How and When You Can Watch 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' on TV in 2025

There are some things that are just synonymous with the holidays of your childhood, like hot cocoa, snowball fights, clay animation movies, and yes, A Charlie Brown Christmas. But when will A Charlie Brown Christmas actually be on TV in 2025? These days, streaming platforms take some of the fun out of appointment viewing, but most years, you can count on the classics to air as they always have.

Is that the case for A Charlie Brown Christmas, though? It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, for example, has always aired on network TV. However, in 2020, Apple TV+ began offering it for subscribers. There was a brief free stream option in October 2025, however. So, when it comes to A Charlie Brown Christmas, will it be available on regular TV or not?

In 2020, A Charlie Brown Christmas stopped airing on network television. Up until that point, different Peanuts specials aired yearly during their respective holiday seasons. However, in 2020, a deal was struck where Apple TV+ was given exclusive streaming rights to everything in the Peanuts catalog.

In 2025, Apple TV+ announced a five-year extension of that contract. The press release also announced "free streaming windows of beloved Peanuts specials," including A Charlie Brown Christmas. If you already have an Apple TV+ subscription, you can stream the movie now. If you don't, there is a free streaming window for A Charlie Brown Christmas on Dec. 13 and Dec. 14, 2025.

For now, it looks like everything involving the Peanuts gang is here to stay on streaming.

Tara Sorensen, head of children's programming at Apple TV+, said in the press release, "Our commitment, dedication, and passion for Peanuts runs deep. These beloved characters and stories hold a timeless significance, resonating with people of all ages across the globe. And we are delighted that the iconic holiday specials will be available for everyone to experience, continuing this time-honored, comforting tradition."

Technically, you can find playlists on YouTube with A Charlie Brown Christmas in its entirety. It's not quite the same as being able to watch it on TV like you might have done as a kid, but it is another option. It also offers the opportunity to watch it over and over without needing to access Apple TV+ during that window of free viewing in December 2025.

The classic Frosty the Snowman movie aired on NBC in 2025 on Dec. 4. It was also part of Freeform's '25 Days of Christmas' countdown during the early days of December. It will also air on ABC on Dec. 24 and Dec. 25, 2025. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, another time-honored holiday classic, is also on TV in 2025.

It will be on NBC on Dec. 11, 2025, at 8 p.m. EST. Like Frosty, it was also part of Freeform's countdown. There are other dates it will be on Freeform, including Dec. 22, 24, and 25, according to Remind.