Mary Gauthier’s Thanksgiving at the Prison

Thanksgiving at the Prison One may tell from the prison setting that Mary Gauthier’s “Thanksgiving” is probably not a cheery holiday song.  But that does not make it any less beautiful.

The song, which appeared on Gauthier’s 2007 album Between Daylight And Dark, recounts the point of view of a child with a grandmother standing in line to visit someone in prison.

They make her take her winter coat off,
Then they frisk her again;
When they’re done she wipes their touch off her dress,
Stands tall and heads in.

Yes, “Thanksgiving” is a Thanksgiving song.  But it views the holiday from the perspective of the families of those in prison.  During this period of mass incarceration in the United States, we often forget about how prison affects the family members of those we lock away.

The song is set at Tallulah State Prison, which was once a notorious horrible prison for youths. In 2004, due to outcries from the community, the juvenile prison was shut down.

Mary Gauthier, who grew up in Louisiana, often reminds us of the common humanity that links us.  “Thanksgiving” is a wonderful song that tells a story you might not expect in a holiday song.  And if you listen closely, it might change you just a little bit.

It’s Thanksgiving at the prison, surrounded by families;
Road weary pilgrims who show up faithfully;
Even though it ain’t easy, even though it ain’t free;
Sometimes love ain’t easy, I guess love ain’t free.

What is your favorite song about Thanksgiving? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Billy on the Street Thanksgiving Parade

    Billy on the Street Thanksgiving

    Billy Eichner of the truTV show Billy on the Street recently hosted his first-ever Thanksgiving Day parade. And what would be a Thanksgiving day parade without giant balloons, floats, and Katie Couric?

    The segment does a nice job of parodying the cultural icons often selected for such parades. And every parade needs a giant Sean Penn balloon. Check out the funny video.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    What is your favorite part of Billy’s parade? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    “I Thought Turkeys Could Fly”

    WKRP in Cincinnati featured one of the great Thanksgiving specials of all time, “Turkeys Away,” which was the seventh episode of the series. The episode begins as a typical Thanksgiving episode with the radio station planning a Thanksgiving promotion of distributing free turkeys.

    At the end, though, everything goes so terribly wrong. It features hilarious reporting by Les Nessman (Richard Sanders) and leads up the classic line by radio station manager Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump), “With God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.”

    For more on the story behind the episode, check out The Classic TV History Blog. Happy Thanksgiving.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    “We’ve Got Another Holiday to Worry About”

    Charlie BrownFor our readers here in the U.S., we wish you a happy Thanksgiving. For a little holiday cheer, here is the ending segment of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, a Peanuts special that first aired on CBS on November 20, 1973.

    Below is the opening for A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Of course, the episode begins with a football.

    What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    William Shatner Wishes You a Safe Thanksgiving

    william shatner deep fries turkey

    If you are planning on deep frying a turkey this year, take some cautionary advice from William Shatner, set to music, of course. Check out “Eat, Fry, Love: A Cautionary Remix.”

    The musical tale is based on a real experience that Bill Shatner had, so he teamed up with State Farm to make the video.

    Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

    Do you have any frying turkey stories? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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