You just finished off that second helping of turkey and stuffing. Now it’s time to sit down in front of the TV and further embrace the holiday spirit with these all-time classic Thanksgiving movies and TV specials.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Starting on Thanksgiving and culminating on Christmas day, the 1947 classic follows a young, pragmatic girl who meets Kris Kringle and comes to believe in the magic of the holidays.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)
Peppermint Patty invites herself, Marcie and Franklin to Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving dinner; Snoopy gets into a fight with a chair; Sally—who apparently didn’t hang out with Linus in the pumpkin patch that year—complains about almost finishing her Halloween candy; and Charlie still can’t kick the football. It’s simply classic family holiday entertainment.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
Planes, Trains and Automobiles is a quintessential Thanksgiving movie starring Steve Martin and John Candy and written by John Hughes. If you’re a fan of any of those three, this wacky and zany Thanksgiving road trip will have you in stitches.
The Simpsons, “Bart vs. Thanksgiving” (1990)
A very young Simpsons in its second season produced a classic Thanksgiving episode in which real drama (Bart runs away from home after he thinks he ruined the holiday) enters a generally silly and, well, cartoonish show. The episode is now one of the highest-rated Simpsons episodes, and it’s solidified itself as one of the classics that the show will be remembered for.
Friends, “The One Where Underdog Gets Away” (1994)
A heated debate could arise about which of the Friends Thanksgiving episodes is preeminent. (You might be persuaded to vote for “The One With All the Thanksgivings,” with the famous turkey-on-the-head, or “The One With the Rumor,” guest-starring Brad Pitt) However, this episode is the first of the Friends Thanksgiving specials, beginning the tradition every season except for the second (unless you count “The One With the List”) Everyone’s Thanksgiving gets ruined except Chandler’s, but then the gang realizes being together is the only thing that really matters. (start at 1:58)
Pieces of April (2003)
For a much less traditional comedy, look no further than this Katie Holmes-led film about a woman and her boyfriend who invite her estranged family to their Manhattan apartment for Thanksgiving. It’s quirky and occasionally disjointed in its structure, but it’s also heartfelt and taps into the spirit of Thanksgiving and being together as a family.
The Office, “WUPHF.com” (2010)
Not all of the action in this episode of The Office takes place within the scope of the holiday, but it’s memorable for Dwight’s reign as Hay Festival King, Kevin getting lost in the hay maze and Jim pranking Gabe.
Regular Show, “The Thanksgiving Special” (2013)
A more contemporary animated show, this one will be popular among the younger members of your family. It has plenty of the high jinks we’ve come to expect of Thanksgiving specials, but not many others have a singing contest for a tur-duck-en complete with a spoon solo.