Thanksgiving

You might not guess it, but we're big on tradition over here at TMZ ... and one of our favorites is seeing what crazy stuff they come up with for the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

Here's something you might've guessed, though -- we're also big on spectacle, and we're waiting by our TV sets and laptops every year, grinning with excitement about the prospect of seeing what the organizers came up with.

Danny Trejo had some sage advice when we caught up with him Wednesday afternoon at the L.A. Mission ... no matter what, don't lose hope.

The 81-year-old movie star chatted with us while volunteering to help families struggling this Thanksgiving. He says helping people has been key to his happiness.

He told us, "The more I can do for people, the better my life gets."

Lil Jon’s gearing up to go big for his Macy’s Day Parade performance -- and that means scrubbing every last trace of his usual X-rated energy to keep things squeaky clean.

We caught up with the rapper at NYC’s Soho Grand Hotel Wednesday... and he told us he’s switching up the lyrics for something way cleaner, making sure the kids can enjoy the iconic Thanksgiving family moment without any shockers.

Catch the full clip -- Lil Jon also breaks down whether he actually keeps a family-friendly backup version on deck ... or if he’s just swapping out the spicy lyrics on the fly as he goes.

Turkeys shouldn't need a pardon since they're not criminals ... but, maybe one day the president will pardon them all -- so hopes a prominent animal activist.

Ellie Laks -- founder of The Gentle Barn, a foundation that promotes the humane treatment of animals -- joined us on "TMZ Live" to discuss turkeys ... including the annual tradition of the Commander in Chief letting two turkeys live as millions of others become the main course on Thanksgiving.

Laks -- known in some circles as a "Turkey Whisperer" of sorts -- says it breaks her heart that so many turkeys are killed each year ... rolling her eyes at the gimmick where POTUS issues the pardon.

Forget about the Thanksgiving turkey ... we're looking at the Thanksgiving fashion -- at the airport -- for the nation's busiest travel day of the year.

Dressing for the airport can be tricky ... you want to be comfortable on the flight, but you are still in public ... and you have to consider the weather in the city you're departing from, while keeping in mind the climate that awaits you at your destination.

Some people strike a great balance ... and some people take it way too far.

Don't forget ... last week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged Americans to "dress with respect" in an effort to "restore courtesy and class to air travel" over the holidays.

Donald Trump never misses an opportunity to talk smack about his political rivals ... he went after Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi while pardoning a pair of turkeys at the White House Tuesday.

The president was addressing the crowd at the event when he took shots at the Democrats. He said he was thinking about renaming the turkeys -- Gobble and Waddle -- "Chuck and Nancy" instead.

He chuckled and said he changed his mind after realizing he would never pardon either one of his political foes.

Gobble gobble ... we’ve got a text! Two lucky turkeys just scored the ultimate White House glow-up, set to be pardoned by Donald Trump in a full-on "Love Island"-style reveal!

The video’s a full-on hoot ... baste mates Gobble and Waddle strut onto the red carpet as the "Love Island"-style narrator purrs, "Two new eligible turkeys enter the coop" before cutting to the duo flapping their way to some luxurious hotel beds.

TBH, it then swerves from Casa Amor to "The Bachelor" energy -- rose petals everywhere and Gobble & Waddle turkin' 9-to-5 -- wrapping with the killer tagline: "Two birds ready to ruffle some feathers in the coop."

As the first week of testimony in the Diddy trial draws to a close, TMZ has obtained more never-before-seen footage of Diddy and his A-list pals chillin' and chowin' down on some bird at Thanksgiving dinner in 2017.

Check out the footage... Diddy is hosting Thanksgiving dinner at his L.A. mansion, and the guest list is just insane! Chris Brown and Wiz Khalifa can be seen on a couch chatting with some folks -- and both seem to be havin' a good ol' time.

Usher is also in the house ... at one point, the R&B singer is seen shaking hands with Diddy, who is smiling brightly as the two shoot the s**t. .

Not everyone was eating turkey on Thanksgiving ... 'cause rising star rookie receiver Xavier Legette revealed he chomped down on a raccoon for his holiday dinner!

The Carolina Panthers first round 2024 draft pick revealed the non-traditional Turkey Day meal on the St. Brown Podcast when Amon-Ra and Equanimeous St. Brown asked him about something he enjoys eating that others might find questionable.

"I eat raccoon," Legette admitted. "Like a raccoon that you see in the trash."

Khloé Kardashian is once against facing off against Blac Chyna's mom Tokyo Toni ... after making seemingly shady digs about the Internet personality's charitable acts at Thanksgiving.

Here's what went down .... Tokyo documented her decision to feed the homeless while her granddaughter Dream Kardashian's other relatives -- including other grandmother Kris Jenner -- celebrated with a lavish meal in Palm Springs, California. Remember, Chyna welcomed daughter Dream with ex Rob Kardashian in November 2016.

When one fan called out the strikingly different ways the celebs chose to ring in Turkey Day, Khloé chimed in ... and appeared to call Tokyo's generous acts a publicity stunt.

"Moana 2" showed just how far it would go over Thanksgiving weekend ... defying "Wicked" at the box office by a head-turning amount.

Disney's new movie debuted to a whopping $221 million domestically over the five-day weekend ... smashing previous Thanksgiving weekend box office records.

Moviegoers overseas have also been flocking to theaters to see what the "Moana" sequel has in store, landing at a projected total of $165.3 million in the international market.

Arnold Schwarzenegger hosted some law enforcement personnel on Thanksgiving ... though he wasn't expecting them when the day started.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... LAPD responded to a call that a bomb had been placed in the actor-turned-politican's mailbox at his L.A.-area home.

We're told cops rushed to the home and searched the mailbox and surrounding area ... but, they did not find an explosive device.

Donald Trump's seating chart for Thanksgiving is as telling as it gets ... if you wanna know who's gonna have the biggest influence on him come Jan. 20th.

Trump hosted a Thanksgiving shindig at Mar-a-Lago, and at his table, Melania, Barron, of course, and then Elon Musk.

The video is pretty hilarious ... "YMCA" is blasting through the room as Elon busts some pretty weak moves ... no offense, but the Village People would not be impressed.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner spent part of their Thanksgiving Day doing a good deed -- serving meals to the less fortunate.

The former couple and their three kids -- Violet, Fin and Samuel -- showed up at L.A.’s Midnight Mission on Thursday and distributed food to the homeless. We don’t know what was on the menu -- but it’s a safe bet turkey was one of the items.

Check out video, obtained by TMZ, Ben and Jennifer -- both wearing hairnets and aprons --  are doing their charity work while mingling with the crowd.

Good day shoppers, we've got quite the bargain for you: super hot babes in bold black bikinis ... FOR FREE! These sexy finds will go quickly, so grab your shopping cart and make sure you steal these hot deals!

Selling her black bikini top, Kim K. showed some skin Skim in a sultry selfie, Draya Michele (almost) let it all hang out in a midnight black suit, and look back at Sommer Ray who displayed her bodacious buns in a thong bikini!

Kamala Harris spent Thanksgiving doing community work ... serving food at a local kitchen in Washington, D.C. alongside her husband, Doug Emhoff.

The vice president stopped by D.C. Central Kitchen Thursday ... putting on an apron bearing the logo and grabbing a pair of latex gloves before busying herself with the food.

Kamala's all smiles here ... diving into greens with her man -- washing the leaves and laughing.