A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving streams free on Apple TV+ this weekend (Nov 23-24, 2024)

Just a reminder that the free streaming window for A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on Apple TV+ is this weekend only, Saturday, November 23 and Sunday, November 24, 2024.

The classic Peanuts holiday show will not be broadcast on over-the-air television this year.

To stream the special for free, you don't need an Apple device. The Apple TV+ app is available for a variety of streaming devices such as Roku and Amazon Fire TV, and on several different smart TV brands. You can also watch using a web browser on any computer by going to tv.apple.com . See this Apple support page for a more detailed list of supported devices and how to watch.

You won't need to subscribe to Apple TV+, but you will need to either have or create an Apple ID to sign in and watch. After you sign in, search for the name of the special if you don't see it right away.

(Or if you're an Apple TV+ subscriber, you can watch the show at any time, on any day.  The special is already #1 on Apple's Top Chart as of November 21!)

And if you need musical accompaniment for your holiday meal, don't forget that the complete Vince Guaraldi soundtrack for A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving was released last year.   It's still available to buy on CD or LP - including new vinyl variants purple jelly bean, turkey tan, or a picture disc - or to stream on your favorite music service.

The Beagle Scout flies again!

The Beagle Scout Snoopy balloon will return to this year’s Macy’s 98th Annual Thanksgiving Parade.

The parade will air live from 8:30 a.m. until 12 p.m. ET/PT on Thursday, Nov. 28. It will begin on Manhattan's Upper West Side, and conclude at Macy's Herald Square flagship store. The parade broadcast also will stream on Peacock, with an encore on NBC at 2 p.m. ET/PT.

The 55-foot tall Beagle Scout Snoopy wears his red Scout tie and green backpack; his pal Woodstock rides on his hat, to join the festivities. This balloon debuted to honor 2023’s 50th anniversary of the first appearance of Beagle Scouts in the Peanuts newspaper strip.

Snoopy continues to be the longest-running character in the parade’s history.  He started in 1968 as the Flying Ace; this was followed by an Astronaut, Ice Skater, Ice Skater with Woodstock, Millenium Snoopy, an updated Flying Ace, Snoopy and Woodstock, an updated Astronaut, and now (again) Beagle Scout with Woodstock. 

The new Snoopy balloon will be joined by a Peanuts float: Camp Snoopy, with Woodstock and friends perched on top of their tent, on the lookout for some wild turkeys.  This will be the sixth version of the Peanuts float; the first was way back in 1967!

If you want even more Beagle Scout fun following the parade, season 1 of Camp Snoopy is available via subscription on Apple TV+. 

Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown soundtrack to be released January 17, 2025

You'll love this news - on January 17, 2025, Lee Mendelson Film Productions will release Vince Guaraldi's complete soundtrack to the 1975 Peanuts animated special Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown, just in time for the 50th anniversary of the show.

Coming on CD, black vinyl, two colored vinyl variants, and digitally, the album will feature 30 tracks - 22 cues from the show, plus 8 alternate takes and mixes - and will be 42 minutes long in total.

Physical releases will include liner notes by producers Sean Mendelson and Jason Mendelson, plus Guaraldi historian Derrick Bang.

A few Be My Valentine tracks have appeared previously on compilation albums, but this is the first time the entire score will be available; most of it has never been released before.

Taken from the original recording session tapes, the music has been newly mastered and mixed in clear stereo sound. You can hear a few short previews on Soundcloud here.

Click here for purchase and streaming links to select stores and services (the album is available from many other retailers and digital services as well).

The album will be available on CD and regular black vinyl from all retailers.  If you need something special for your vinyl-loving sweet babboo, the two colored vinyl variants of the Be My Valentine album will be a 'Heartburn Red", exclusive to independent record stores, and "Puppy Love Pink", available exclusively from Barnes & Noble.  (Note that the link to independent record stores is not necessarily a complete list; check with your local store to see if they have the version of the album you want!)

Like this fall's You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown LPs, the Be My Valentine LP releases will be "BioVinyl," made from recycled cooking oil and industrial waste instead of raw petroleum, and the packaging will once again be made from sustainably forested trees and compostable plastic wrapping.

You can read the full press release with more details on the Lee Mendelson Film Productions website.

Here's the track list for the upcoming Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown soundtrack album:

Show Score

1. Heartburn Waltz
2. Heartburn Waltz (Reprise)
3. Linus and Lucy
4. Valentine Interlude #1 / Heartburn Waltz (2nd Reprise)
5. Piano Sonata No. 20 in G Major, Op. 49 No. 2 - 1. Allegro ma non troppo (by Ludwig van Beethoven)
6. Heartburn Waltz (3rd Reprise)
7. Linus and Lucy (Reprise)
8. Paw Pet Overture
9. Freddie's Mood (Nocturne in E Flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2, by Frederic Chopin)
10. Heartburn Waltz (4th Reprise)
11. Never Again
12. Music Box Dance (Minuet in G Major, BWV Anh. 116, by Johann Sebastian Bach)
13. Woodstock's Mambo
14. Heartburn Waltz (5th Reprise)
15. Jennie L.
16. Heartburn Waltz (6th Reprise)
17. Valentine Interlude #2 / Heartburn Waltz (7th Reprise)
18. There's Been a Change
19. Woodstock's Revenge
20. Charlie Brown's Wake-Up
21. Heartburn Waltz (8th Reprise)
22. Freddie's Mood (Show Version)

Bonus Tracks

23. Heartburn Waltz (Bonus Mix)
24. Jennie L. (Alternate Take)
25. Heartburn Waltz (Alternate Take)
26. Woodstock's Mambo (Bonus Mix)
27. Heartburn Waltz (Reprise) (Bonus Mix)
28. There's Been a Change (Alternate Take)
29. Heartburn Waltz (5th Reprise) (Bonus Mix)
30. Last Call for Love

Next year is the 75th anniversary of the Peanuts comic strip, and this new album gets things off to an excellent start!