The 1973 Promo of the Emmy-Winning Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Episode

The year is 1973. Martin Cooper just made the first cell phone call in history in New York City. The Sears Tower is the world’s tallest building. Walt Disney recently released the animated classic Robin Hood.

Oh, and the Emmy-winning A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving short will grace television sets for the first time on November 20th.

This video is a time capsule and, for many Baby Boomers, a stroll down memory lane. While Peanuts has released many classic shorts and movies that continue to capture the hearts of audiences, there’s something particularly special about A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

The short begins with Lucy goading Charlie Brown into kicking a football, claiming it’s a Thanksgiving tradition. In classic Lucy fashion, she jerks the football away seconds before he can kick it. Anyone familiar with Peanuts knows that poor Charlie lands flat on his back, foiled yet again.

“Isn’t it peculiar, Charlie Brown?” Lucy chirps in the aftermath. “How some traditions slowly fade away?”

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving brims with the signature humor, charm, and whimsy that have made Peanuts a beloved American institution. For many, it’s a holiday staple.

While many Thanksgiving traditions slowly fade away, this beloved TV short has stood the test of time.

“But Thanksgiving is more than eating, Chuck. You heard what Linus was saying out there. Those early Pilgrims were thankful for what had happened to them, and we should be thankful, too. We should just be thankful for being together. I think that’s what they mean by ‘Thanksgiving,’ Charlie Brown.”