Trying to figure out how to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas? While Apple TV still holds the rights to stream the classic holiday special year-round, it is available for free for a few days on other channels leading up to Christmas.
Streaming service: Apple TV Plus
Run-time: 30 minutes
Director: Bill Melendez
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Original release date: 1965
Like many of the best classic Christmas movies, the message from A Charlie Brown Christmas still resonates, nearly 60 years after it first aired. Suffering from what seems like an undiagnosed case of seasonal affectedness disorder, Charlie Brown tries to find joy in the holiday season, but is distressed by the rampant commercialism — which has only become worse in the decades since.
But, after being mercilessly mocked by Lucy and others for picking a real tree rather than a fake one, Charlie Brown finally discovers the true meaning of Christmas and the holiday spirit.
Here's everything you need to know about how and where you can watch A Charlie Brown Christmas.
How to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas from anywhere on earth
A Charlie Brown Christmas is available to stream only on Apple TV Plus. For most of the year, you will need a subscription, but it will be available for free on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 16-17, 2023.
If you're stuck abroad — in one of the few countries where Apple TV Plus isn't available — you will likely run into geo-fenced restrictions on the platforms and services you can use. But with the help of a virtual private network (VPN), you can watch A Charlie Brown Christmas and use all the other services you already pay for no matter where you are.
Based on our testing, the best VPN is ExpressVPN, which is easy to use and delivers fast internet speeds, making it simple to set up for streaming in no time at all. It also works on practically any device, starting with iOS and Android and including streaming devices such as the Amazon Fire TV Stick and Apple TV. Plus, game consoles like PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
How to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas for free
In years past, A Charlie Brown Christmas was available on PBS or some other network, but unfortunately, this is no longer the case. However, A Charlie Brown Christmas will be available on Apple TV Plus for free — meaning, you don't need to sign up for a subscription — on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 16-17, 2023.
If you want to watch it closer to Christmas itself, you could also sign up for Apple TV Plus, which offers a free 7-day trial for new members.
