What with all the Elmo and the Barney and the Curious George and that boring excuse for a train named Thomas, there has been one glaring omission in Mazzy's life. His name is SNOOPY. Or as my sister used to call him when she was little— Noop-neep.

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Part of the reason I looked forward to the holidays as a kid was because it meant there would be a  Charlie Brown special on television. If I saw a commercial for "A Charlie Brown Christmas" or "It's A Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown", I burned the date of that special into my elementary school brain like it was my birthday. Or the day my Sea Monkeys were scheduled to arrive.

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No way in hell was I missing out on my annual chance to see Charlie Brown decorate his sad little tree or Linus faint in a pumpkin patch. These television events were just as much a part of the holidays as showing off the clock pen I got for Hanukah or egging the house that gave out Necco Wafers on Halloween.

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Today, however, kids have all their favorite YouTube clips, streaming videos and on-demand shows available to watch whenever they want. Gone is the good old-fashioned once-a-year special.

Which is sad, because when it came to Charlie Brown, those specials really did feel "special".

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So. When The Peanuts sent me a Halloween themed package complete with my very own copy of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" for the special's 45th Anniversary, I knew I had a new mission.

MAKE SURE THE PEANUTS BECOME A HOLIDAY TRADITION FOR MAZZY TOO.

First step? Introducing her to Snoopy.

Or more accurately, a very cool sock monkey version of Snoopy.

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"What's that?" Mazzy asked.

"It's Snoopy."

"Ohhhhh."

Then I emptied the rest of the box. Books, a DVD, crayons, t-shirts and assorted candy.

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"Ooooooohhh!!!"

By the end of the night, Mazzy was coloring Peppermint Patty a lovely shade of green, pressing the "Good Grief" button on the "play-a-sound" board book until I thought about hiding it on top of the refridgerator and making out with Snoopy on the floor (right in front of Elmo mind you).

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All was going swimmingly until Mazzy made one simple request.

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"Daddy— draw Snoopy?"

Uh-oh. If you remember Mike's version of Elmo, you know that my husband's drawings often leap straight from the page into the nightmares of neighborhood children. Snoopy was no exception.

Although, we are talking about Halloween where terrifying children is half the point.

Say hello to my new front door decoration.

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I predict the neighborhood kids stay far, far away this year.

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GIVEAWAY: Get your own Peanuts Halloween Themed Gift Box (contents include Sock Monkey Snoopy, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown DVD, Look and Find: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown book, It's the Great Pumpkin Play-A-Sound Board Book, Peanuts Pumpkin Patch coloring book and crayons, two Peanuts themed t-shirts and assorted candy) by following the rules below.

1) You must be a Mommy Shorts Facebook Fan to enter. If you are not already a fan, you can easily become one by clicking "Like" on the facebook widget on my right sidebar or by clicking here.

2) Answer the following question in the comment section below: Which Peanuts character does your kid(s) most resemble? For instance, Mazzy is a Lucy/Linus combo. Super bossy with a blankie obsession.

Winner will be announced on Thursday, October 20th.

Also— check out the Peanuts in their new Got Milk ad:

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