This food holiday celebrates the packaged frozen meals of individually portioned meats, vegetables, fruit and desserts introduced in 1953 by C.A. Swanson & Sons.

Designed to fit on a small tray for eating in front of television sets newly introduced to households in the 1950s, the meals became wildly popular as TV ownership expanded.

The first meal available was a Thanksgiving-style meal that included turkey, peas, and cornbread dressing, served in a compartmentalized aluminum tray.

The meals were called "TV dinner" because these they were designed to be eaten while watching television.

This day would be a good day to skip cooking and indulge in a microwave meal while watching television.