hear this and other music from the album, which curiously became an instant hit with the the three- and one- year olds (whose voices are also featured here). ;)