A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
Marcie: “Those early Pilgrims were thankful for what had happened to them, and we should be thankful, too. We should just be thankful for being together. I think that’s what they mean by ‘Thanksgiving,’ Charlie Brown.”
This television special is something that I feel like everyone has seen. Charlie Brown movies are a staple in most homes because they exemplify family, societal, and community values. The conversations these children have are much deeper than they may seem. All of the characters come together to make the holidays better for everyone and we should all try to do the same at this time of year.
How I Met Your Mother
Marshall: “But, it’s Slapsgiving.”
Lily: “Thanksgiving is a day of peace, there will be no slaps today!”
Although this show is a comedy, it gets to the heart of what Thanksgiving is. Throughout this episode, Marshall is getting ready to slap Barney because they had a deal where he got to slap him a certain number of times. Barney knows it is going to happen so he is scared. Marshall’s wife, Lily, gets angry and makes sure that everyone can enjoy their Thanksgiving by saying that Marshall cannot slap Barney, although he eventually does.
Saturday Night Live
Adam Sandler (singing): “Turkey for me, turkey for you. Let's eat the turkey in my big brown shoe. Love to eat the turkey at the table. I once saw a movie with Betty Grable. Eat that turkey all night long; fifty million Elvis fans can't be wrong. Turkey lurkey doo and turkey lurkey dap. I eat that turkey then I take a nap.”
Saturday Night Live is great around the holidays because they give you something to laugh at during a sometimes stressful period. This song has gotten so popular since Adam Sandler first sang it on Weekend Update on SNL’s Thanksgiving special. You can always count on SNL to make Thanksgiving and the Holiday season very funny.
Friends
Chandler: “I know this isn’t the kind of Thanksgiving that all of you all planned but for me, this has been really great, you know, I think because it didn’t involve divorce or projectile vomiting. Anyway, I was just thinking, I mean, if you’d gone to Vail, and if you guys had been with your family, if you didn’t have syphilis and stuff, we wouldn’t be all together, you know? So I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m very thankful that all of your thanksgivings sucked.”
All: “That’s so sweet.”
Ross: “And hey, here’s to a lousy Christmas.”
Rachel: “And a crappy New Year.”
Whether your Thanksgiving involves awkward and sometimes scarring family moments, vacations with your family, disease, vomit, or just a simple family dinner, I think we can all identify with Chandler’s statement. It is nice to be around friends and family during the holidays because it is a time to give thanks to the people around us for putting up with us throughout the year. We can be thankful in any situation, so if your plans get ruined you can always hang out with your friends and have a misfit Thanksgiving like the characters in Friends did.
Will and Grace
Grace: “Hmmm. Well, you've come on a good night. Jack's mother is going to be joining us, and she doesn't know Jack's gay.”
Karen: “How could she not know? What is she, headless?”
The holidays are a time of coming together and forgetting our differences. We can confide in our friends and family with secrets and thank them for always being there for you. On thanksgiving, after we are done fighting about politics, we can eventually come together like the characters in Will and Grace, to be there for one another and show our love.
Luke Danes: “Shouldn't we give thanks first?”
Jess Mariano: “Thanks for what?”
Luke Danes: “Well, that we're not Native Americans who got their land stolen in exchange for smallpox infested blankets.”
Lorelai: “Amen.”
While we may forget why we eat turkey and stuffing every Thanksgiving, we should never forget that not everyone was/is always that lucky. When the Pilgrims came over on the Mayflower, the Native Americans were treated horribly and we should never forget that. We should all come together, acknowledge each other’s differences, and love each other for those differences.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
