Charlie Brown & Kermit, the Christmas Heroes of My Time

As much as I love the Grinch and his last minute character turnaround, I can't help but feel some sort of connection between myself and Kermit the Frog and Charlie Brown. In each of their Christmas movies, and in their character in every episode I've ever seen, both of them are always living out life according to the theory, the principle of whatever is good for the greater good. Kermit, always playing the true host that he is to the extent that if one person (or muppet) in the audience did not enjoy the show, then it was a failure and something could be done better. His whole life devoted to making others happy simply because that's a good thing to do.

Charlie Brown in his quest to prove that the good life is attainable and good, tries to use the Christmas theory in principle and apply it to the most dilapidated ("prohibitive to repair tree" - term here at the ministry - better off to build new than to repair), i.e. give hope to the less fortunate, but he is scoffed at by all his peers. He turns because he knows he cannot change himself, and he cannot possibly make a difference to society, so maybe he should leave, as he does. Of course at the end of the 1/2 hour, all his peers have redressed the tree with love, care and the Christmas spirit, but has anything at home for the viewer changed?

We love, well I do anyway, Charlie Brown and Kermit the Frog for their never ending hope that society will get better, at the very least at Christmas time, but how many of us are actually ready to emulate even some of their wonderful characteristics (albeit they are muppet and cartoon characters)?

So for this week, maybe some of you, instead of asking WWJD? As those are big shoes to fill, why not ask WWKD or WWCD? Both have never done anything extraordinary, well maybe except living their ordinary lives, yet they do it with this hope in humanity that is undaunted, even by the harshness of reality.

So here at Christmas time, and throughout the year, I look to Kermit and Charlie as my heroes, although Spider Man is pretty high up there on the list as well. Man, I just can't keep anything serious.

Have a great week everyone, have fun with your family where ever you are or with your new family in Los Angeles, Austin, Wollongong, Cannes, York (England), Andorra, Norway, Sweden, Strasbourg and have yourself a merry little Christmas.

The Cool AGE:)