thanksgiving specials + random things i am grateful for this year

Happy Thanksgiving! Depending on where you are located in the world, this post will either be right on time, early, or totally irrelevant...but here is hoping that you will take a little time to be grateful today anyway. 2025 has been a difficult year, and at times, it has been hard to see the light. That is the reason that I have decided to create a little Thanksgiving post here on the creation of beauty is art. It is important to remember all that I have and all there is to look forward to. Here are some Thanksgiving themed movies and specials that are making me smile and five random things that I am grateful for this year.

It is no secret that holiday movies and specials always make me smile. Though most of the Thanksgiving specials are focused on the United States celebration that takes place each November, there are still fun specials to watch. Here are a few favourites: 

• A Thanksgiving Tale. The first Thanksgiving special that I am feeling grateful for this year is A Thanksgiving Tale. I fell in love with the Santa's Magic Toy Bag special and ordered a DVD with all of the holiday specials from Paul Fusco. One of the specials on that DVD is Thanksgiving themed and it is about different animals learning how to work together. This has cute music, amazing puppeteering, and a whole lot of seasonal musts. 
• The Thanksgiving Treasure. I wrote about The House Without a Christmas Tree in one of my Christmas in July posts this past summer. There are a few other movies in this made for TV series, including The Thanksgiving Treasure, which focuses on Addie, who wants to see a long time family feud ended. It really speaks to what Thanksgiving can be about. I have a weakness for the characters and have enjoyed adding this to my fall season rotation. 
• The Care Bears Grams Bear's Thanksgiving Surprise. Even though there are wrinkles on my face and grey hairs on my head, I am still a kid at heart and love watching The Care Bears just as much now as I did when I was a kid. Thankfully, the Care Bears YouTube channel has a Thanksgiving episode uploaded, so it is possible to watch this classic show with ease. The episode is all about finding happiness and fighting back against darkness in the world.
• A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. It just wouldn't be a Thanksgiving special list without a mention of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. The classic Peanuts characters celebrate the holiday season in their own unique way. It highlights all of the stress and expectation that can come around during festive celebrations, but ultimately has some endearing moments as well, as a reminder that there tends to be sweetness and love mixed in there, too. 

There are all sorts of other Thanksgiving specials and movies that I have been loving lately, including Home For The Holidays, Garfield's Thanksgiving, Buttons and Rusty in the Turkey Caper, and the What-A-Mess episode, The Thanksgiving Turkey. 

There are always pros and cons when Thanksgiving rolls around. The pros? Having loved ones to celebrate with and lots of mashed potatoes. The cons? A schedule that feels a little too full for comfort. Instead of letting the cons take over - or thinking too much about the stresses and strains of the year - my intention is to focus on random things that I am grateful for. The main thing I am grateful for is the fact that I have my family to celebrate with this year. Other random things that I am grateful for include my soap opera, Beyond The Gates, being available on a Canadian streaming service. (No more antenna and stressing out about the reception. Hooray!) I am grateful for the books, music, and movies that add joy to my days. I am grateful for scented candles, for the promise of sweater weather, and another day on this earth. Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving now, in the future, or not at all, may this day be one where you pause and reflect on all of the blessings in your life. 

Have you seen any of these Thanksgiving specials? What are you feeling especially grateful for today?