Every year it seems, the second Halloween decorations come down, we all fast forward to Christmas! I’m always left saying, “Hold on, wait a minute…” what about Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It’s a time to get together with family and friends to give thanks while sharing arguably the biggest meal of the year. I can honestly eat Thanksgiving food all month long. Everyone has different Thanksgiving Day traditions, from watching football to playing games to watching movies. The latter of these being my favorite. I love holiday movies! With that being said, here are my top 5 favorite Thanksgiving movies to enjoy with your family and some to enjoy alone!
# 1 Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
What a classic! This movie dates back to the ’70s. I feel like this movie is a Thanksgiving Day staple. This is one the whole family will love, especially the kids. Possibly a good transition from the Macy’s parade to dinner. I love how the whole Peanuts gang gets together to throw a Thanksgiving dinner, due to a last-minute invite from Peppermint Patty.
# 2 Rudy
Another thing that comes to mind when I think of Thanksgiving is football! Not only watching football but having a friendly game with the family; so why not get into the spirit by watching one of the most famous football movies of all time? Rudy is a movie based on a true story about Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, who dreamt of playing football for Notre Dame. Despite many obstacles, he is able to achieve his lifelong goal. Rudy is rated PG.
# 3 You’ve Got Mail
When I first saw this movie with my mom, I didn’t realize it was a Thanksgiving movie. But who doesn’t love a good rom-com? Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are great in this movie as business rivals who turn into love interests. This also brings us back to our AOL days. Although this is somewhat of an obscure pic, the classic scene between Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in Zabar’s cash-only line actually takes place on Thanksgiving. Therefore, this counts as a Thanksgiving movie! This one is probably better geared for the older crowd, or if the little ones are busy watching something else in another room.
# 4 Fantastic Mr. Fox
This is another great movie to watch with the entire family. This movie is based on a book by Roald Dahl and is about a fox who makes a promise to his wife to leave his life of farm raiding behind after having a family. However, he must later come together with family and friends to survive the farmer’s retaliation. Although this movie was not initially made as a Thanksgiving movie, it has made its way onto many Thanksgiving movie lists due to the family feasting, autumn colors, and family arguments.
# 5 Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade
As the old adage says, Hallmark movies and the holidays go together like peas and carrots, peanut butter and jelly, or Jim and Pam! It just makes sense. That is why this Thanksgiving Hallmark movie makes my list. This movie is about two “enemies” working together on the Thanksgiving parade who end up falling in love. If Hallmark movies are your thing, this is a great one to watch.
There are many more Thanksgiving movies that didn’t make the cut such as Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (my husband’s favorite), Turkey Bowl, The Blind Side, Garfield’s Thanksgiving, and Home for the Holidays.
I hope you can enjoy some of my favorite Thanksgiving movies with the family, friends, or on your own.
Let me know which is your favorite Thanksgiving movie!
Updated November 2023
Hooray for thanksgiving!!! Going to add a few of these to my list!!
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