A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Another big hit with the kiddos. Some continuity with It's A Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, most obviously with Lucy tricking Charlie Brown into running to kick the football and then withdrawing it. But there are other interesting connections: once again, Linus is the bearer of the festive traditions. In It's A Great Pumpkin, he gets it wrong, producing a holiday grotesque; in this, he gets it right, offering historical reconstructions of the pilgrim's voyage, troubles over the course of the first winter, and finally the first thanksgiving. These narratives seem a bit forced, underlining the loose connection of the origin story of Thanksgiving to the celebration itself, even in the 1970s. Both specials highlight the enjoyment of the children even if they do not quite reproduce the standard script of the holiday. In this case, Charlie Brown ultimately gets it right, by showing hospitality, even if he is unable to offer his friends who have invited themselves over (following Peppermint Patty) a real feast; he is rewarded when his grandmother saves the day. Once again Snoopy provides the humor, with his struggles against the folding chair, and loyal efforts at making bread, popcorn, and an unidentified, but strangely appealing, jello dessert. There's a bit of subversion this time: we learn at the end that he has been hiding a Turkey and pumpkin pie the whole time, for himself and his pet bird, Woodstock.

Also funny that Sally made the same complaint in the 1970s that the kiddos and I do now: Christmas decorations up before Thanksgiving! Reviewing November 2020; previously watched 2017 and 2018.