Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year. In fact, I believe we should replace Valentine’s Day with a second Thanksgiving. We can call it Thanksgiving part two or maybe Mega Thanksgiving. This holiday is easily in my top three next to Christmas and National Oreo Day because of the way it brings people together, and not to mention the food.
I never was a fan of cranberry sauce, but being able to enjoy dinner in the company of family makes up for it. Beyond the food, this holiday gives people the opportunity to catch up with one another and share stories about the past, enjoy each other’s company and give thanks for everyone at the table and those who couldn’t make it.
The turkey seems to be people’s number one favorite dish, with mashed potatoes coming in second. However, my favorite dish is the stuffing. This is the most underrated dish on the table because of how it complements everything and acts like the glue, connecting all of the food on the plate in a way that gives that aesthetic looks of a loaded Thanksgiving plate.
Pumpkin pie is also cool. I had to throw that in so people wouldn’t think I was excluding dessert.
Beyond the food, growing up I remember after Thanksgiving dinner and dessert, I would sit down in my grandma’s living room and watch “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.” I always enjoyed this Peanuts cartoon; however it wasn’t until I became a “semi” adult that I realized how annoying Peppermint Patty was.
I know this is pointless frustration, but that character was a colossal jerk to Charlie Brown. First off, she invites herself and all of the Peanuts squad to Charlie Brown’s house for Thanksgiving. This puts more stress on poor Charlie Brown, who is already balding at his young age.
Plus, once the “dinner” is served, this inconsiderate, hypocritical, wannabe hippy has the gall to yell at Charlie Brown about how the dinner wasn’t up to par with what she expected. Keep in mind, she puts Charlie on blast in front of the whole Peanuts crew. And they all sit their ignoring the situation, trying not to get involved like family members sitting through another one of their crazy uncle’s dinnertime conspiracy theories.
Not what you expected Patty? Really? This isn’t the Ritz Carlton. You are being served toast and popcorn on a ping pong table in your friend’s backyard. Given, she does apologize at the end to Charlie Brown, but that doesn’t excuse how much stress she put on the poor kid.
Another thing that bothers me about “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” is how at the end when the Peanuts crew leaves to go enjoy Thanksgiving dinner at Charlie Brown’s Grandma’s house, Snoopy and Woodstock get left behind.
Even though the two end up having their own dinner, you would think that the guys who attempted to make dinner for all of the spoiled brats in the Peanuts, would at least get an invite to dinner with Grandma. But no, the gang gets into the car and goes off to Grandmas, leaving Snoopy and Woodstock in the dust.
While my age has caused me to become more critical of the Peanuts, that doesn’t matter. I’ll still enjoy eating turkey and pumpkin pie with my family and maybe I’ll give the Peanuts another watch this Thanksgiving.
No matter how you spend Thanksgiving, just remember to have fun and enjoy those around you. And remember, try to be civil at the dinner table when discussing politics with the family. You can unleash all that pent-up rage for the day after when you fight for waffle makers at Walmart.
GABE FULGENZIO
