The Round Stable

All right, all right! Let's bob for apples! This is the way to do it.

Yeah, Lucy, you should be good at this. You have the perfect mouth for it.

Is Linus taking me to the party?

That stupid blockhead of a brother of mine is out in the pumpkin patch making his yearly fool of himself.

Boy, is he *strange*.

But maybe there *is* a Great Pumpkin.

On Halloween night, the Great Pumpkin rises from his pumpkin patch and flies through the air with his bag of toys to all the children.

I got a rock.

I can't cook a Thanksgiving dinner. All I can make is cold cereal and maybe toast.

That's right. I've seen you make toast. You can't butter it, but maybe we can help you. Snoopy, you go out to the garage and make a table we can set up in the backyard.

You're holding my hand, Chuck, you sly dog.

What's the matter, big brother?

Nothing. I was just checking the mailbox.

What did you expect, a turkey card?

What's this? A piece of toast? A pretzel stick? Popcorn? What blockhead cooked all this?

Apologies accepted, Chuck ole boy?

Sure.

There's enough problems in the world already, Chuck, without these stupid misunderstandings. Let's not play lovers' games, Chuck.

I agree.

Well, there's only one thing wrong with that.

What's that, Charlie Brown?

My grandmother lives in a condominium.

What kind of Thanksgiving dinner is this? Where's the turkey, Chuck? Don't you know anything about Thanksgiving dinners? Where's the mashed potatoes? Where's the cranberry sauce? Where's the pumpkin pie?

This is not unlike another famous Thanksgiving episode. Do you remember the story of John Alden, and Priscilla Mullins, and Captain Miles Standish?

This isn't like that one at all.

What are we going to wear to this big Thanksgiving party, sir? What time do we go?

Well kid, I'm gonna go like this. Ole Chuck is pretty cool about dates. He always wears that striped shirt of his.

I just talked to Charlie Brown. He said dinner would be served a little earlier.

Great, we're ready.

You think I should wear a tie?

No, you can go as you are, Franklin. I don't think Chuck'll mind. Besides, he didn't say it was formal.

Don't feel bad, Chuck. Peppermint Patty didn't mean all those things she said. Actually, she really likes you.

I don't feel bad for myself; I just feel bad because I ruined everyone's Thanksgiving.

But Thanksgiving is more than eating, Chuck. You heard what Linus was saying out there. Those early Pilgrims were thankful for what had happened to them, and we should be thankful, too. We should just be thankful for being together. I think that's what they mean by 'Thanksgiving,' Charlie Brown.

He's all yours, Priscilla.

Priscilla?

Priscilla?

You were kind of rough on Charlie Brown, weren't you, sir?

Rough? Look at this! Is this what you call a Thanksgiving day dinner? Did we come across town for this? We're supposed to be served a real Thanksgiving dinner!

Now wait a minute, sir. Did he invite you here to dinner, or did you invite yourself, and us, too?

Gee, I never thought of it like that. You think I hurt ole Chuck's feelings? I bet I hurt his feelings, huh? Golly, why can't I act right outside of a baseball game?

Marcie, maybe you could go to ole Chuck and patch things up for me. Maybe you can tell him how I really feel. Tell him I didn't mean it the way it sounded. Marcie, you can do it. You go and see him and tell him I really like it and I think the dinner's okay with me.

Well, I don't know, but I'll try. I think maybe you should go to Chuck and tell him yourself.

No, Marcie, I'll just ruin everything. You know I'm too brusque and rough. You go and speak for me.

Well, okay.

Do you know what we have to do? We have to write an essay on Stanley Miles.

You mean Miles Standish.

I can't keep track of all those names.

What are you going to do on Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown?

My mother and dad, and Sally and I are all going to my grandmother's for dinner.

Why don't you come along, Linus? We can hold hands under the table.

Blah!

I think I'm losing control of the whole world.

*Now* what's wrong?

