Have you heard? Thanksgiving is coming up pretty soon (as in tomorrow, duh), and that includes a carnival of turkey, a festival of thanks, and plenty of giving back.

It also means it's colder now, and darker outside, and that we're all going to spend a lot more time cuddled in bed, wearing pajamas, and watching TV. At least we are.

What brings family together more than a shared experience of napping and television?

That's right, there isn't one. Since Thanksgiving is tomorrow, we thought it'd be a great idea to look at back at some of the best Thanksgiving episodes there've ever been, but also things to look forward to on the big day itself. 

Remember: we're not saying this is in lieu of hanging out with your family. Families can hang out in any way possible, and some of our favorite memories are yelling at each other quoting the same lines from Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Weird? Maybe. But we're not about to say television is evil. 

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1. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

You shouldn't go to the parade itself, especially if you're staying in NYC for Thanksgiving. This parade was made for TV. That's why bands (apart from marching bands) aren't plugged in, right? Who knows. 

But freezing in the cold in Midtown isn't the move here. It's drinking coffee and hot cocoa while the final touches on the food are made.

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2. The National Dog Show

What's cuter than puppies? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. If you're having a later meal, and you're not down with football, these dogs are the move. They're adorable. 

Of course, if you're having a meal during the show and will miss it, turn off the TV. People that watch TV during family meals are confused. 

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3. NFL Football (Panthers vs. Cowboys)

Every Thanksgiving, there's football. The Packers, the Lions, and the Cowboys are all staples, but for the first time ever, the Carolina Panthers are playing!

Normally, we wouldn't push for a team that plays in little ol' Charlotte, but we have so much disdain for the New England Patriots that we have to shout out the only other undefeated team in the league. Also, the Cowboys suck, so watching Cam Newton is definitely the move here.

A word of caution for all you would-be watchers: Greg Hardy is also playing. We don't talk sports often, and maybe we should, but we talk about social justice enough to say, "Yo, we're not down with domestic violence."

If you can't support an organization that condones it in any way (here's to you, Roger Goodell), we get it. Don't watch the NFL. We fully support that decision. But if you can stomach it, Hardy's another reason to gather 'round and berate the Cowboys on TV. Nothing says family like a collective hatred for mediocrity right?

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4. Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

You should know this Thanksgiving special. You should. If you don't, remedy that this year. It'll give you all of the warm, fuzzy, family feelings you need. Then you can go back to watching NFL and people give each other brain damage.

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5. Friends "The One With All The Thanksgivings"

This episode is straight gold. Is it the best Thanksgiving episode of all time? Maybe. Is it the best Friends episode of all time? Probably.

Here's what happens: All the characters are sitting in Monica's living room after Thanksgiving dinner, reminiscing about their worst Thanksgivings. 

There are talks about the Revolutionary War, divorce, Chandler calling Monica fat, a head getting stuck in the turkey story, a knife, and then Monica does a turkey dance. 

It's an amazing episode. It's on Netflix. You should watch it. The family that Netflixes together... probably does other things together too. 

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6. Seinfeld "The Mom and Pop Store"

In this episode of Seinfeld (one of the best shows ever), George has bought a car that used to be owned by Jon Voight (Angelina' Jolie's father). George is full of glee at having bought this car, and, as you may have guessed, it does lead to a cameo by Jon Voight himself. 

Jerry and Kramer are tangled up in a Mom and Pop shoe repair store that Kramer claims is about to close, and convinces Jerry to send his shoes there.

Elaine, meanwhile, spends the episode de-salting her boss's pretzels and listening to the radio trying to win him tickets to hold the Woody Woodpecker balloon in the Thanksgiving Day Parade. She also inadvertently turns down a date when she mishears someone. 

Of course, Jerry's horrified to discover that Kramer's taken all his shoes except one pair of cowboy boots, and everyone gets invited to a Thanksgiving party but Jerry. There's more John Voight and car stuff, but if you've forgotten about this episode, check it out on Turkey Day. 

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7. Boy Meets World "Turkey Day"

We miss Boy Meets World so much, it pains us to even talk about it. Still, we'll talk about it because this episode is way too heartwarming to leave out.

In this episode, Cory and Shawn win a turkey and stuffing for donating the most food cans. Chaos ensues when, as a result, they try to bring their families together for a Thanksgiving dinner. Chaos? At a family dinner? Who ever heard of such a thing?

At the heart of it, there's simply a class feud involving a trailer park. We love this episode because of its touching moral, its plot-driven irony, and because it's just as much endearing as it is hilarious. Also, we still miss Boy Meets World.

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8. Modern Family "Punkin Chunkin"

Say what you will about Modern Family, but it's stuck to the same formula and had consistent results. It's one of the funniest shows on network television, and while that's not saying a whole lot right now, this episode is definitely worth checking out again.  

There are a couple threads running through this episode, which is typical for Modern Family. The whole crux of the episode is the concept that Cam once slingshot a pumpkin across a football field through a set of goalposts, which he relays entirely dramatically, to Mitch's skepticism. 

Other things include Phil  wondering why he never made it to the top professionally, and he ultimately decides it's because Claire dismisses his creative ideas. He then spends most of the episode trying to convince everyone to be on his side for ideas like "RealHeadScratcher."

Once the whole family is together, they head to a football field to see Cam's punkin chunkin story enacted in real time. We're not going to tell you what happens, but we will tell you that watching this episode is worth your time.

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9. New Girl "Thanksgiving"

Don't you just love Jess and all her antics on New Girl?

In this Thanksgiving episode, Jess decides to invite over a fellow teacher named Paul on whom she has a crush. He seems like just Jess's type: he laughs at her jokes, he doesn't understand football, and, well, basically encapsulates the nickname "Male Jess" with precision.

The antics that unravel in this episode are at once terrifying and entertaining: there's a turkey thawed in the dryer, a dead body, Schmidt bossing everyone around in the kitchen, and Nick hating on everything (especially Paul).

This episode is also on Netflix so tread lightly when you feel a binge setting in. 

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10. How I Met Your Mother  "Slapsgiving"

If you're going to watch How I Met Your Mother this holiday season, you could watch both "Slapsgiving" and "Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap." Both episodes are excellent in their own ways, but we're here to talk about the original "Slapsgiving."

This episode contains all elements of craziness; from Lily obsessing over her and Marshall's first Thanksgiving as a married couple being perfect, to Marshall terrorizing Barney over the third slap in their slap bet.

There's a hookup, there's a Thanksgiving dinner, there's a real major slap, and most of all, there are some really heartwarming Thanksgiving feels. If you hate How I Met Your Mother, we definitely don't blame you. But if you're looking for a few laughs, this has got it in spades. 

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11. Everybody Loves Raymond "ToFurkey"

In this episode of Everybody Loves Raymond, Marie's made tofu turkey, because she decides her family needs to eat healthier.

Would you want to eat a tofu turkey? Yeah, well, Marie's family doesn't want to, either.

We won't tell you the episode ends with Ray ordering a complete holiday dinner that's got all the cholesterol they shouldn't be having, but we won't tell you it doesn't end that way.

Side note: whatever happened to Ray Romano? Is he still trapped in the Ice Age? 

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12. Bob's Burgers "An Independent Thanksgiving Proposal"

Pass... the cranberries...

Linda Belcher's Thanksgiving song is what golden dreams of glory are made of. Oh, you don't have those kinds of dreams? You probably haven't seen this episode. Fix that. 

Check out 7 Tips for Real New Yorkers Leaving NYC This Holiday Season.