Black Friday has officially come and gone. If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent time huddled up, far from the maddening crowd (and Target). In my home, it’s officially Christmas season when the Thanksgiving dessert has been served – we listen to Christmas music on the way home from dinner, and put up our tree the day after. So yes, it’s that time of year again. To celebrate that, we’re going to look at a fun short that manages to combine a few of our favorite things: Stranger Things and The Peanuts. Here’s A Stranger Things Christmas, or Merry Christmas Will Byers, brought to us by Leigh Lahav and Oren Mendez.

Hands down, the Demogorgon as Snoopy made me nearly piss myself laughing. It’s the sound and the thought of that fearsome creature being reduced to griping on the top of a doghouse. The Barb shot at the end is pretty funny too. I found this to be a charming effort: animation takes a metric ton of work, and the love put in shows. It took the time to think about the characters as they are in the original show, then place them into the context of the Peanuts gang with enough of a nod to the style of the Peanuts. It’s a nice reminder to stop and appreciate the people around you as well, which is always a nice message this time of year. From both series, it’s nice to see these faces again.

Happy Saturday, and a happy start to a good holiday season no matter what you believe.