Now she's bringing Franklin, too. Peppermint Patty's invited herself, Marcie, and Franklin over for Thanksgiving dinner. And I'm not even going to be home. I'm going to be at my grandmother's.

Why don't you just call her back and explain it to her?

You can't explain anything to Peppermint Patty because you never get to say anything. I'm doomed. Three guests for Thanksgiving, and I'm not even going to be home. Peppermint Patty will hate me for the rest of my life.

Are we going to have a prayer? It's Thanksgiving, you know.

Before we're served, shouldn't we say grace?

Come on, Snoopy, we don't have any time for this playing around. The guests will be here pretty soon, so please get ready to help serve them.

No, ma'am, they haven't eaten. As a matter of fact, they've let me know that...in no uncertain terms.

Your brother, Harry Bailey, broke through the ice and was drowned at the age of nine.

That's a lie! Harry Bailey went to war! He got the Congressional Medal of Honor! He saved the lives of every man on that transport!

Every man on that transport died. Harry wasn't there to save them, because you weren't there to save Harry.

Once upon a time, there was a clown named Binky, who loved children. Every time Binky saw children, he would say, "Hey, kids!"

No, no, no, no, no, Dad; read it with more emotion!

Yeah, yeah, and why don't you say it like Binky says it?

Every time Binky saw children, he would say, "HEEEEEEEEY, KIIIIIIIIDS!"

What's that sound? You hear it? It's a funny squeaky sound.

You couldn't hear a dump truck driving through a nitroglycerin plant.

You DO think I'm beautiful, don't you, Charlie Brown?

You didn't answer me right away. You had to think about it first, didn't you? If you really had thought I was beautiful, you would've spoken right up. I know when I've been insulted! I KNOW WHEN I'VE BEEN INSULTED!

Good grief.

Eat, Papa, eat.

How can I eat? That silly elf song is driving me crazy.

You're going to disappoint the children. They expect a fat Santa.

Bread... that this house may never know hunger.

Salt... that life may always have flavor.

And wine... that joy and prosperity may reign forever. Enter the Martini Castle.

How could it be so? It came without ribbons!... it came without tags!... it came without packages, boxes, or bags!

Grandma, you remember Garfield, don't you?

Well, I'll be. I remember back when all we had were wood-burning cats. Ah, what'll they think of next?

Bizarre.

Ebenezer? Remember when I was alive I robbed from widows and swindled the poor?

Yes, and all in the same day. Oh, you had class, Jacob.

Ha-yuk, yup!... Er, no, no! I was wrong. And so, as punishment, I'm forced to carry these heavy chains for eternity! Maybe even longer.

Spirit! They're gone! Spirit, they've vanished!

Not quite all.

Where's that money, you silly stupid old fool? Where's that money? Do you realize what this means? It means bankruptcy and scandal and prison! That's what it means! One of us is going to jail; well, it's not gonna be me!

And what happened, then? Well, in Whoville they say - that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day. And then - the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of *ten* Grinches, plus two!

Dad would chop down the tree.

Chores.

Mom would fix up a meal.

Work.

Doc Boy would get in the way.

Fighting. Big fat hairy deal.

Decorating the tree.

Gardening.

Wiring all of the lights.

Electrical contracting.

I don't know if I should go sailin down no hill with nothing between the ground and my brains but a piece of government plastic.

You really think it matters, Eddie?

Why weren't you at elf practise?

I've killed it. Oh! Everything I touch gets ruined.

Feed the world

Let them know it's Christmas time again

Too late? Why, nonsense. Ohh, don't cry, Karen. Frosty's not gone for good. You see, he was made out of Christmas snow, and Christmas snow can never disappear completely. Oh, yet sometimes it goes away for almost a year at a time, and takes the form of spring and summer rain. But you can bet your boots that when a good, jolly December wind kisses it, it will turn into Christmas snow all over again.

Yes, but... He was my friend.

Just watch.