‘A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving’ Is the Family-Friendly TV Classic Parents Trust

'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving': A Timeless Family Tradition

Hey everybody. Thanks for joining me today. Today is a special, Thanksgiving favorite of my family's, that my kids absolutely look forward to watching every single November 1st. They're grabbing the Charlie Brown DVD to watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. It's 25 minutes and it first aired in 1973 on network television. It's been a tradition in television, but unfortunately, that tradition has changed.

Welcome to Wholesome TV Picks where I help busy parents like you cut through the noise to find one family-friendly recommendation each week. No more wasted evenings on movies that disappoint your family or conflict with your values. Just trustworthy picks you can count on. So let's dive in.

Why This Week is Perfect for 'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving'

Timing Your Thanksgiving Viewing

This Thanksgiving special is perfect for everybody. My 14-year-old, 12-year-old and almost 9-year-old absolutely love this film to this day. And I wanted to share it this week since Thanksgiving is next week. That way you can take the full week to watch it over and over again if you want to.

I was originally going to have this episode drop next week. But after some thought and talking to my children about it, they reminded me that, people won't have time to watch it 'cause they'll be busy cooking dinner and so on. So maybe you should drop it a week before. And I thought, you know what? That's a really good idea. And the following week will be a great segue between Thanksgiving and Christmas because it's a movie that has both Thanksgiving and Christmas in it.

An Introduction for New Viewers

So Charlie Brown, Thanksgiving. If you've never seen this movie before, I'm excited to share it with you. And if you're a fan that's watched it every year in your home or even, or if you even grew up watching it every year, then this will be really nice to share with your kids if you haven't already.

The Legacy of Charlie Brown and the Peanuts Gang

Charlie Brown is a Staple of Network Television

We have the Peanuts Gang. The Peanuts Gang has been around a long time created by Charles Schultz, and this movie was a staple on network television. I grew up watching it as a kid and I remember it being on ABC, I think CBS at one point, and it's really sad to see that it's not on network television anymore.

The Apple TV+ Exclusivity Regarding Charlie Brown

I just found out that Apple purchased all of the Peanuts movie rights and the Peanuts movies are only available on Apple TV, which is really sad because I think that takes it away from other people. I just think that goes to show how streaming has changed things because most people are going to streaming services rather than traditional network television. And if you're wondering why wholesome TV matters so much, I just released a bonus episode about what happened to television and why we miss it. Check that out after today's episode.

What Makes 'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving' Special?

The Beauty of Nostalgia and Simplicity

But anyways, this movie has so much nostalgia. It's such a simple movie. It really makes you sit down Allows you to relax and focus on the story. I love the traditional hand animation because it was such an art, It's not like a flashy, quick moving film, and it's got a lot of heart to it.

The Iconic Vince Guaraldi Music of Charlie Brown

Now we also have the music of Vince Guaraldi with his classic Charlie Brown piano openings, and the piano is so jazzy, and it just, adds that extra oomph to the movie and it just brings you back to childhood. At least it does with me. When you hear that piano opening, for Thanksgiving, just like with Charlie Brown Christmas, which we'll talk about next month, but there's just something about Peanuts.

What is 'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving' About?

Peppermint Patty's Invitation

To recap the story, we have Peppermint Patty who invites herself and half the neighborhood to Charlie Brown's house for Thanksgiving. My kids always say, "Mom, she just invited herself over to his house, like, isn't that a little rude?" But I mean, come on, they're kids. You know, I think we all agree that most of our kids are still learning and the cartoon kids were just kids like anyone else, still learning things, but of course Charlie Brown has no clue, how to cook anything. He just says he only knows how to make toast and cereal.

Snoopy and Woodstock to the Rescue

And then we have, him trying to figure out what to make. He doesn't wanna disappoint his friends. And then we have Snoopy and Woodstock coming together to help Charlie Brown to make a Thanksgiving meal. And we have the music in the background as Snoopy and Woodstock, are making a Thanksgiving dinner set up out of what's in the garage and just the warmth of Thanksgiving. Being with your friends.

The Joy of Snoopy

And we have lovable, adorable Snoopy just bringing joy and humor to the screen. I don't know how you can watch the Peanuts Gang and not fall in love with Snoopy. Every time we watch, Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown, or even Halloween, It's a Great Pumpkin. You know, it just brings up so many memories for my kids. And my littlest always goes up and gets his collection of Snoopy stuffed animals to watch with the movie. There's just something about Snoopy. He's just got so much joy, he has a carefree life. And he just has something special about him.

The Heart of Charlie Brown: Gratitude and Grace

An Unconventional Thanksgiving Dinner

Snoopy and Woodstock made jelly beans, toast with butter, and pretzels for Thanksgiving dinner, and then when everybody sits down, Peppermint Patty's yelling, "Hey, where's the Turkey? Where's the mashed potatoes?" You know, being demanding, "this isn't Thanksgiving. What kind of Thanksgiving is this?" You know, it's like she's very ungrateful and she's being demanding expecting this perfect Thanksgiving.

