From season one all the way to the end, Gossip Girl seemed to have a fascination with Thanksgiving. Each season seemed to build up to—and reveal shocking secrets during—the big holiday meal, only with the exception of season 5, which lacked a Turkey Day episode. I always found it interesting that GG didn’t focus on Halloween or Christmas, as so many other shows do, but instead was successful in creating an anticipation and excitement around the more often overlooked holiday between October and December.
Upon consideration though, Thanksgiving is a perfect focus for Gossip Girl: where else in the US celebrates Thanksgiving bigger than Manhattan? With shots of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and some seriously iconic views of the leaves changing in central park, GG knows exactly the seasonal New York vibes that all viewers want. And Blair’s yearly meltdowns combined with Dorota’s turkey apron gives it that Upper East Side flair we all know and love.
Thanksgiving is also about family—and nowhere can you see more familial dysfunction than the drama that goes down in a GG Thanksgiving. In season 6, Dan reminds all of us of Thanksgivings past: “divorces have been filed, affairs revealed.” Someone’s always ruining a marriage (Serena, season 3), drunk (Serena, pre-season 1), jetting off to Paris (Blair, seasons 4 and 6), confronting someone (Jenny, almost every season) or getting sent to rehab (Serena, season 4). It’s no wonder Gossip Girl loves Thanksgiving so much, when there’s so much drama to report.
So this Thanksgiving, even if stuffing hits the fan, just try to channel your season one GG— be like the Humphreys and take your fam to the park for some friendly football, or pull a van der Woodsen and leave all the traditions behind for fries. If your T-Giving really starts to look like something out of Gossip Girl, just try to remember that Gossip Girl reboot is coming.