Published December 31, 2020
By MAUREEN DOHERTY
The holidays have certainly been different this year with state and local officials repeatedly warning us not to gather with people from other households in an attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19.
While not seeing loved ones and friends over the Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s holidays has certainly been difficult, the sacrifices we continue to make following nine months of lockdowns are ultimately for the public good to keep each other safe.
The holidays have always been filled with equal parts thankfulness and wistfulness. We fondly recall the memories of our childhoods and reflect on what was learned from the past year’s events while looking forward with a cautious optimism for what the new year has in store for us.
We may be celebrating the holidays differently in 2020 but that doesn’t mean that we can’t reflect on this most difficult of years with an eternal hope that the days ahead will be better.
Many of us have lost family members and friends in 2020 or experienced illness first-hand. We have been bombarded with a daily onslaught of information about the COVID-19 virus and its potentially devastating impact on all who we hold dear, especially our most vulnerable. We also rejoice in the stories of miraculous recoveries and hopefully we will hear more about these recoveries in the coming year.
We have watched, sometimes helplessly, as our country was hit by one ugly incident after another. But we carry on with the belief that we will get the job done – at warp speed in some cases – aided by the rollout of three new vaccines in the span of just a few weeks and potentially others to follow.
Amid all this devastation, each of us possesses within ourselves the ability to have a positive impact on the world even as 2020 draws to a close and 2021 awaits with its endless possibilities.
We know this because we have seen the good come shining through from so many generous individuals and organizations in our little town in ways far too numerous to mention. But here’s a few examples. You know who you are and you each played a part in making a huge difference in someone else’s life. Hold on to that.
You donated toys, warm clothing and holiday meals to those experiencing huge financial strains; you volunteer to sew cloth face masks and distribute donated PPE’s to our first responders and housebound elders. You bake pizzelles for months, donating the proceeds to dozens of deserving individuals and worthy organizations. You buy groceries for senior citizens or drive them to doctor’s appointments and organize letter-writing campaigns to ensure veterans are not forgotten.
You organize endless birthday parades for the young and young-at-heart so that no one is forgotten or lonely.
You bring Santa to the kids when they can’t go to visit him.
You rush into burning buildings to save lives and stop to help motorists who get stuck in the snow on Route 28 in the first nor’easter of the season.
You spend hours figuring out how to keep town government running and solvent, and how to run three elections and three open Town Meetings during a pandemic. More countless hours are spent inventing ways to commemorate the accomplishments of an entire senior class torn apart by an invisible enemy mid-stride during their final weeks together.
You figure out a way to get books (and DVDs) safely into the hands of bibliophiles cut off from their beloved library.
You also figure out how to bring story time to preschoolers, acoustic music to live music fans, and memorial services to those who grieve in ways we never envisioned utilizing social media platforms.
You teach. (Need we say more?)
You work the front lines in any health care setting.
From farm to table, you are somehow involved in getting the food to market, into the grocery stores and into our homes, restaurants and institutions.
You help struggling businesses apply for loans and you keep your favorite eatery alive by ordering curbside takeout or dining under a tent.
And as a town, you generously donate your time, your talents, your resources to every club, team, dancing school, band, choral or thespian group while still managing to create and sustain the best volunteer-run Food Pantry east of the Mississippi.
We tip our hats to each of you (only because we can’t shake your hands or give you a hug).
Cheers! Sláinte! Mazel Tov!
No matter how you say it, here’s to bringing the best of ourselves into an exciting new year of possibilities. We welcome 2021 with open arms.
—Dan Tomasello contributed to this editorial.
