'Charlie Brown Thanksgiving': Good Grief!

Caught the Peanuts Thanksgiving special last night on ABC, which is one of those traditions that can conjure up the holiday spirit for me no matter where I am—even if it’s somewhere tropical.

What struck me was how weird the whole show was.  I never noticed this as a wide-eyed young’un. The kids seem to have no chaperones, but are too young to know how to cook anything besides toast and popcorn (also, how could I have forgotten about the pyramid toaster?) The dog is a person. He fights an anthropomorphic lawn chair. 

That part I can believe from a cartoon, but the music, while wonderful (love Vince Giraldi!) is not geared towards children. These were very adult cartoons, and also, very simple cartoons. The magic is still there, it just has a slightly different sparkle when seen through adult’s eyes.

Also, the MetLife Snoopy commercial I completely expected. The commercial for the Rose Petal Cottage (complete with washer and dryer!), not so much. Maybe I’ve just repressed those memories, but I’m pretty sure I never dreamed of doing laundry as a little girl. Certainly wasn’t a longed-for part of my fantasy playhouse.

I did want the Snoopy sno-cone maker, though. Some things endure.