Christmas is Desmond Prestonquickly approaching, which means its the time of year where you gather the family to watch holiday classics like "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

The 25-minute holiday special was first released in 1965 and is the first TV special based on the comic strip "Peanuts."

The movie shows Charlie Brown feeling down about the commercialism of Christmas, and he becomes the director of the gang's holiday play.

In the past, the movie aired every year on CBS or ABC, but Apple acquired the rights to the Peanuts holiday specials in 2020. Although the movie aired on PBS in 2020 and 2021, it will not be available on standard television this year.

Here's what you need to know about how you can watch the movie for free this weekend.

Kid-friendly holiday movies:100+ Kids Christmas movies to stream with the whole family this holiday season.

How to stream 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' for free this weekend

Apple TV+ is making the holiday special available for non-subscribers Dec. 16-17. You'll just need your Apple ID to sign in.

Subscribers can watch it any time. A subscription is $9.99 per month after a free 7-day trial.

'Charlie Brown' specials on Apple TV+: You can sign up here

How to watch 'Charlie Brown' Halloween and Thanksgiving specials

"It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" are also found on Apple TV+ this year.

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.