I’m going to preface this by saying that Friends has the best Thanksgiving episodes out of all sitcoms known to man. However I have currently been binge-watching How I Met Your Mother for the second time and realizing that HIMYM has its own legendary Thanksgiving episodes too!
If you have not watched this show I highly recommend that you get on that asap. Either way, I present to you an unofficial ranking of the HIMYM Thanksgiving episodes, from least to most legendary!
Season 5, Episode 2: “Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of The Slap”
I am a huge fan of the slap bet saga that goes on during this show. In this episode, it’s two years after Barney received the third out of five slaps, and Marshall gives Ted and Robin the honour of deciding when and how the next slap is given. While I love this aspect of the episode, I wasn’t a huge fan of Lily’s estranged (and kind of lame) father showing up for their Thanksgiving. While his character grows on me, I just found him annoying in this episode. But alas the official “Slap Bet” board game is born!
Season 1, Episode 9: “Belly Full of Turkey”
Ah, the first HIMYM Thanksgiving episode. Can we talk about Lily’s hair?! In this one, Lily spends Thanksgiving with Marshall and his family in Minnesota. It ends up being very stressful as she gets swallowed by all the tall giants and, while in the midst of a pregnancy scare, hears the details of the Erikson boys being 12-pound babies. She rushes to get a pregnancy test, gets caught urinating in public, ends up in jail and finds out she in fact isn’t pregnant. Meanwhile, Barney and Ted visit a strip club. On Thanksgiving.
Season 6, Episode 10: “Blitzgiving”
This episode was one of my favourites out of all the episodes ever. Ted is determined to create the “turturkeykey” which is a turkey with another turkey inside of it. While he leaves to accomplish this (typical Ted), he ends up missing out on one of the most legendary nights the gang has ever had, and becomes the Blitz– a guy who misses out on everything. The curse of the Blitz means that as soon as you leave the room, something extraordinary happens. Ted becomes cursed and hilarity ensues anytime his back is turned. He then passes the curse on to Barney who temporarily becomes ‘the Blitz’. Thankfully, neither are permanently scarred.
Season 7, Episode 11: “The Rebound Girl”
One of the sweetest and most emotional Thanksgiving episodes HIMYM has created. Marshall and Lily decide to move into the house Lily inherited by her Grandmother and we also get to meet the baby that Barney’s brother James and his husband adopted. Barney, pretending the baby is his own, is one of the cuter Barney moments this show has ever made. We also see Robin have a pregnancy scare which, as we all know, results in one of the saddest HIMYM episodes ever.
Season 3, Episode 9: “Slapsgiving”
The all-time favourite Thanksgiving episode is the OG Slapsgiving. This one introduced the Slap Bet song “You Just Got Slapped.” Barney spends the whole day stressing about getting the next slap. Meanwhile, Ted and Robin slept together the night before despite Robin dating Bob-the-41-year-old and the awkwardness of Thanksgiving is hilarious. Overall, this episode has everything a typical Thanksgiving has: family, friends, great food, traditions, stress and even fights. But alas, a HIMYM tradition was born. The gang goes to Lily and Marshall’s every year to celebrate. How cute!
I loved re-watching these Thanksgiving episodes for this article. It made me super excited for Thanksgiving and all the shenanigans that might ensue. I highly recommend getting together with your own crew (or just some good snacks) and watching all the episodes. Have a legendary Thanksgiving!