There are plenty of moments to pull from.
Even if you plan on spending the majority of Thanksgiving weekend in sweats, slapping on a smile for an Instagram photo to share how thankful you are kind of comes with the holiday's territory. If you're at a loss for a caption to accompany your pic, look no further: These Grey's Anatomy Thanksgiving episode quotes are perfect for Instagrams on Turkey Day, whether you're going for something heartfelt and sincere, or something just plain funny.
With 17 completed seasons under its belt — and an 18th just starting off — Grey's Anatomy was bound to have a few Thanksgiving episodes over its 16-year (and counting) run. While the holiday isn't a yearly tradition for the show (like it was for, say, Friends), it still has some iconic moments to honor the day. If you're in the mood to rewatch those episodes, they are:
- Season 2, Episode 9: "Thanks for the Memories" (2005)
- Season 6, Episode 10: "Holidaze" (2009)
- Season 10, Episode 10: "Somebody That I Used to Know" (2013)
- Season 11, Episode 22: “She’s Leaving Home” (2015)
All told, "Thanks for the Memories" is the most "Thanksgiving-y" of the Thanksgiving episodes, but the other three are definitely still worth watching this time of year. If you want to squeeze in a whole year’s worth of holidays along with Thanksgiving, then “She’s Leaving Home” is the one to watch, since it chronicles an entire year of the Grey’s characters' lives, complete with every holiday celebration. Of course, that episode also shows the immediate aftermath of Derek’s death, so watch with a box of tissues at hand, for sure.
The truth is, any given episode of Grey’s Anatomy is bound to bring up a ton of emotions — that’s just how it goes at Grey Sloan Memorial. So, if you’re looking for an emotional holiday, this is definitely the show to watch.
However, if you're short on time and can’t do a series rewatch, but want to just get straight to the best Thanksgiving quotes from each Grey's Anatomy episode, look no further:
"Maybe we're not supposed to be happy. Maybe gratitude has nothing to do with joy. Maybe being grateful means recognizing what you have for what it is. Appreciating small victories. Admiring the struggle it takes simply to be human. Maybe we're thankful for the familiar things we know. And maybe we're thankful for the things we'll never know. At the end of the day, the fact that we have the courage to still be standing is reason enough to celebrate." – Meredith ("Thanks for the Memories")
"Today I committed bird murder and I was forced to touch my dad's ass. I get bonus points for showing up at all." – George ("Thanks for the Memories")
"I brought booze." - Cristina ("Thanks for the Memories")
"I'm in the woods. With shotguns and liquor and car talk. It's like Deliverance out here." - George ("Thanks for the Memories")
Cristina: "Where does Meredith keep the booze?"
George: "I don't think she has any."
Cristina: How is that possible? She's a WASP. Liquor is like oxygen to a WASP."
George: "Which is why we're out of liquor."
("Thanks for the Memories")
"What was I supposed to do? Blow off my boyfriend for Thanksgiving? I tried to. He wouldn't blow. He's like something sticky that won't blow off." - Cristina ("Thanks for the Memories")
"I like Thanksgiving. Day people spend with their families. Too much family time triggers depression, repressed childhood rage, bitter disputes over the remote and way too much alcohol. People get stupid. People get violent. People get hurt." - Miranda ("Thanks for the Memories")
"We all have the opportunity to give. Maybe the gifts are not as dramatic as what happens in the operating room, maybe the gift is to try and make a simple apology, maybe it's to understand another person's point of view, maybe it's to hold a secret for a friend. The joy supposedly is in the giving, so when the joy is gone, when the giving starts to feel more like a burden, that's when you stop. But if you're like most people I know, you give till it hurts, and then you give some more." - Meredith ("Holidaze")
"How about we get take out chicken and eat in the car like we were raised to?" - Alex ("Somebody That I Used to Know")
Richard: "Are you cooking?"
Meredith: "Is that so preposterous?"
Richard: "Do you want a straight answer?"
("Somebody That I Used to Know")
“I have to believe there's a way. There has to be a way to step off the carousel, to start again, to start fresh. There has to be a way to leave all my ghosts behind. It's a choice. It's a choice I'm making. To move forward. To move past this. I can do that. I can do that.” - Ellis Grey (“She’s Leaving Home”)
You can stream Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix and watch the latest episodes on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
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