I have been asked before what are my favorite Christmas movies. The answer is never the same one film, but rather exists a slew of movies whose existence come to define partially the month of December for me. These include such December classics like A Christmas Story, Die Hard, A Nightmare Before Christmas, and so on and so forth. This list has many entries. October always worked a little differently. There never was a guaranteed must watch in October, instead October served as a base for going out and discovering what spooky and scary movies existed out there because obviously a person can only watch horror films in October. What this all comes around to though is that for all the Christmas movies and horror movies that fill this time of year, both things that are so easily defined and recognized, there is a gap. A 30 day gap to be more precise. I speak of that month long void, that dark hole of turkey and gravy, November. "What do I watch in this month!" people shout in the streets as they riot. From skyscrapers to mountain tops people's voices can be heard all unifying into a single expression of confusion and mild boredom. Well don't worry, I've spent some time pondering over this question and believe that I may have found an answer to this question.

What we must think about is what makes the films we watch in December and October so attached to those months. These connections can be subtle or face bashing obvious. So then to begin one's quest in finding the perfect Thanksgiving movies what does a film need to have to make it feel like November? Well there's gotta be turkey. Specifically the animal turkey,cooked, and not the country Turkey, but bonus points for having both. This may seem obvious, but the appearance of turkey is how an audience knows this is a proper Thanksgiving movie. Without the turkey this movie could be taking place in any month! That would ruin what we're trying to do here! So, in order to not disappoint your family and the whole month of November you got to make sure that movie has a turkey in it, preferably cooked and served with mashed potatoes and gravy. Some ideas of movies that meet this requirement then might be Pan's Labyrinth, Spider-Man, Brokeback Mountain, and the Addams family. The appearance of turkey in all these films really helps to ground the experience in the festive Thanksgiving mood. As soon as that cooked bird shows up on screen your whole family will cheer from joy knowing that their entertainment is seasonally appropriate, but were not done yet.

We also must try to determine what is the greater significance of Thanksgiving and the whole month of November for finding the most spot on Thanksgiving movie. So then what is this month were in? What essence does this month hold that we are trying to catch on film? If you said that it's between October and December then your right. Like the middle child November has to work twice has hard to be noticed unlike its edgier older sibling October and everybody's favorite December. What movies then could match this struggle to just be seen? Well why not Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, The Lion in Winter, or Pride and Prejudice. Each of these films displays the complex and often intense relationships that middle children often have in relation to their siblings and the rest of the family, just like November! Should any of these movies also feature turkey you know you've found a winner.

Lastly to close this there is one final point that should be made in regards to the perfect Thanksgiving and/or November film. This is that Thanksgiving as a holiday no matter its origins is currently treated as a time in which people can get together and eat themselves silly. The entertainment on display doesn't matter, no film can match the bonding over food and laughs that comes from the Thanksgiving dinner table. So don't worry about what movies to watch this November, just enjoy the food and each other. I mean I'm not just saying this because I couldn't find any great Thanksgiving movies to talk about. Its not like I spent hours trying come up with a list of excellent movies that really capture the season and failed. No, no way. Its not that this month is unfathomable to cinema. Just that huh you know, love each other and what not.