What "Good Character" Is All About

"Sure, Charlie Brown..."

The Story

Everyone in my family enjoys the music to “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” especially the extended dance scene. My husband and I love to do our impression of the spiky-haired kid (Franklin, I think?) nodding his head from left to right. I’d always thought of the dance as a pure moment of fun in the middle of the movie— a palate cleanser for all the arguing between the kids over the Christmas pageant. But when I watched it again recently, I realized it’s something much more important. It’s a bridge from what we think the movie (and Christmas) is all about, to what the movie (and Christmas) is truly all about.

More on that later.

I’ve been struggling for several days to write this post, a follow-up to my election-related posts, The Time I Felt Hope (pre-election) and Why I (Still) Love America (post-election). I have never wanted Good Character to be about politics, but whenever I brainstormed post ideas, it felt like all my thought pathways led back there. As Tim Walz said, “You may not be into politics, but politics is into you.” Pre-election, it was almost all I thought about, and it makes sense that it’s taking some time to loosen the hold it had on my brain. I’m trying to regain a sense of perspective in the face of dark news by remembering the long arc of history, and all the scary times my grandparents survived. (And, as always, Pantsuit Politics is my political therapy.)

I’ve also been struggling to write this post because I’ve been fortunate enough to gain a bunch of new subscribers in the past few months. I’m so grateful, and I will be giving all of you a warm welcome, by name, at the end of this newsletter! Having a bigger audience increases my desire to deliver excellent content, and brings me back to my central question, the one I started with in November 2023.

What is Good Character, anyway?

At that time, my primary motivation for starting Good Character was that it was the strongest thread connecting my three major identities as a teacher, mother, and writer. I’m constantly thinking about character development in the real world for my young students and my kids, and on the page for the novels and essays I write. But writing Good Character over the course of the past year has only deepened my commitment to exploring the best aspects of human nature.

Character is hard. If we’re not continuously and consciously reflecting and redirecting ourselves on both our outer and inner lives, we won’t grow into our potential. Dark times require even more of us to do this, so that we can act with grace, hope, and humanity— and in our own small ways, heal the world.

“A Charlie Brown Christmas” starts with Charlie being given the job of directing the Christmas pageant. He has a checklist of things to do, none of which goes well. Eventually, the entire process breaks down into the dance scene I referenced earlier. (Click the link for a few minutes of joy!) After that, though, Linus takes Charlie in hand and tells him what Christmas is all about: embracing a moment, at the end of the calendar year, of joy and wonder in the human existence. (You can argue with this summation if you’re more Bible-adherent than I, but I feel it’s an inclusive interpretation.) Charlie then embraces the moment and finds himself a “real” tree to symbolize the feeling he’s having of rootedness, growth, and nature. In other words, he goes from doing something to being something.

Being, rather than doing, is the start of Good Character. I’ll have more thoughts on that for you in my next post.

Welcome To The Good Character Community!

Amy, Deborah, Marea, Sarah, Sharon, Nina, Cami, Chelsie, Kristine, Joy, Meg, Susan, Kathy, Kresha, Brandon, Kim, Candace, Peggy, Alina, Bernadette, Kurt, Cat, Laura, Michael, Carolyn, Raju, Ella, Cris, Marnie, Christie, Pamela, Susanna, Amanda, Jennifer, Meg, Diana, Anne, Eric, Maureen, Faith, Mary, Tracy, Birgit, Kerith, Morgan, Maggie, Judith, Sue, Katie, Dawn, Tina, R. C., Barbara, and Gayla!

…And anyone else who subscribed within the last few months without sharing their name. Thank you so much for being here, and please leave a comment or send me a message introducing yourself. I’d love to hear what compelled you to subscribe, and your thoughts on what constitutes Good Character will help shape future content.

Stuff You Might Like To Know

I’m reading, as usual, too many things:

The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande

The Most by Jessica Anthony

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang

Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

I’m listening to the Christmas Movies Actually podcast, which discusses only Christmas movies. I don’t like it as much as That Aged Well, but it’s a happy, drama-free listen. I particularly liked the episode on Meet Me In St. Louis (an excellent Judy Garland film).

I’m wearing this White Christmas-themed t-shirt from Etsy every single weekend as I do festive things around the house. (I even sent one to a friend!) White Christmas is my favorite movie of all time, and I’m so excited to see it in the theaters in a few weeks, for the 70th anniversary!

Thank you all for being here with me during these challenging times.

Keep hoping. Keep caring. Keep trying.