Apple TV is the only streaming home for the Peanuts holiday specials, and its 2026 holiday release confirms two free weekends. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving streams free from Saturday, November 14 to Sunday, November 15, and A Charlie Brown Christmas streams free from Saturday, December 12 to Sunday, December 13. The new special Snoopy Presents: 12 Days of Snoopy premieres globally on Friday, November 13, 2026. Apple says its Peanuts partnership with WildBrain, Peanuts Worldwide and Lee Mendelson Film Productions runs until 2030. Below is every holiday special in the library and the dates each classic streams free. Check out the official trailer down below:
The 2026 Free Streaming Dates
Apple's holiday press release lists three free windows for the classic specials from Mendelson/Melendez Productions and Peanuts Worldwide:
- It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: October 17 to 18
- A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving: November 14 to 15
- A Charlie Brown Christmas: December 12 to 13
Outside those weekends, Apple says the specials are "available to subscribers now and every day." Apple TV costs $14.99 a month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers, and Apple's current offer gives three months free to customers who buy and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV 4K or Mac. The Apple TV app runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV 4K, Apple Vision Pro, smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO and TCL, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and on the web at tv.apple.com.
It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
The Halloween special opened Apple's 2026 run with its free weekend on October 17 and 18, and Apple is marking 60 years since its debut. Apple describes it as "a timeless adventure as Charlie Brown preps for a party, Snoopy sets his sights on the Red Baron and Linus patiently awaits a pumpkin patch miracle." It first aired on CBS on October 27, 1966, and it is still on Apple TV for subscribers after the free window.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
Apple's description: "Peppermint Patty invites everyone to Charlie Brown's for Thanksgiving, even though he's going to see his grandmother. Snoopy decides to cook his own version of a Thanksgiving meal with help from his friends." The special first aired on CBS in November 1973, and the meal Snoopy serves the gang is toast, popcorn, pretzel sticks and jelly beans. Its free weekend opens the day after 12 Days of Snoopy premieres.
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Apple's synopsis says Charlie Brown, "feeling down about the commercialism of Christmas, becomes the director of the gang's holiday play," and then has to "find the 'perfect' tree and discover the true meaning of Christmas." It premiered on CBS on December 9, 1965, with a jazz score by Vince Guaraldi that includes "Christmas Time Is Here" and "Linus and Lucy." Lee Mendelson produced it, Bill Melendez directed it, and Schulz wrote it as the first animated special based on his strip. It won an Emmy and a Peabody Award, and its best-known scene has Linus reciting a passage from the Gospel of Luke on stage.
The Other Classic Christmas Specials
Three more Mendelson/Melendez specials are in Apple's holiday lineup for subscribers.
In I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown, Lucy and Linus' little brother Rerun wants a dog from Santa, but his mother won't allow one. When Snoopy is too busy to play, Snoopy's brother Spike comes in as a substitute. Charlie Brown's Christmas Tales has Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy and Sally each starring in stories adapted from the original comic strips.
It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown is a set of vignettes created and written by Charles M. Schulz, executive produced by Lee Mendelson and directed and produced by Bill Melendez. Charlie Brown tries to sell wreaths and buy gloves for Peggy Jean, Peppermint Patty worries about her Christmas book report, and Sally frets over her one line in the Christmas play while Peppermint Patty plays a sheep.
Snoopy Presents: 12 Days Of Snoopy
The new special finds the Peanuts kids on their best behavior while Snoopy has landed on Santa's naughty list. With 12 days until Christmas, he sets out to prove he isn't such a bad beagle. Jeff Morrow scores it, and the original music includes "Get Ready" by John Legend, "Trying to Get There" by Kamasi Washington featuring Leon Bridges, and Laufey's version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." Toonado covered the earlier New Year's special in Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne: Apple TV Spreads Cheer With Trailer For Peanuts Holiday Special.
The Snoopy Show Holiday Episodes
Two episodes of The Snoopy Show, the Apple Original series from Peanuts and WildBrain, are part of the holiday lineup. In "Happiness Is Holiday Traditions," Snoopy searches for the perfect tree topper, Woodstock gets trapped in a window display, and Snoopy and Woodstock visit Spike for Christmas. In "Happiness Is the Gift of Giving," Snoopy adapts a Christmas poem to help Sally sleep, Charlie Brown makes gifts for his friends, and Snoopy struggles to wait before opening his presents.
Like 12 Days of Snoopy, the series comes from Peanuts and WildBrain, with Josh Scherba, Anne Loi, Stephanie Betts, Paige Braddock, Craig Schulz and Mark Evestaff as executive producers. Craig Schulz is the son of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz.
Other Apple TV Holiday Titles For Families
The same Apple release pairs the Peanuts specials with Fraggle Rock: A Holiday Gift, a new special from The Jim Henson Company premiering Friday, December 4, and The First Snow of Fraggle Rock. It also lists the BAFTA-winning The Velveteen Rabbit, the Academy Award-winning The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, and holiday episodes of Frog and Toad.
The Rest Of The Peanuts Library
Apple says it has been home to the classic Peanuts library since 2020 and has made original Peanuts shows since 2018. Its originals include Snoopy in Space and The Snoopy Show, plus Snoopy Presents specials such as It's the Small Things, Charlie Brown, Lucy's School, To Mom (and Dad), With Love, One-of-a-Kind Marcie, Welcome Home, Franklin, For Auld Lang Syne and A Summer Musical. Apple is also in production with WildBrain and Peanuts on a new animated feature.
The classic specials aired on broadcast television for decades, starting on CBS in the 1960s. Apple now calls itself "the exclusive streaming home for all things Peanuts," and its holiday release does not list any broadcast airings for 2026. Apple TV released a clip from A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving:
Which Peanuts special are you watching first in 2026, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving or A Charlie Brown Christmas?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.