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On Dec. 9, 1965, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” debuted on CBS, and it became an instant classic. Lee Jenkins’ home is proof that the show is still a hit six decades later.
“It’s just something about these people,” Jenkins said. “Talking about health, talking about wealth, talking about friendship and everything.”
A long-time Staples, Minnesota, businessman, Jenkins didn’t have any woodworking skills when he retired.
But in 2017, at the age of 74, he decided to pick up a jigsaw and build something that made him happy. Snoopy came to mind, and after he created Charlie Brown’s beloved beagle, he realized he was hooked.
“It just evolved from that to more characters every year until this year,” Jenkins said. “There are 18 in the main gang and Marcie is number 11.”
Each of his creations is made out of particleboard. Jenkins first sketches an image and then goes to work.
“I’m not an artist, this is all freehand out of here,” Jenkins said.
From the sketching to the cutting to the sanding to the painting, it takes anywhere from 10 to 20 hours for Jenkins to build one character.
“Probably the hardest one I had to make was Pig-Pen,” Jenkins said.
He now has enough for an entire holiday scene, complete with Charlie Brown’s scrawny tree just like in the show.
There’s Linus with his blanket, Schroeder with his piano and Charlie right in the middle of it all.
“His famous saying was ‘Good Grief,’” said Jenkins. “And it is fun. It really is neat for the family, and that’s what I’ve got here is a family.”
Jennifer Krippner was as surprised as anyone when her dad began this holiday hobby in his mid-70s, but she believes this isn’t just a tribute to Peanuts creator and St. Paul native Charles Schulz.
“I think what it says to a lot of us is passion, creativity, doesn’t retire,” Krippner said.
She believes her dad is honoring a more innocent time. Back when a phrase like “good grief” meant good things.
“It’s a classic show and the Peanuts, I don’t think, are just characters. They are memories for us, and I think that brings back a lot of nostalgia,” Krippner said.
Each of Jenkins’ Peanuts creations is about 3 feet high and they are on display in front of his house, four miles north of Staples. He typically builds one or two each holiday season.
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John Lauritsen
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