It is that time of year again. “Linus and Lucy” fills the air of the band room as the jazz band gears up for their winter concert. That concert will be on Thursday, December 5th, but it is not the subject of this article. The song brings up thoughts regarding the Peanuts special about the closest holiday, Thanksgiving.
Just as watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has become a beloved and integral tradition to many Thanksgiving celebrations, “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” which is part of the Peanuts series, has become so as well.
The episode highlights both the importance of tradition and historical memory and also gives a contemporary view of the holiday as a commentary that we often forget the true reasons behind said holiday. When Peppermint Patty invites herself, Marcie, and Franklin to have Thanksgiving dinner with Charlie Brown, she also expects there to be a “traditional” Thanksgiving dinner. She says, “Where’s the turkey, Chuck? Don’t you know anything about Thanksgiving dinners? Where’s the mashed potatoes? Where’s the cranberry sauce? Where’s the pumpkin pie?” To her, these foods are what makes Thanksgiving special. However, she soon realizes that the holiday is more than food and goes to apologize.
Tradition is highlighted through the story that Linus shares before the meal recounting the history of Thanksgiving, and what it commemorates. Certainly, Sally is not pleased with another holiday, commenting that “All it does is make more work for us at school.” She is not wrong. Schools in the US, particularly, spend an inordinate amount of time teaching about the holidays, pushing their narrative.
What many do not know is that there is a second Charlie Brown episode that deals with Thanksgiving. “The Mayflower Voyagers” tells the story of the pilgrims as they settled in the New World. The Peanuts characters become children who sailed on the Mayflower. Snoopy and Woodstock are also there. While it is a deeply flawed story, and is reflective of the time it came out, it is an important aspect of culture because it teaches about the history of the event. When released on DVD along with the main story, it helped to enhance the story and show where the tradition came from.
If you partake in Thanksgiving festivities, keep in mind their origin and be thankful for what you have.
Kathryn McElfresh
Staff Reporter
