It’s a Server Tech Christmas, Charlie Brown

The staff here at Servertech wanted to spend a little more time spreading some Christmas cheer, so we turned to this iconic comic strip for inspiration. Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang are so much a part of the US Christmas culture. Likewise, Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas album, and the ‘Linus and Lucy’ theme in particular, has been the soundtrack for many a family Christmas gathering. 

According to stories about the Christmas special, which originally aired in 1965, it almost didn’t happen at all. Final production was completed less than a week before it went on air, and it was produced on a shoestring budget using child actors for the narration. There was no laugh track used to punctuate the jokes, which had the effect of drawing the viewer into Charlie Brown’s holiday funk. At least 20 minutes of the show are, well, kind of a bummer.

It was also unusual because it had an overtly religious message. This was not a show about Frosty the Snowman or saving the holiday from a certain Grinch. The plot turns, and Charlie Brown’s spirits lift, when Linus rocks his world with an explanation of the true meaning of Christmas. Why it was new and different to have a religious message in a show about one of the oldest religious holidays in the world is probably a topic for another blog.

So, about that strip up there. To me it is a little bit of a puzzler, just like a Christmas special with kids but no laughter. So what does a dark and stormy Christmas night look like, anyway? Why would we wish that on St. Nick in the first place, except to put Rudolph’s nose to the test? I think the key is Lucy’s use of the words ‘smart’ and ‘nice.’ In the context of her request, we can infer that maybe Snoopy isn’t super smart, and that his topic isn’t all that nice.

We would feel the same about Servertech. Although we can't ask Snoopy to help us talk about our Data Center PDUs or discuss with Santa about the true meaning of a data center power distribution unit, we can still call upon them to help all of us at Servertech celebrate this time of year. What did Linus say? "That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown." 

Maybe Snoopy was just responding to Lucy as if she were using reverse psychology. We do know she goes in for that sort of thing. Or maybe that Christmas special was just about reminding jaded people to remember their Christmas spirit. We get a little jaded here at Servertech too. That’s why we’re taking a break to wish you a very Merry Christmas.