Thanksgiving TV; football, a parade, Charlie Brown, Matt Lauer, music by Beyonce' & Sir Paul

Chef Snoopy prepares the all important Thanksgiving toast

OK, so it's really a holiday where we celebrate the discovery of a new world, while conveniently glossing over the whole taking what wasn't rightfully ours from the natives who inhabited the land, but traditionally, Thanksgiving means three things, food, family and football.  Today's Thanksgiving NFL offerings include Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions (airing at 12:30/11:30c on FOX), Oakland Raiders at Dallas Cowboys (airing at 4:15/3:15c on CBS) and New York Giants at Denver Broncos (airing at 8:20/7:20c on NFL Network2).

In addition to sports, Thanksgiving television also serves up something for everyone in the family.  CBS just got things started with a live airing of the 83rd Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  CBS' live coverage began at 9/8c and continues until 12/11c with special performances during the parade by country superstar, Reba McEntire, as well as musical numbers by the cast of three Broadway shows, Ragtime, West Side Story and Dreamgirls.  Side Note: Interesting that all three shows are revivals.  

NBC will also air the famed parade on a time delay beginning at 10/9c.  NBC's coverage is set to feature a wide variety of entertainers along the parade route, including disco diva, Gloria Gaynor, singer Carly Simon and pop stars, Boys Like Girls.  Both CBS and NBC's airings of the parade will feature the debut of four new balloons.  Missing in action for some 10 years, Spider-Man will once again be scaling the building along the parade route.  For the first time ever, The Pillsbury Dough Boy will look more like the fictional Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from the Ghostbusters movie franchise, as he grows from his former diminutive float-size to 63 times that as a full fledged balloon.  Ronald McDonald will reappear as a newly designed balloon this year, this time, he will appear to be gliding down Broadway with the aide of roller skates the size of buses.  The fourth float making it's debut in this year's parade is Mickey Mouse.  While Mickey made his first appearance in the Macy's parade back in 1934, 2009 marks the fourth Mickey balloon in the parade's history.  This year's model is Sailor Mickey.  Still not enough Macy's Parade for you?  Flip on over to the History Channel for Inside the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade at 12/11c.

After the parade, the fight for the remote begins.  While most networks concede to football, NBC provides an alternative for the little ones with it's annual Thanksgiving Day broadcast of the animated film, An All Dog's Christmas Carol at 2/1c in most markets.

Cable networks satisfy viewers with marathons of some of their more popular shows on Thanksgiving Day.  TLC is opting for a daylong Cake Boss marathon, while A&E goes a bit more high-brow with a full day's worth of The First 48.  HGTV keeps things moving with House Hunters International all morning, and Animal Planet goes to the dogs (and cats) with a 10-hour marathon of Dogs 101/Cats 101.

It's back to the networks for primetime viewing with everyone's favorite Thanksgiving cartoon, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (airing on ABC at 8/7c).  The special first aired on CBS in 1973 and switched to ABC in recent years. Ever since I was a little kid and watched the annual broadcast of this great special, I've always wanted to have a viewing party for this annual event complete with the not-so-traditional Charlie Brown-inspired Thanksgiving meal of toast, jelly beans, popcorn and pretzels.  Here's an idea, TiVo or DVR it tonight, and go to the grocery tomorrow and stock up on the necessary snacks and have the neighborhood kids over one night while they are off for the holiday break for a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving they will never forget.

The classic Charlie Brown special is followed by the lesser known, and ironically much more historically informative The Mayflower Voyagers, which was part of a late-80s Charlie Brown miniseries titled This is America Charlie Brown.  What makes this special special is that it not only marks the first time adults were seen in full view in a Charlie Brown feature, but also because of the desire to be historically accurate and educational as well as entertaining, the Peanuts gang learns about the true-life violence, illness and death the plagued our forefathers as they discovered America.  Another noteworthy occurrence.  For the first time in the history of Peanuts animated specials, the voice of Charlie Brown was provided by Erin Chase....a girl.  Good Grief, Indeed!

If Chuck and the gang aren't your thing, what about chunkin?  The Science Channel has a more aggressive offering with Punkin Chunkin at 8/7c.  That's right, an hour-long special about catapulting pumpkins.

At 9/8c, NBC's Today Show host Matt Lauer goes primetime just days after his ABC competition, Robin Roberts did the same.  In doing so, he also takes a early bite out of what has traditionally become Barbra Walters territory as he presents NBC's People Of The Year (Babs will host her Most Fascinating People special on December 9).  Lauer's gabfest includes sit downs with Taylor Swift, Kobe Bryant, The OctoMom, Susan Boyle, and two very different heroic Captains, Richard Phillips and Chesley Sulley Sullenberger.  Phillips was the sea captain of the Somalia ship that was overtaken by Pirates, while Sulley of course safely landed the plane in the Hudson earlier this year.

Over on ABC at 9/8c, it's an all-new music special, Beyonce'...I am Yours.  The popular singer will be featured in concert footage and never-before-seen backstage clips recorded earlier this year during her limited engagement at the Encore Wynn Las Vegas.

Immediately following on ABC at 10/9c is Sir Paul McCartney, as the former Beatle returns to Shea Stadium some 40+ years after The Beatles' now-historic concert in an all new special, Paul McCartney: Good Evening, New York.  The recently re-named Citi Field that replaced Shea Stadium hosted Sir Paul for two nights this past summer.  Both nights of the concert were filmed and edited together for tonight's special.  In addition to his solo music, Sir Paul blessed those in attendance with renditions of classic Beatles tunes heard in that same location 44 years earlier. 

Looking for more Holiday TV offerings?  Friday serves up more leftovers...among my favorites, A&E's Criminal Minds marathon and SOAPnet's Chillin' With Dylan, an 8-hour marathon of the original 90210ers.  Nothing says Black Friday like homicide and spoiled horny teens.