As Thanksgiving rapidly
approaches, you may be looking for entertainment that reflects the spirit of
the holiday—one of thankfulness and generosity—and is suitable for the entire
family. If so, I would like to share a few suggestions:
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The Thanksgiving Visitor: A Beautiful Story with an Invaluable Lesson
I have read
Truman Capote’s The Thanksgiving Visitor
every Thanksgiving season since I first discovered it years ago. It is a
masterfully written and moving story about events in one little boy’s life during
this holiday when we give special thanks for our many blessings, most notably our
family and friends. .
Originally
published as a short story in McCall’s
magazine in November 1967, The Thanksgiving Visitor was republished in
book form the following year by Random House. It is not a long book, though. In
the copy I own, the actual story runs a mere 55 pages, and it would be much
shorter if formatted differently, so it doesn’t take very long to read at all.
In fact, you can read it in less than an hour, more like 30 minutes really.
Although written
for adults, The Thanksgiving Visitor
is yet immensely appealing to children, mainly because they can relate to the eight-year-old
narrator, Buddy; they enjoy the antics of the dog, Queenie; and they find Buddy’s
elderly cousin, Aunt Sook, amusing and loveable. Capote’s tale, however, like
much classic literature is more than simply entertaining because it teaches important
lessons. For instance, according to the Committee for Children (2010), “The
story's events, relationships, and flawed characters are guaranteed to spark
lively discussions about such issues as bullying and bystander behavior, anger
management, empathy, and friendship.”
Personally, however,
I enjoy Capote’s story not for its moral lessons, but because it is beautifully
written, with realistic characters to which I can relate, and because, regardless
of how many times I read it, it always
makes me cry. It is that touching.
In addition to
reading Capote’s story each year, I also like to watch a few Thanksgiving-themed
movies, though it seems that good movies about this holiday, unlike Christmas,
are in short supply. Then again, though few in number, there are yet some excellent
movies with Thanksgiving themes and/or settings, including, but not limited to,
the following.
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A
Charlie Brown Thanksgiving:
Rated four stars
by Mick Martin and Marsha Porter, coauthors of Video Movie Guide 1995,
and described as an “adorable seasonal special,” this short animated film was
originally made for television in 1973 but is still shown in many areas around
the country and is also available on DVD.
Filled with Charles Schulz’s delightful Peanuts characters, the
story beautifully captures the true meaning of Thanksgiving and does so with
humor, warmth, and sincerity.
The
Thanksgiving Story:
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Another original
television special, which was also made in 1973, The Thanksgiving Story
stars Richard Thomas, Ralph Waite, Michael Learned, Ellen Colby, and Will Geer,
otherwise known as the Walton family. John Boy (Thomas) has fallen in love with
“the girl of his dreams” and is applying for a college scholarship, but then he
has a serious accident that threatens to destroy everything. Although Martin
and Porter claim the movie is “a bit slow-paced and overly sweet,” it’s well
worth seeing and will warm even the coldest heart.
Miracle on 34th
Street:
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Granted, this
movie is associated with Christmas, but it is also a Thanksgiving movie. After
all, Macy’s big parade is always held on Thanksgiving Day, and one of the big
scenes in the movie is the annual parade. Besides, watching it at Thanksgiving
can help put you in the mood for the coming Christmas season.
Made in 1947 and
starring Natalie Wood, Maureen O’Hara, and Edmund Gwenn, this family classic,
as Martin and Porter say, is “one of Hollywood’s most delightful
fantasies.” It tells the story of a
little girl who has lost the spirit of Christmas but has it rekindled by a
department store Santa who causes a furor when he claims to be the real thing.
Whether he is or isn’t the real thing, well, that’s up to you to decide.
Sources:
Committee for
Children (2010) “Literature Extension Activity: Truman Capote’s The
Thanksgiving Visitor,” retrieved November 1, 2010 from cfchildren.org
Maltin, L.
(2009) Leonard Maltin’s 2010 Movie Guide; New York: Signet Books
Martin, M. &
Porter, M. (1994) Video Movie Guide 1995; New York: Ballantine Books
