Lucy stands out as the symbol of modernism and consumerism, but Snoopy and the other children also participate in this. What this does to people is clear in the story. The modern person cannot see the value in Beethoven and would rather be captivated by someone with contemporary commercial success. The latter type of artist is, usually, of significantly lesser quality because of their participation in the spirit of gluttony (consumerism). This is represented by Lucy's inability to discern one simple piece of music from another. The irony of this is that Lucy and the other children will go on to say that Charlie Brown can't tell the difference between a good tree and a bad tree. Their perception is that a good tree is aluminum, being crafted purely for the purpose of trendsetting and making money, and that a bad tree is the sort that grows from the earth. This, of course, demonstrates that they can't tell the difference between a live tree and a dead tree (between good and evil).
The children mock Charlie Brown for finding value in the organic tree. Modernists mock Christians for their belief in Jesus Christ as the Creator and Telos of reality, imitating their forefathers who mocked Christ in his suffering on the cross. But their mocking is brought to an end by Linus, who quotes the Holy Scriptures of the Annunciation from heart (earlier in the film, he complains about having to memorize lines from the play script, showing his concerns are not with modern interpretations). When Charlie Brown hears these words, he finally understands what, or rather "Who", is at the root of his Christmas tree: Christ Jesus, the Son of God incarnate by the Virgin Mary and Holy Spirit, born in the humility of a cave.
Charlie Brown is satisfied with this knowledge. His sensibilities are fulfilled with the advent of Christ in his heart. His response is to embrace Christ and decorate the tree by himself. But we see that the story can't end there. The advent of Christ in the heart of mankind is expressed in the arrival of the other children, who finally reject modernism and consumerism for the sake of love, following Linus' sacrifice of his blanket to help the good tree stand tall. Linus doesn't lose his childlikeness in this. Rather, it is his childlike faith which keeps the tree standing. The other children participate in that same kind of faith by decorating the tree with him.
The children represent the reconciliation of mankind and the triumph of Christ over Simony*. There is no longer disunity between people with the advent of Christ. The love of Christ dispels the influence of Simon's magic and sorcery (modernism) and brings diverse peoples together into the joy of their One True King, and they sing together, "Hark! The Herald Angel sings, "Glory to the new-born King! Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!"
Thank you for taking the time to read this reflection. I hope each of you are enjoying your Christmas celebrations, and that the Light and Life of Mankind is present with you all.
Merry Christmas! May your homes and hearts be decorated with the Charlie Brown kind of aesthetics!
*"Simony" typically refers to the attempt to purchase ecclesial authority. The word comes from the New Testament, based on the "Simon Magus" from the book of the Acts of the Apostles. The second epistle of St Peter, the epistle of St Jude, and the book of Revelation by St John mention the type of people like Simon Magus, who take advantage of people for monetary gain. Modernism and consumerism are of the same deceptive spirit and can be considered "simonious".
