The Nateland Podcast – Episode 280: "Thanksgiving"

Date: November 26, 2025
Hosts: Nate Bargatze, Brian Bates, Aaron Weber, Dusty Slay

Episode Overview

In this Thanksgiving-themed episode, the Nateland crew gathers to share stories, trivia, personal traditions, and plenty of laughs about America’s favorite food-focused holiday. The group—Nate Bargatze, Brian Bates, Aaron Weber, and Dusty Slay—mix heartfelt reflections and signature offbeat banter as they discuss Thanksgiving history, quirky family customs, food spreads, and “the real meaning” of Thanksgiving. The show is peppered with fan comments, unusual holiday facts, parade disasters, and memories that highlight the good (and sometimes awkward) of the holiday season.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Thanksgiving: America's Unifying Holiday

• History & Legitimacy:

  • Nate praises Thanksgiving as a “good American holiday,” noting it sometimes "takes flack for various reasons, but I don't think any of it's valid" [01:09].
  • The hosts discuss the possible biblical origins of Thanksgiving, referencing the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, and debate claims about the holiday's true first location (Plymouth vs. St. Augustine, FL).
  • Dusty summarizes the traditional story: 1621, Plymouth, 50 pilgrims, 90 Native Americans, a three-day festival after a successful corn harvest [48:07].

• Debate Over the Menu:

  • The first Thanksgiving likely featured venison, duck, goose, oysters, lobster, eel, and fish—not turkey.
  • Nate questions the cleanliness and accuracy of these menu items, speculating that pilgrims followed more biblical dietary rules [51:42].

Notable Quote

“I think the Thanksgiving is a good holiday. Some people believe it was... a biblical holiday of Sukkot. They think that’s what Thanksgiving turned out to be.” – Nate Bargatze [01:09]

Who Made Thanksgiving a National Holiday?

• Sarah Hale—The Mother of Thanksgiving:
  • Wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
  • Campaigned for 17 years (letters to presidents) to make Thanksgiving a national holiday.
  • Abraham Lincoln made it official in 1863 to unify the country during the Civil War [55:12].
  • The holiday’s timing (“fourth Thursday in November”) was set by FDR for Christmas shopping convenience during the Great Depression [59:53].

Notable Quote

“So she started writing a letter to the President. Every year for 17 years... Finally, Abraham Lincoln said, okay, this lady’s not going to leave us alone, so let’s just do it.” – Dusty Slay [55:12]

Family Traditions and Awkward Dynamics

• Plating Food Traditions:

  • Aaron's family: Dad sits at the end of the table and plates everyone’s food—something Aaron learned isn’t universal [76:49].
  • Bates & Nate: Less structured; often chaotic, lots of people split between rooms and outdoors, but togetherness is what counts.

• Hosting and Juggling Multiple Families:

  • The group empathizes about the complexity of Thanksgiving as families grow, split, and merge—especially with divorced parents or in-laws [88:38–90:11].

Notable Quote

“At my house, whoever the man of the house is sits at the end of the table, and all the food’s in front of him, and he plates everyone’s food... That’s just the way we did it.” – Aaron Weber [76:49]

Food, Calories, and The Spread

• Shocking Stats & Favorites:

  • Average American consumes 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving [60:41].
  • The crew’s favorite Thanksgiving dishes: turkey, ham, dressing, casseroles, pies (“the sides steal the show!” – Aaron [61:40]).
  • Leftovers: Resoundingly declared "the best meals" are the days following Thanksgiving [61:10].

• Changing Times:

  • With older relatives passing and younger generations less engaged, many hosts note the food (and traditions) sometimes aren’t what they used to be [62:14].

Lighthearted Listener Comments & Banter

• The hosts react to fan suggestions for a "Nateland dating app" [02:33], dissect Salvador Dalí’s "draw on the back of the check" trick [04:23], and amuse over commercial oddities—like pharmaceutical ads for schizophrenia [29:02].

Notable Quotes

“Would you guys consider that a jerk move or genius?... If he’s like, I do it and cash it or don’t, that’s their decision.” – Nate Bargatze on Dalí's checks [05:01]

“If you don’t let me do it, I’m gonna go in the alley.” – Nate (on "Ally’s Law" for bathroom access) [26:53]

Quirky Thanksgiving Facts and Parade Mishaps

• Thanksgiving Football:
  • Lions have played since 1934; Cowboys since 1966; third game added only in 2006 [63:27].
• Blackout Wednesday:
  • Night before Thanksgiving = busiest for bars; “Drinks-Giving” or “Brown Friday” for plumbers [64:06].
• Parade Antics:
  • 50 million watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV; first big balloon was Felix the Cat (before that—zoo animals!) [66:24].
  • Wild stories of parade balloons breaking free, police “stabbing” Pink Panther, and Barney and Cat in the Hat being deflated by New York windstorms [72:00].

Notable Quote

“Old timey stuff was very much just like, ‘we get it.’ Everybody’s like, that’s amazing. And there was never, ‘what are you going to do with it?’ And just no one cared.” – Brian Bates, on letting parade balloons go [69:01]

Thanksgiving Traditions: The Good, The Bad, The Hilarious

• Expressing Gratitude:

  • Stat: 60% of Americans would rather do anything other than focus on gratitude at Thanksgiving [79:27].
  • Most of the hosts admit their gatherings skip the “go around and say what you’re thankful for” formalities [79:41]. Spontaneous, chaotic togetherness is the tradition that matters most.

• McDonald’s Check-in:

  • The group humorously checks in on each other's fast food habits—unapologetically loyal to McDonald's [84:50].

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “Reading a book in public makes you feel better than everyone real fast.” – Nate Bargatze [14:42]
• “I think the time... it’s weird to know that someone’s just right outside that door.” – Brian Bates (bathroom timer proposal) [24:00]
• “The fact that you got to live with your family for 80, 90 years is insane... Like, we were, you know, 20 tops.” – Brian Bates [50:44]
• “Sarah Hale... she started writing a letter to the President. Every year for 17 years... Finally, Abraham Lincoln said, okay, this lady’s not going to leave us alone, so let’s just do it.” – Dusty Slay [55:12]
• “About 50 million Americans tune into Thanksgiving Day parade each year... Before that, they were just using zoo animals.” – Dusty Slay [66:24]
• “If your town gets it, you win money... There’s money in Macy’s gift card.” – Nate Bargatze (on letting parade balloons go) [69:57]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Intro/Thanksgiving Warm-up: [00:42–01:34]
• Listener Comments & Salvador Dalí Antics: [02:16–08:47]
• Family Traditions & “Dead Internet” Theory: [12:07–14:50]
• Thanksgiving History & Origins: [48:06–56:02]
• Mary Had a Little Lamb—Sarah Hale: [54:04–55:07]
• Calories & Food Discussed: [60:41–62:14]
• Football & Blackout Wednesday: [63:04–64:34]
• Parade Stories & Wild Facts: [66:24–74:51]
• Traditions, Family Chaos, and Pass-downs: [76:19–83:51]

Tone & Style

The episode is relaxed, irreverent, and conversational, brimming with observational humor, good-natured teasing, and moments of earnest reflection among friends.

Closing Thoughts

The Nateland crew wraps with thank-yous, tour dates, and a genuine appreciation for their listeners. Sweet, silly, and as American as pie, this episode reflects on not just the quirks and history of Thanksgiving, but also on what really matters: food, family, and finding things to be grateful for—even if, as Nate jests, it’s just that Vanderbilt football plays in an “unrigged league.” [93:59]

Happy Thanksgiving from the Nateland crew!