Apparently, it isn’t socially appropriate to fully embrace the Christmas spirit yet. My attempts to spread Christmas cheer by singing loud for all to hear were not well received, and my roommates have banned Christmas crafts ‘till after Thanksgiving. Whatever, Grinches. So I have all this Christmas cheer and nowhere to put it. Therefore, I decided to get excited for a holiday that is appropriate to celebrate right now: Thanksgiving. Of course there is a lot that is special about Thanksgiving: being with family, pie, the Thanksgiving Day parade, mashed potatoes, sales-galore for Black Friday- and most importantly pumpkin everything. Many families have their own traditions, but there isn’t really much to do to prepare except get your fat pants ready right? Wrong. Thanksgiving happens to be a Holy Grail for Television shows. Some of the best episodes are devoted just to Turkey Day. I decided to pick the best six so that while you are getting your fat pants all stretched out and broken into, you can also learn some really lovely Thanksgiving-y lessons.
1. If you’re looking to drama-fy your Thanksgiving, watch:
The OC, “The Homecoming”
Before the days of Upper East Side betches on Gossip Girl, middle school girls everywhere were devoted to watching tv teens on the opposite coast. If you need a refresher, in this episode Ryan and Marissa go to visit Ryan’s brother Trey in jail and it leads to a whole lot of bad-news-bears moments. Ryan wears wife beaters, frowns and Marissa is her annoying self. The always awkward Seth Cohen is busy being self-indulgent and juggling his ladies Anna and Summer. The drama, the booze, the car stealing is so wrong, it’s almost right. After watching this, you can go back to your normal family and appreciate that the only crime anyone has committed in your family is owning a pair of Crocs. You can watch this gem here.
2. If you’re looking to relive your childhood watch:
Boy Meets World, “Turkey Day”
After winning the Thanksgiving Food Drive, Shawn and Cory decide to join forces for the first ever Matthews/ Hunter Thanksgiving in Shawn’s trailer park. In another example of how Boy Meets World can teach you everything you need to know in life, this particular episode looks into the class system. It is some very intense and deep stuff for a 90’s sitcom. Each family is accustomed to different lifestyles, and it makes things about as pleasant as it is for the Turkeys that the President doesn’t pardon. This episode can show you how important it is to look past initial judgments of people. Cory and Shawn are best friends, and imagine if they let their family backgrounds stop them from continuing that? We would have lost one of the greatest TV bromances of all time. So all in all, be thankful for good friends and respecting differences. Also, sometimes a piece of pie can solve all your problems. Watch this one here.
3. If you’re looking to laugh watch:
How I Met Your Mother, “Slapsgiving”
To understand this episode, you should refer to the earlier episode “Slapbet,” where Barney loses a bet to Marshall and as punishment, is going to get slapped unexpectedly 5 times in the face. This leads to Marshall and Lilly’s first Thanksgiving as a married couple where Lilly is desperate to make sure everything is perfect. Marshall declares it Slapsgiving and starts a countdown to Barney’s next slap. Meanwhile, when Robin and Ted are the only ones to show up to bake pies, they realize how awkward their relationship has become post-breakup. Basically what we all can learn from this episode is that Thanksgiving is a time to put your issues aside and move forward. Worse come to worse a good slap in the face and a chorus of Marshall’s “You Just Got Slapped” might do the trick. For laughs, you can watch this episode on Netflix.
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4. If you’re looking for some quirky cuteness watch:
Gilmore Girls, “Deep Fried Korean Thanksgiving”
TVs favorite mother-daughter duo Lorelai and Rory put their eating habits to the ultimate challenge by trying to attend 4 Thanksgivings. The secret: skip the rolls. One lesson their experience shows is that it may be hard to please everyone on Thanksgiving, but the most important thing is seeing everyone you love. Also, as Luke says, it’s important to be thankful that “that we’re not Native Americans who got their land stolen in exchange for smallpox infested blankets.” Let’s all take a moment and also be thankful for getting to watch Adam Brody’s awkwardness and Milo Ventimiglia’s hotness. You can watch this gem on Netflix.
5. If you are looking to do some family bonding watch:
Modern Family, “Punkin Chunkin”
In this episode, an old neighbor returns as a millionaire, eluding his success to looking up to Phil and asking himself, “What would Phil do?” This has Phil evaluating how Claire always puts down his ideas and creativity. Similarly, Cam is upset with Mitchell for not believing one of his good old farm stories about when he launched a pumpkin the length of a football field. This leads to the Dreamer vs. Realist separation of the family. It turns from a mission to prove each other wrong into everyone coming together to chuck that pumpkin across a football field. The Moral of this episode is summed up with Cam stating, “you think the dreamers would find the dreamers, and the realists would find the realists, but more often than not, the opposite is true. See, the dreamers need the realists to keep the dreamers from soaring too close to the sun. And the realists? Well without the dreamers, they might not ever get off the ground.” Honestly can you get anymore beautiful than that? Watch here.
6. If you want to appreciate your friends watch:
Friends, “The One With the Rumor”
The TV show Friends is famous for its Thanksgiving episodes. There was the one where Underdog got away, the Gellar Cup, Chandler in a box, mockolate, Monica’s head inside a turkey, the English trifle, Ross getting high, Rachel’s sister, and Joey wearing Rachel’s maternity pants. If you don’t understand any of these references, I suggest you go onto your Netflix queue and add every season of Friends immediately, or be forever regretful. It was like asking a mother to pick a favorite child choosing one to add to this list. I chose “The One With the Rumor” for its lovely guest star Brad Pitt. These were the much better days pre-Angelina with Brad and Jen (Team Jen for life). We learn about a little club Ross was apart of in High School called the “I Hate Rachel Green Club” and get to see Joey attempt to battle his “Everest” by consuming a 19-pound turkey himself. Ross obviously revoked his membership from the club and in seeing this we can all choose to let go of grudges this Thanksgiving. We can also laugh about how unrealistic a world with a fat Brad Pitt would be. Watch this one here.