Opinion: Thank goodness for ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’

One of the most beloved holiday specials ever made doesn’t start with costumed pageants, joyful carols or snowmen come to life but with a self-aware declaration of seasonal depression.

“I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus,” says Charlie Brown, shuffling through the snow as other kids frolic to a song about the holiday’s happiness and cheer. “Christmas is coming, but I’m not happy. I don’t feel the way I’m supposed to feel.”

Sixty years ago this month, on Dec. 9, 1965...