In his dandy 2023 book on the making of A Charlie Brown Christmas, Michael Keane puts the stress on serendipity.

That’s why the professor and former Hollywood exec has titled his volume Charlie Brown’s Christmas Miracle.

As the author puts it in his opening chapter: “This book tells the inspiring, against-all-odds story of how A Charlie Brown Christmas overcame production difficulties, an incredibly tight six-month delivery schedule, and the skepticism of network executives to become the most popular animated holiday special in history.”

For fans of the beloved program, Miracle is a must.

Keane’s well-researched tome takes a deep-dive into cultural background leading up to the show’s mid-sixties debut — especially the widespread growth and influence of TV in that era. This background also includes appearances by such figures as Willie Mays, Mel Blanc, Walt Disney, Marilyn Monroe, cartoonist Bill Mauldin and President Ronald Reagan — whose beloved brother, advertising exec Neil, helped nail down Coca-Cola’s key sponsorship for the special.

And of course, there’s plenty of detail on Peanuts creator Charles Schulz, with fitting emphasis on his service in World War II — and on how this impacted his life and work. Along these lines, Keane points out the importance of Linus, in the special, extending his Bible recitation to cover not merely the birth announcement, but also the hope for “peace, good will toward men.”

Keane spends considerable time on how the special actually got made, ranging over such aspects as Schulz’s rejection of a laugh-track, as well as the first-ever use of actual kids for animated voices. (Both laugh-tracks and adult voices were industry standard at the time; several of the young stars could not even read and had to be fed their lines — often one word at a time.)

Then there’s the oft-told anecdote about producer Lee Mendelson first hearing jazzer Vince Guaraldi on the radio while driving over the Golden Gate Bridge; not to mention the later moment when Guaraldi actually began composing his famed “Linus and Lucy” — as he motored across the very same structure! (Once the idiosyncratic pianist finished the piece at home, he insisted on performing it for Mendelson over the phone: “I’ve got to play it now or I’m going to explode.”)

Likewise enthralling are accounts of animator Bill Melendez and his team churning out the requisite drawings in one-third the time it had taken Rankin/Bass to produce Rudolph — which, incidentally, had been the only Christmas special before Charlie Brown. The animation was particularly difficult because Schulz’s simple two-dimensional characters — with short arms, and little legs that made walking awkward — did not adapt readily to movement.

But my favorite part of the book is Keane’s careful five-page reconstruction of the special itself, pointing out things I’d never noticed. (For example, Linus drops his ever-present security blanket just as he begins reciting from the Bible.)

Keane likewise offers an excellent analysis of why the special struck home with viewers — and why it continues to work so well, even in its seventh decade. He starts by insisting that Guaraldi’s music — later released on what would become the second-best-selling jazz album of all time — creates “a protective acoustical cocoon,” setting “the perfect melancholic tone.”

And he goes on to discuss the character of Charlie Brown — how he just keeps trying in spite of defeat. (Even more trenchant are Keane’s earlier reflections on how the loss and pain in Schulz’s own life — particularly the death of his mother just as the young man was shipping off to war — made his comic strip a touchstone of grief and struggle.)

And then Keane finishes by stressing the way this special headlines the Nativity narrative, in all its simple beauty — which, the author says, led viewers to embrace Schulz as “their spiritual Spartacus, … tackling the real meaning of Christmas in the face of secular skepticism.”

It isn’t a perfect book, often dragging in too much detail on things not closely related to the special — such as, for example, the CBS building in Manhattan, or the early life of the first national critic to review the show.

But none of this seriously detracts from the way Keane’s treasure-trove honors the beloved cultural phenomenon. It’s the perfect gift for any Peanuts-lover on your list.

And while you’re at it, throw one in the cart for yourself.