Is it really Christmas without Charlie Brown and his pals singing “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”? In the 60 years since “A Charlie Brown Christmas” debuted on CBS, the story of good ol’ Chuck and one sad Christmas tree has become a modern institution, both on the small screen and on the stage. Adapted by Eric Schaeffer from Peanuts creator Charles Schulz’s script for the beloved Bill Melendez-directed TV special produced by Lee Mendelson, the classic has brought families together for generations in its kindly reminder of the reason for the season. The stage version keeps that tradition going, and in an era where adaptations feel determined to extend the original material to bloated, bum-numbing extremes (looking at you, Wicked), the Zach production’s jaunty 40-minute runtime makes this the perfect first theatre experience for even the wiggliest of little ones. – Richard Whittaker