Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Charlie Brown sighed, pressing his head to the cool plastic of the megaphone he was using. The stage was full of kids, dancing to the jazzy tune of Schroeder's toy piano rather then doing their lines. They weren't even listening to their own director. Again. It was like anything he said didn't matter, and why should it? Why should someone listen to a wishy-washy guy like him. Lucy was next to him, tapping her foot and snapping her fingers in rhythm with a content smile.

"I think this works better then that old play, don't you, Director?" She asked, her grin growing as she locked her sights on Schroder, her snapping growing out of tune as she pined over the boy who wanted nothing to do with her or her wild ideas. Charlie Brown grimaced and clutched the megaphone, his headache growing with each beat being played by his friend and dog.

"Although, I don't think we can have a Christmas queen if we do it this way, maybe I could-..." her ramblings trailed off into muffled mumbles as Charlie Brown's frustration began to hit its peak. He gritted his teeth and shuffled around the old wooden floor on the stage making it creek in protest. He needed to get their attention, and he knew they didn't remember his signs. He needed a way for someone, anyone to get their attention on him. His eyes looked up at the megaphone...

"All right, that's it!" He shouted through the device, his hands trembling a bit. Even he was shocked by his sudden outburst of pent up frustration. The dancers suddenly halted and the music almost instantly died down. The kids looked like deer in headlights as they snapped their attention up to their director. Charlie Brown nodded before looking back at the crowd with a quieter tone. 

"Look, why can't we all just get back on task!? We'll neve get anything done this way!" He sighed, looking across the group with heavy and tired eyes. 

"I think this Director business is too much for you Charlie Brown! How about you take a break and go get us a Christmas tree, hm? We can't have a play without a big, huge Christmas tree?" Lucy exclaimed, her arms waving upward. "You and Linus can go get us a tree while I'll stay here with the group." She said, her eyes going back to Schroder. Something told Charlie Brown that she'd only be watching Schroder, but he wanted to make himself of use so he nodded and walked over to get his coat, Linus not too far behind. 

He waved off some of the girls demands for the tree as he slid his cap on ans began to make his way to the door. They'll see, he'll be bring back the best tree he can find . They'll see, he can be useful. 

he'll show them.

Chapter Text

The walk to the Christmas Tree lot was rather silent between the two. Charlie Brown simply just didn't feel like saying much, and Linus wasn't opposed to some good old fashioned silence, so in silence they walked. That's why they worked as such good friends, Charlie Brown realized. If he was happy, Linus was happy too. If he was quiet, so was Linus. It was almost a virtue of sorts, making the boy appreciate his friendship all the more it seemed. You knew when you were able to pleasantly walk side by side in the crunchy snow in silence together and still enjoy yourself, you had it well made.

At least someone was on his side in this world.

"Lucy wanted an aluminum tree." Linus finally spoke up, taking his thumb out of his mouth. "So which lot should we go to?"

"I don't know." Charlie Brown admitted defeatedly. Wow. What a blockhead he was. He couldn't even decide to turn right or left? Lucy was right. He was just all wishy-washy after all.

"Wow." Linus said suddenly, his voice almost full of amusement. Charlie Brown tensed, figuring his friend was here to ridicule him, but instead that never happened. "I think we should go to that one." He said, pointing up into the sky where a tree lot seemingly had search lights pointing up, going from side to side and beckoning those to join and stop by to by their wears. "That can't be good for the pilots."

"Good Grief." Was all Charlie Brown could mutter. More commercial. More shilling. What even was the meaning of Christmas anymore?Was it the same as Snoopy's sign and Sally's card? Money, money, money? If that was so, no wonder he didn't feel happy when it rolled around.

The two made their way to the lot anyway. deciding to give into the trappings just as everyone else did. After all, tis the season.

As the boys walked through the shiney lot, two things became incredibly clear. One, aluminum was all the rage, and Two, it was sickening to look at. This wasn't Christmas! This wasn't Christmas at all! Christmas was about humbleness and simplicity, reminiscent of the babe in the barn with nothing but a manger and ripped pieces of cloth to be his bed. It was about being creative and selfless to make gifts for your fellow man, working with what you have, and bringing joy into your home with something homemade and from the heart, not glitter and bows! Once again, and I say it with distane, Good Grief indeed!

Linus took his knuckle and rapped on the tree, hearing it clang with each tap. "Hollow." He said finally, hearing it echo inside for a moment or two.

Hollow. Just like everything else this Christmas.

"Is this all they have?" Charlie Brown asked, flinging his arms around in gesture. "No real trees?"

"I suppose it's a fad." Linus shrugged. "I don't see these becoming what we regularly use every 25th."

"I guess that's a fair point." Charlie Brown shrugged. "Okay, how much is that one? It's at least green."

Linus crained his neck to look up at a red pricetag stuck to the side with some tape that looked like it was beginning to freeze off. One touch and the whole tag was coming off. He reminded himself silently to be careful.

"Five dollars." Linus said finally, sticking his thumb back in his mouth with a slight frown. That ugly thing certainly wasn't worth that price.

"FIVE DOLLARS?!"" Charlie Brown exclaimed, feeling as if he were to faint. "I only have one dollar and fifty cents! Commercial, it's taking over our freedom with fads!"

Linus nodded knowingly. He only had a dollar or two with him as well, and that was to buy last minute stocking stuffers for his mother and father. Oh, and Lucy too. He supposed.

Charlie Brown sighed and stuffed his hands back into his coat pocket, ready to leave this joint and just call it a day, before his eyes landed on something...

"Hey!" Charlie Brown exclaimed, quickly running over to the item and scoopimg it up with love, a wide wobbly smile growing on his face. "I think we have found our tree!"

"That thing?" Linus asked, raising an eyebrow. "You want to take that back to Lucy?" He asked, looking a bit thrown. "But she asked for an aluminum tree. A big shiney one too." Linus poked the little pitiful excuse of a tree and needles went everywhere, but Charlie Brown seemed unmoving. "She'll hate it."

"Aw I don't care." Charlie Brown said, waving Linus off while eyeing his tree as if it were the only thing in the world. "I'm the director anyway. I can pick the tree if I want."

Charlie Brown couldn't help but smile at this little tree. Small, scared, scrawny, underestimated, underappreciated. Just like him. Cast away by the world by things shiner and better than him. He understood it. He felt for it.

He needed it as much as it needed him.

"Come on Linus, let's go. I'll take this little tree home and we'll decorate it. Then I'll show them. Besides...

I think it needs me."