'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving'

Poor Charlie Brown. After he takes a call from Peppermint Patty, he finds himself hosting a Thanksgiving meal for his friends. Snoopy and Woodstock take over the set up, setting a Ping Pong table and serving popcorn, toast and jelly beans. After Peppermint Patty deems Chuck's attempt to serve Thanksgiving food a disaster, Charlie Brown calls his grandmother, who kindly invites everyone to her condo for the real deal.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving premiered on CBS on November 20, 1973 and won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming. The special continued to air on CBS through 1989. After twelve years being off the air, the cartoon began airing on ABC on November 16, 2001. None of the original cast members from A Charlie Brown Christmas returned.

Thanksgiving isn't associated with cartoon specials like Christmas and Halloween are. However, this cartoon special about Charlie Brown remains a classic cartoon to watch annually.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving maintains the innocent, quiet charm of A Charlie Brown Christmas, which aired eight years earlier. Long pauses dot the dialogue and the action is slow and enjoyable. The music composed by Vince Guaraldi is still jazzy and mellow.

Another reason this cartoon special is classic is because it includes the iconic scene with Charlie Brown attempting and failing, again, to kick the football before Lucy pulls it away.

The anxiety Charlie Brown feels about hosting a perfect Thanksgiving meal is palpable, exacerbated by well-meaning Snoopy and Woodstock. (Snoopy has an air of Top Chef about him as he pops the popcorn.) The relief is just as tangible at the end when the gang piles into the "way back" to visit Charlie Brown's grandmother.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is paired on the DVD with The Mayflower Voyages, which is more educational thank entertaining. The Mayflower Voyages tells how the holiday originated, including harsh facts told in a soft, matter-of-fact way that makes death and conflict more palatable for younger folks.