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I’m trying to compile a list of references (cartoon or otherwise) of allusions to A Charlie Brown Christmas, and I can’t for the life of me think of a decent one for The Simpsons. I know there is a Treehouse of Terror episode where at the end they all break into “Happy Holloween!” and then sing some Christmas carol while the dog dances on the piano, but there has to be a better one than that? Right?
Or if anyone can think of any other shows. I know there is one on South Park as well as a Robert Smigel cartoon on SNL.

I’m dying because I can’t think of the context, but I know there has been at least one incident in which Bart says “good grief”. And I think I remember some reference to Lucy pulling away the football, but again…no context.

I got nothin.

the bart “good grief” episode was the one where the springfield isotopes were going to move to albequerque. homer gets drugged by the duff beer owner and ends up lying snoopy-esque on the doghouse. upon bart’s discovery of his father on top of the dog house, he exclaims: “good grief!”

Boom!

There are Charlie Brown Christmas things going on during the first full-length Simpsons episode. A Simpsons Christmas has some indirect references, and I thought there was something pretty directly related last time I saw it, but I can’t remember now. Over-all, the feeling of the Simpsons special seemed to be a re-working of the Charlie Brown Christmas special. Homer and Bart steal a tree and win the “best scrawny tree of them all”, the race-dog Santa’s Little Helper and what appeared to be a “loser” ends up making Christmas great for the Simpson family. It’s a similar theme as in the Charlie Brown Christmas and similar in tone.

Yeah, that makes sense. I’m really surprised that I can’t think of any direct allusion to it, though.
Is there anyone else who thinks that A Charlie Brown Christmas is akin to a holy sacrament? I do love it so.

You’re not alone, of course. You must be thinking of including the SNL TV-Funhouse sketch where Jesus comes back at Christmastime and no one recognizes him. Everyone brushes him aside. When he sees the Charlie Brown Christmas Special through a window at a tv store, he tears up as Linus quotes Luke 2; then Jesus dances down the street to the jazzy Charlie Brown theme music.