Here’s the game plan, people: Wake up early on Thanksgiving Day. That way, you can catch all of the “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” (KOB-4 9 a.m.). Something about seeing Al Roker in a parka really fires up one’s appetite. Follow that with a little football. The first game is “Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions” (KASA-2 10:30 p.m.) Given that Green Bay is undefeated, the game will probably suck, so head on over to “The National Dog Show” (KOB-4 12 p.m.) around halftime and start rooting for your favorite Pomeranian instead. After the announcement of Best in Show, you can catch more football with “Miami Dolphins at Dallas Cowboys” (KRQE-13 2 p.m.).
That gives you a big chunk of afternoon time in which to eat your turkey/
Once all the hard decisions of 7 p.m. have been made, head back to FOX for “Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown” (KASA-2 7:30 p.m.). This is the first new Peanuts special made since the deaths of creator Charles Schulz and animator Bill Melendez. “Holiday Inc.” (HGTV 8 p.m.) gets us back into the decorating, taking us to New York City landmarks, including the Time Warner Center, Lord & Taylor and Macy's on 34th Street, to show how they’re transformed for the holidays. Hopefully, your stomach is well settled by 8:30, because that’ll be time for “A Very Gaga Thanksgiving” (KOAT-7 8:30 p.m.) Although this sounds like a “Saturday Night Live” sketch, it’s apparently an actual thing. Gaga talks with Katie Couric about her life, she sings a duet with Tony Bennett, she makes deep-fried turkey and waffles with chef Art Smith. ... Again, this is an actual thing, and not just something I made up.
And what better way to close out Turkey Day than the exact same way you started it out? “The 85th Anniversary of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” (KOB-4 9 p.m.) has NBC (and Al Roker, no doubt) look back on 85 years’ worth of giant balloons and marching bands. Happy Holidays!