Linus's Wisdom: What Thanksgiving Really Means

Then we have wonderful Linus who steps in with his gentle voice telling Peppermint Patty, "Hey, you know, this is about being with friends." It's not about the food, it's about being thankful for what we have. And then apologizes to Charlie Brown for what she did and for what she said and everyone's all forgiven.

To Grandmother's House We Go

And then Charlie Brown calls his grandma, who then tells him to bring everybody over to her house for Thanksgiving. So, they all jump into the station wagon, which, oh my gosh, watching them all get in that station wagon brings back memories. And you're just listening to them singing "To Grandmother's House We Go." And then we pan over to Snoopy and Woodstock who are enjoying a traditional Thanksgiving meal all by themselves quietly. When Marcy helps Patty apologize for inviting herself over and everyone gathers, it's, proof how, we can all have grace with each other and just forgive each other.

Why 'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving' Matters Today?

Teaching Kindness in a Divided World

I think in today's culture where we're so divided it's so nice to have a piece of traditional television to remind us of what used to be and what still can be if we just remember to teach our children how to be kind and use wonderful moral stories like these to show them how we're supposed to behave and what the world could be like again. It all starts with us.

A Teen's Perspective: Jennifer's Son Shares His Thoughts

One of the Only Thanksgiving Movies

My oldest wanted to say a few words about what this movie means to him. It's a good movie. I don't think there are very many Thanksgiving movies. You have Halloween movies and Christmas movies. This is one of the only Thanksgiving movies that you have. Nobody really cares about Thanksgiving these days, especially not in Hollywood.' Cause you can't find anything like this about Thanksgiving. And the soundtrack is pretty good too, I actually have a soundtrack on my mp3 player 'cause it's just some really good soundtrack.

Charlie Brown Captures the Feeling of Thanksgiving

This movie goes along very well with the feeling of Thanksgiving, having everybody over, all the chaos, all the laughter, all the talking. Maybe you could host your own Thanksgiving party with pieces of toast and popcorn if you wanted to. I mean, it's true. There's nothing illegal about it. It's not like you, they can call the police and say, "Hey officer of stop, this person is giving out jelly beans for Thanksgiving. Can you have come over here and arrest them?" You can do that. You can have Thanksgiving with popcorn and jelly beans and toast.

Finding Rest From the World's Chaos

If you're tired of all the chaos in the world, tired of seeing division, tired of what's going on in the world and in society, and it's like, "is there ever anything good anymore in the world?" Movies like this, like Charlie Brown, Thanksgiving and all the other TV shows and movies I talk about all had moral lessons baked into every show, and that's what's missing from today. And so watching this gives you rest from what's going on in the world and just be entertained and forget about the world's problems and just give you that little bit of time to bond and to be with your family, and to really appreciate Thanksgiving as a whole, what it's meant to be. It's all about being with the people that you love, not what's on the table.

Personal Reflections: When Thanksgiving Isn't Perfect

A Kentucky Fried Thanksgiving

I remember some Thanksgivings that my family didn't invite me and my dad to dinner like they forgot about us and we ended up having Thanksgiving dinner at Kentucky Fried Chicken. I know not everybody has these big, feasts that you see in movies and TV no matter how much our hearts may desire that.

Finding Warmth in Simple Traditions

And those of us that don't have that, we just be thankful for what we have and enjoy the time of watching things like Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, it just brings warmth into the home and gives us a special kind of a thing that we have together.

How to Watch 'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving'

Free Viewing Options

I hope you take this week to watch it once or twice and enjoy the show for what it is. But I wanted to let you know that you can still watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving for free, even if you don't have Apple +. I will also add the links in the show notes for the YouTube version where somebody broke the movie down into chunks and put them on YouTube. So you'll still be able to watch it for free, even without an Apple Plus subscription. And I hope you do because it's a wonderful tradition, American tradition at least, to watch Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

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Featured Podcast: The British TV Watchlist

Additionally, I've mentioned in the previous couple of episodes this podcast is hosted through rss.com and one of my fellow podcasters is Michael T., And he hosts the British TV Watchlist where he explores British dramas. Here's a quick preview.

Hello there. My name is Michael T., radio broadcaster turned podcaster. While you're enjoying Jennifer's Wholesome TV Picks podcast, I'd like to invite you to check out my podcast too. It's called The British TV Watchlist. The British TV Watchlist is all about British TV, mostly British dramas. I believe British TV dramas are in general better than their American counterparts. The writing is better. Dialogue is more realistic. The characters have depth, better writing leads to better acting. British TV characters have full lives and well-developed backstories. As a result, we get a richer TV experience, and here on the podcast we'll explore the shows, actors, episodes, characters, and the people who make it all happen. There's lots to enjoy and lots to talk about. Thanks for checking it out. Just search for British TV Watchlist.

Stay Connected & Coming Soon

If you want more wholesome picks delivered, straight to your inbox, you can visit wholesometvpicks.com/starthere. And also you'll be able to see all of our listener favorites so that you can catch up.

Next week we're switching gears. And highlighting a film that shows how one person's kindness can change everything. It's based on a true story and it will inspire you.

Closing Thoughts

Thanks for trusting me with your family's entertainment choices. Until next time, keep looking up. Take care, and have a great rest of your week.