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Weekend Recs: Thanksgiving Specials

Happy Friday, Wildcats! Falvey Library is delivering you another semester of Weekend Recs, a blog dedicated to filling you in on what to read, listen to, and watch over the weekend. Annie, a graduate assistant from the Communication department, scours the internet, peruses the news, and digs through book stacks to find new, relevant, and thought-provoking content that will challenge you and prepare you for the upcoming week. 

Yesterday, families across the country celebrated Thanksgiving. For many, the holiday involved traditions like a roast turkey, cranberry sauce, baked mac and cheese, pie, and football. I’ll admit, Thanksgiving is by no means my favorite holiday, but one Thanksgiving tradition has my full support: Thanksgiving specials on television and in film. For this weekend’s recs, I’ve compiled a list of some of the best, or perhaps my favorite, Thanksgiving-themed specials (that aren’t the obligatory A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving) to wrap-up the November holiday season.

If you have 18 minutes and 36 seconds…and want to take part in a Thanksgiving musical tradition, listen to Arlo Guthrie’s song “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree.” Although the song’s length makes it somewhat of a feat, it’s worth one listen around the Thanksgiving season. (Although if my mom had it her way, it would be on a continuous loop on Thanksgiving Thursday).

If you have 21 minutes…and are a Constance Wu admirer, watch Fresh Off the Boat’s first Thanksgiving episode, “Huangsgivng.” It accurately portrays some of the pre-Thanksgiving stress, and Randall Park and Constance Wu are, as always, great.

If you have 22 minutes…and love Friends, watch “The One with the Football.” As a sitcom, Friends has a host of Thanksgiving episodes, but this one shakes it up a bit by focusing on Thanksgiving’s football tradition.

If you have another 22 minutes…and are a fellow Bob’s Burgers fan, watch “Dawn of the Peck.” The Thanksgiving specials of Bob’s Burgers are always worth the watch, but “Dawn of the Peck” features some less standard Thanksgiving conventions, including a Thanksgiving race, vengeful (living) turkeys, and Donna Summer.

If you have 1 hour and 24 minutes…and want a sprinkle of romance in your Thanksgiving queue, watch Spike Lee’s first feature film, She’s Gotta Have It. It’s an offbeat comedy, quirky in that signature Spike Lee way. (Lee also made a Netflix series version of the film).

If you have 1 hour and 34 minutes…and want to watch a relatively anti-colonialist take on Thanksgiving (at least for the 90s), watch Addams Family Values. The privileged youth summer camp’s Thanksgiving play gets quite the Wednesday Addams reckoning. (Plus, Joan Cusack is an absolute treasure in this movie).

If you have 2 hours and 9 minutes…and want to watch something only tangentially related to Thanksgiving, watch The Blind Side (also available in Falvey’s DVD Collection, if you’re currently on campus). It only has one brief Thanksgiving dinner scene, but it’s brimming with family and football.


Annie Stockmal is a graduate student in the Communication Department and graduate assistant in Falvey Library.


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Thanksgiving Break Recs

Happy Thanksgiving break, Wildcats! After a year off, Falvey Memorial Library is bringing back Weekend Recs, a blog dedicated to filling you in on what to read, listen to, and watch over the weekend. Jenna, a graduate assistant from the Communication department, scours the internet, peruses the news, and digs through book stacks to find new, relevant, and thought-provoking content that will challenge you and prepare you for the upcoming week. 

We have officially made it to a much-needed Thanksgiving break. Take some time this long weekend to relax, enjoy time with family, and maybe catch up on a little bit of work so you can come back and crush the end of the semester. For your downtime, we’ve compiled a list of recommendations, from delicious recipes to train-ride books to TV recs. 

If you have 25 minutes… stream A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on Apple TV+ because no holiday’s complete without a Charlie Brown special! 

If you have 1 hour… start your virtual Christmas shopping in The Skimm’s virtual Holiday Village. It makes you feel like you’re going from store to store, but you can stay in your stretchy pants and comfy sweatshirts! 

If you have 47 minutes… watch the first episode of Marvel’s newest Disney+ show Hawkeye. Yes, so maybe this isn’t technically a Thanksgiving rec, but the series drops Nov. 24 and it’s going to be good! 

If you have 2 hours… sift through Taste of Home’s “30 Unbelievably Easy Thanksgiving Desserts” blog post and then put your baking skills to the test with one of the recipes. 

If you have 3 hours… Tune into the 95th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Watch the countdown and learn more about who’s in the parade this year on the official parade website. 

If you have 5 hours… read Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen by Laurie Colwin. Part cookbook, part biography, Colwin’s book is the perfect read to complement the smells of Thanksgiving dinner coming from the kitchen.  


jenna newman headshotJenna Renaud is a graduate assistant in Falvey Memorial Library and a graduate student in the Communication Department.


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Last Modified: November 24, 2021

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