“A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” is a chaotic but heartfelt Thanksgiving, one that some of us may relate to. Whether your family is one that plans everything down to the minute, or goes with the flow, Thanksgiving is a time to get together with the people you are thankful for, it’s not just about the food.
In the film, the Brown siblings plan on going to their grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving dinner, but Peppermint Patty invites herself and some of their friends over to the Brown’s for dinner. Some of the Peanuts characters try their best to put together a Thanksgiving dinner for all of their friends, mostly consisting of buttered toast, popcorn, jellybeans and pretzels. When they sit down for dinner, Patty is unhappy with the meal they put together, and gets into an argument with Charlie. Patty ends up apologizing for her behavior, and Charlie calls his grandmother to explain the situation, who invites his friends to come along for dinner.
At the start of the film, one of the characters, Lucy, encourages Charlie to kick her football in honor of the Thanksgiving football tradition. She then, as usual, pulls the ball away just as Charlie reaches it and says,
“Isn’t it peculiar, Charlie Brown, how some traditions just slowly fade away.”
Growing up, Charlie Brown movies were always a staple in my household. Whether it was a cozy winter night curled up by the fire and sipping hot cocoa, or a fall night carving pumpkins and baking cookies, a Charlie Brown movie was playing. Now that I’m a little bit older and do not make time for these simple but comforting traditions, if I turn on a Charlie Brown movie the nostalgia comes rushing back and it’s like I’m 10-years-old again.
I am beginning to realize how important keeping traditions is. The farther away I have gotten from childhood, the more I have realized that nothing can replace that sense of sentimentality. The memories being built are priceless, and there is no way to get them back, but we can create more just like them.
When I think back to my most fond memories as a child, they are mostly traditions. It is what is most memorable to me because traditions have always been something my family adores, from little to big. A tradition does not have to be a big, monumental thing; it can be something as simple as watching a movie, decorating cookies, exchanging gifts, or a family football game.
I would have never thought that now, partaking in traditions would be something I ended up cherishing so deeply– something that could hold so much value to me and my family. Traditions have a unique way of turning ordinary moments into lasting memories. So start implementing more traditions or bring back the old ones, because it could create that warm, at ease feeling we all need a little bit more of.
