Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Thanksgiving Movies & TV Specials


Welcome to day two of my Thanksgiving Blog Blitz! Today I thought we’d talk about our favorite Thanksgiving movies or TV specials. Although there aren’t as many centered around this holiday, there are a few. For me, one of my favorites is A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. I watched it again for the umpteenth time last night, (I splurged and bought the deluxe edition DVD three pack, for the kids, of course!) but it was the first time for my two kids to see this special. They laughed, and laughed even harder when Snoopy had his altercations with the ping pong table and the lawn chair. Classic!

But what I love so much about the Peanuts specials is that through the genius of Charles Schulz they teach the true meanings of the seasons without being preachy. I think one of the reasons the shows do this so successfully is because those lessons are shared through the innocent wisdom of children, and we all know how kids can say the most profound and amazing things without even realizing it. They don’t intentionally set out to teach us adults a lesson, but they just manage to do it. In addition, I love the brilliance of Vince Guaraldi and the music he created for Charlie Brown and his friends beginning with A Charlie Brown Christmas. You can’t listen to Vince’s music and not think of the Peanuts gang. I also love the fact they used children to voice the characters. I think those amateur, sometimes singsong voices add a core of truth and sincerity to the shows, taking me back to the innocence and wonder of my own childhood. Oh, how we so looked forward to watching all of those TV specials during the holidays. You had one shot per year to see them and you just prayed Rudolph, Charlie, Frosty, or the Grinch weren’t scheduled to air on the night of your school program. Oops! I'm dating myself.

Another Thanksgiving movie I’d love to see is The Thanksgiving Treasure starring Jason Robards and Lisa Lucas. I absolutely loved The House Without a Christmas Tree and have always wanted to see the other three movies in the series. Have you seen The Thanksgiving Treasure? If so, did you like it? And do you have a favorite Thanksgiving movie or TV show you'd like to share?

Remember, every time you post a comment to my blog this week, your name will go into the drawing for an autographed copy of Studs for Hire: Woman on Top. Even if you already own a copy, Christmas is coming and autographed books make great gifts, so get entered!

9 comments:

Asylumgirl said...

Nope, haven't seen it as far as I can recall.
They used to play E.T. every Thanksgiving but I think it may have been replaced by Harry Potter, which I actually prefer. I could watch or read Harry any day of the week. LOL

Deidre

robynl said...

the only Thanksgiving movie I've seen besides Charlie Brown's is The Ice Storm which takes place after Thanksgiving in the '70's. I found some of it a bit harsh but did watch it till the end.

Anonymous said...

Maybe it's because of the man I married, but we don't pass a Thanksgiving without watching football. Thanksgiving is one of my fav holidays despite the football!!
Oh and I've seen the Ice Storm too and thought what was going on in the 70's????
Noelle

Sherry James said...

Yes, I think Harry Potter is a nice, new holiday tradition. They are great movies. My son and I started reading the first book together, but haven't gotten it finished yet. He's only seven so it takes some time!

I grew up with football on the TV every weekend and over the Holidays so I'm used to it, and in fact, a Sunday in November really isn't a Sunday in November without football on the tube! My parents and brothers were all big football fans.

As for the movie Ice Storm, I haven't seen it. You two make it sound, uh . . . interesting.

Thanks for the comments.

Anonymous said...

Nope your not dating yourself, there just really good shows, even my kids can't wait for them to be on and their only 11 and 12 lol. As for watching tv on Thanksgiving, it's usually on but most of us are to busy visiting and catching up or eating to watch it, and the kids usually end up at the fair, we're Canadian so the last fair of the year falls on Thanksgiving.

Sherry James said...

Thanks for stopping by, candyg! Yeah, those shows are classics and perennial favorites. My kids, too, love all of them. I think part of the reason they were so special to us as kids was because of that once a year shot thing! Even though I have many of them on VHS and DVD, I still only let my kids watch them during the holidays. No watching Rudolph in July allowed in this house! That way I hope the magic of those shows will always be there.

Enjoy the fair and the background noise of the TV this Thanksgiving!

Julie Miller said...

I just watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving with my dh this weekend. He's a big Peanuts fan, so I got him a collection of remastered Peanuts TV special DVD's for his birthday.

Ah, the memories. Wish I could get away with fixing toast and popcorn for Thanksgiving dinner!

Julie Miller

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