“A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” based on Charles Schultz’s “Peanuts” comics, was released on Nov. 20, 1973. It follows Charlie Brown as he attempts to prepare a last-minute feast for a group of his friends after Peppermint Patty invites herself and them over for Thanksgiving dinner.
This hand-drawn animated special scored by Vince Guaraldi and written by Schultz himself does justice to the other “Peanuts” holiday specials that came before it. It centers on social anxiety and the fear of hurting your friends, but, despite its relatability and validation, its conclusion may leave viewers wanting.
Although released eight years after “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” this special covers many of the same themes as the previous special. Once again, Charlie Brown’s bad luck is in full swing. Not only does Charlie Brown have to try and arrange a Thanksgiving meal for a group of his friends while also trying to make it to his grandmother’s for supper, but all of his hard work goes totally unrecognized when Peppermint Patty is dissatisfied by the meal he prepares for them. Charlie Brown reaches a low point in the special, once again feeling the separation and hopelessness that follow him everywhere.
However, Charlie Brown’s friend Peppermint Patty proves to be the most frustrating element of the special. Peppermint Patty was first introduced into the Peanuts comics in August 1966 and is known for her love of baseball, her inability to stay awake during school and her crush on Charlie Brown. She is loud-mouthed, existentially contemplative and, just like Charlie Brown, always doing the wrong thing.
In this special, Peppermint Patty makes the faux pas of inviting herself to Thanksgiving dinner, but her bungles don’t stop there. After Charlie Brown spends all day preparing popcorn, toast, jellybeans, pretzels and milkshakes for his friends, Peppermint Patty becomes enraged at dinner, upset that Charlie Brown didn’t prepare a traditional Thanksgiving meal for them with turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. After her outburst, Peppermint Patty is hit with the reality of the situation and realizes that she hurt “ol’ Chuck’s” feelings by being ungrateful for the meal he prepared for them.
Although Peppermint Patty’s socially unacceptable and hurtful behavior can be irritating for the viewer, it can also be incredibly relatable. Peppermint Patty is awkward, easily angered and socially inept, things that we can all be at times. Even if we have never invited ourselves to a Thanksgiving dinner and been incredibly ungrateful for the meal we were given, we have all done things that have hurt other people and that we may not be proud of. And, sometimes, we can feel hopeless in social situations.
After Peppermint Patty realizes her mistakes, she laments, “Golly, why can’t I act right outside of a baseball game?” and when her friend Marcie encourages her to apologize to Charlie Brown, she says, “No, Marcie, I’ll just ruin everything.” Her sense of hopelessness in social settings and her fear of ruining everything between her and Charlie Brown, whom she cares a lot about, is entirely relatable. Everyone can feel socially anxious at times, and admitting that we are wrong and confronting our own mistakes can be scary and painful.
However, Peppermint Patty doesn’t learn anything from her experience. She doesn’t overcome her fear of apologizing to Charlie Brown but sends Marcie to apologize for her. She and Charlie Brown resolve their conflict by shaking hands after Marcie’s apology on Peppermint Patty’s behalf and Peppermint Patty exclaiming that there are “enough problems in the world already, without these stupid misunderstandings.”
Even though Peppermint Patty realizes that she hurt Charlie Brown’s feelings through her actions, she doesn’t acknowledge to Charlie Brown that she was at fault for the conflict, instead positioning it as a “misunderstanding,” suggesting that both parties were at fault, though she was the one who invited herself to a Thanksgiving meal and got angry about what food was offered. Peppermint Patty is told that her behavior is wrong but the valuable lesson that she could have learned seems to go over her head.
In the end, in addition to providing a witty and enjoyable holiday experience, this special can still teach the viewers a valuable lesson: Never invite yourself to a Thanksgiving meal where you aren’t wanted, and if you do, take responsibility for the harm that your actions have caused and apologize.
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