Although often overlooked by the more popular “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown,” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” is my favorite of the Peanuts holiday specials. Thanksgiving has always been a special time for my family–full of traditions like watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as we help mom in the kitchen, attending Mass as a family in the morning, visiting my Grandma Rhine’s for Thanksgiving lunch, loading up in the van to drive down to Cincinnati or Columbus and rallying for a second meal with the Daleys, and of course, “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.”
As I prepare for Thanksgiving celebrations with the Dublin House of Brigid on Thursday, and with our little Clonard community on Sunday, I find myself missing all those traditions from home. And although I can’t quite fly back home to celebrate with my family, I can watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. This year, I believe that there’s a lot that we can learn from our good man, Charlie Brown.
The Thanksgiving special begins with one of the infamous football scenes. In the spirit of tradition, Lucy asks Charlie Brown to punt the football, and after a long running start, Lucy pulls it away at the very last moment so Charlie falls flat on his back. The moment is a comedic one, but a teaching one too. Despite Lucy pulling the ball away time after time, Charlie Brown still has faith that he’ll get to kick that football. God calls us to that same faith in Him–even when we’ve fallen on our backs, we can still get up and try again.
Later in the special, Charlie Brown is tasked with cooking a Thanksgiving dinner for Sally, Peppermint Patty, Marcie, and Franklin. He frets over all of the preparations, but with the help of Snoopy, Linus, and Woodstock, he’s able to put together a delicious plate of buttered toast, pretzel sticks, popcorn, and jelly beans. Peppermint Patty throws a fit when she sees their “Thanksgiving feast,” with no turkey, cranberry sauce, or pumpkin pie, and a forlorn Charlie Brown leaves the meal convinced he ruined everyone’s Thanksgiving. When Marcie runs after Charlie Brown to console him, she says, “Thanksgiving is more than eating, Chuck. We should just be thankful for being together. I think that’s what they mean by ‘Thanksgiving,’ Charlie Brown.”
Gathering for Thanksgiving last year away from so many of our friends and family felt a lot like being served buttered toast, pretzel sticks, popcorn, and jelly beans for Thanksgiving dinner. Even this year, with the pandemic still looming over our heads, our Thanksgiving celebrations may not include all of the people and traditions that we hold so dearly, but Marcie is right. As much as we may love them, we don’t need extravagant meals, football games, and huge family gatherings to celebrate Thanksgiving. All we need is to give thanks for all the blessings God has given us.
This Thanksgiving, I invite you to pray with this prayer written by Ralph Waldo Emmerson:
“For flowers that bloom about our feet, Father, we thank Thee.
For tender grass so fresh, so sweet, Father, we thank Thee.
For the song of bird and hum of bee, for all things fair we hear or see, Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
For blue of stream and blue of sky, Father, we thank Thee.
For pleasant shade of branches high, Father, we thank Thee.
For fragrant air and cooling breeze, for beauty of the blooming trees, Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
For this new morning with its light, Father, we thank Thee.
For rest and shelter of the night, Father, we thank Thee.
For health and food, for love and friends, for everything Thy goodness sends, Father in heaven, we thank Thee.”
