No matter what challenges we’ve faced this year as individuals, family members, business owners and community members, we still have countless reasons to be thankful.
Here’s our list — one for each day of the month leading up to and including Thanksgiving.
Nov. 1 — the health care workers whose professional and personal lives have been so much more difficult since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March
Nov. 2 — Sammy Hanzel and Heather Bereckis, the creative minds at the village’s parks and recreation department, who came up with a fun way to hunt for gobblers on the Turkey Trail
Nov. 3 — teachers, whose classrooms have been turned upside down this year. Whether they are teaching in person, remote or a combination of both, parents everywhere have a new appreciation for the work they do.
Nov. 4 — election judges, who donned their masks and gloves to make sure citizens had the opportunity to vote
Nov. 5 — our first responders, whose job of keeping us all safe has gotten a lot more complicated this year
Nov. 6 — the paper’s Reader Advisory Board members, who do a great job even when forced to meet over Zoom
Nov. 7 — volunteers who have been able to continue all their wonderful work during the pandemic, and those who unfortunately have had to put their efforts on hold
Nov. 8 — high school coaches turned counselors, who have supported student-athletes during abbreviated seasons and canceled seasons and everything in between
Nov. 9 — the record-breaking string of days with temps over 70 degrees
Nov. 10 — the owners of each and every inflatable turkey in town
Nov. 11 — the veterans who served our country here and overseas, those who came home and especially those who did not
Nov. 12 — Jennifer and Neal Reenan, who set an amazing example to choose preservation over demolition following a massive fire at their National Register of Historic Places home
Nov. 13 — the public works crews who have been busy preparing the central business district for the holiday shopping season and who last month planted the seeds (well, bulbs, to be precise) for a beautiful spring
Nov. 14 — the flock of reindeer that landed at Fuller’s, bringing smiles to boys and girls of all ages
Nov. 15 — residents who are choosing to shop local for all their holiday gifts
Nov. 16 — Hinsdale’s host of nonprofit agencies, who are feeding the hungry, caring for homeless animals, helping families through their cancer journey and doing so much more
Nov. 17 — the readers and advertisers who continue to support us year in and year out. We couldn’t do it without you!
Nov. 18 — the priests, pastors and ministers who shepherd the flocks of Hinsdale’s 13 churches
Nov. 19 — contributing columnist Amy McCauley’s chocolate pie recipe
Nov. 20 — Hinsdale Public Library staff, who are making sure that while residents can’t get to the books, the books can get to them
Nov. 21 — folks who decided to brighten these trying times by putting up their Christmas lights early
Nov. 22 — the many virtual performances artists are creating to help infuse joy into the holiday season
Nov. 23 — the candidates who will run in the April election for village, library and school boards, and the volunteers who put together this week’s information nights on running for office
Nov. 24 — philanthropists who, a week from today, will follow up their Cyber Monday online shopping with generous online donations on Giving Tuesday
Nov. 25 — the hands that prepare the feast, in our own homes and all the wonderful eateries in town selling everything from appetizers to dessert
Nov. 26 — Zoom, Facetime and other ways we will be able to share this day with our family and friends, even if they won’t be sitting at the table with us.
Happy Thanksgiving!
