Enjoy the Holiday Spirit with ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ – Available for Free on Apple TV This Weekend

With less than two weeks left until Christmas, now is the perfect time to snuggle up with a cup of hot cocoa and enjoy your favorite holiday specials. This weekend, Apple is offering a special treat for everyone to enjoy, even those who have never used the service or owned any Apple devices.

The classic Peanuts special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, will be accessible through Apple’s TV app on all platforms on Saturday, December 13, 2025, and Sunday, December 14, 2025, without the need for a subscription.

This means you can watch it on almost any smart TV, set-top box, or game console, as the Apple TV app is compatible with a wide range of devices from Samsung and LG TVs to Roku boxes and Sony’s PS5. If you don’t have a supported device, you can also stream it on any modern web browser by visiting tv.apple.com.

For those unfamiliar with Snoopy trivia, A Charlie Brown Christmas was the groundbreaking animated special that launched the Peanuts phenomenon. Originally aired in 1965, it marked the transition of Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy, and the gang from static comic strip characters to lively, animated personalities with real voices.

This debut special, accompanied by the iconic soundtrack from the Vince Guaraldi Trio, paved the way for more classics like It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown in 1966, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving in 1973, and a plethora of Peanuts TV specials over the following four decades, culminating in a 2015 feature film and a new era of Snoopy Presents specials produced by Apple TV as the ultimate destination for all things Peanuts.

Over time, A Charlie Brown Christmas became a holiday tradition for many families, airing annually on CBS for 35 years before moving to ABC in 2001. When Apple secured the rights to the entire Peanuts franchise, concerns arose about the future of this broadcasting tradition.

Apple reassured fans early on that A Charlie Brown Christmas would continue to be available for free each holiday season, and this weekend’s free screening upholds that promise. Following protests from Peanuts enthusiasts, Apple announced a collaboration with PBS to broadcast the specials on PBS and PBS Kids stations.

While this partnership lasted only two years, by 2022, Apple’s TV app and its custodianship of the franchise had gained significant traction, ensuring that those interested in watching the classic holiday specials could easily do so during their free weekends on the Apple TV service.

This arrangement offers more flexibility than traditional television broadcasts, as Apple presents A Charlie Brown Christmas for a full two days, allowing viewers to enjoy it at their convenience.

Apple TV subscribers have year-round access to the special, along with the entire Peanuts back catalog and a charming collection of revamped specials produced by Apple, such as 2021’s For Auld Lang Syne—the first Peanuts holiday special in over two decades—One-of-a-Kind Marcie, and Welcome Home, Franklin, which delve into the beloved secondary Peanuts characters.

This week commemorates the 60th anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas, which premiered on December 9, 1965, making it an even more fitting time to tune in this weekend. Whether it’s a part of your holiday TV traditions or your first foray into the Peanuts universe, it’s a wonderful way to embrace the holiday spirit.

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