Here are the dates to watch ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ for free

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” beats this 1965 Charles Schultz special by one year in the race for longest-running holiday special in TV history. But it’s still so beloved, particularly by gloomy-leaning Gen-Xers who as children gathered ‘round giant televisions in the ‘70s and ‘80s to soak in sad Christmas trees and awkward zombie dancing.

The children (and grandchildren) of Gen-Xers can no longer discover the true meaning of Christmas on broadcast television, though. Apple acquired exclusive rights to stream all Peanuts shows in 2000, so you now need the Apple TV+ streaming service to watch.

But there’s good news for those who don’t subscribe to Apple TV+: You can still watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas” for free.

Apple TV+ allows two days of free access to the show each holiday season. You’ll have to create an Apple TV+ ID, but you don’t have to pay for the subscription. (If you do subscribe, you can watch all Peanuts content all year round, no limits.)

Here are more details:

How much does Apple TV+ cost? Apple TV+ costs $12.99 per month and you can cancel any time. If you want to watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas” over and over through the holidays, you can sign up for one month and then cancel! Until October when you’ll want to watch “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” Oh, and November when you want to watch “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.”

When can you watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas” free? The free viewing dates are Dec. 13 and 14 (a Saturday and Sunday).

Where can you access “A Charlie Brown Christmas”? Just go to tv.apple.com to stream.

This story was originally published December 5, 2025 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Here are the dates to watch ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ for free."

Brooke Cain

The News & Observer

Brooke Cain is a North Carolina native who has worked at The News & Observer and McClatchy for more than 30 years as a researcher, reporter and media writer. She is the National Service Journalism Editor for McClatchy.