Published November 26, 2020

In a time like few others, we will celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow. More than likely not in the typical way, gathered with family and friends around a big, bountiful table, but the spirit of the holiday will remain just the same.

Thanksgiving is the quintessential American holiday, born on these shores from genuine religious faith, mixed with gratitude and appreciation for all the gifts this land has to offer. The promise inherent in Thanksgiving is its ability to knit together the diverse tapestry of American society around a shared table.

This year will certainly be different, but COVID-19 cannot alter the meaning behind Thanksgiving. It will not stop Americans’ appreciation for family, friends and community. In an exhausting and turbulent year, our love for those most dear to us has only grown and our appreciation for our good fortune has only deepened.

Having a national holiday like Thanksgiving allows us the freedom to disengage from our typically hectic schedules and to be present in the joy of the moment. This is a priceless gift.

It’s also important to pause and offer our thoughts and prayers for the safe return of our soldiers and sailors who remain stationed in far away places across the world, separated from their loved ones on Thanksgiving while protecting our cherished freedoms.

This year, it is especially important to also offer a prayer of Thanksgiving for all of our front line workers for putting their lives on the line each day to keep us safe during this pandemic.

The state suggests that for us to be at our safest on Thanksgiving, families should limit in-person holiday gatherings to only those with whom you live or limit your gathering to a small group of individuals with whom you are regularly in contact. If hosting guests the state suggests that you dine outside and do not serve the meal family-style.

Keep visits shorter than usual because longer gatherings pose more risk of transmission. The safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving with relatives is sharing a virtual dinner online.

The riskiest holiday behavior is to engage in our traditional habit of eating inside, elbow-to-elbow while passing platters of food among those you may not have seen for awhile.

COVID-19 has taken a lot from us, both in terms of lives lost and normal societal behaviors. It is a scary thing, no question, but relief is on the way. Two companies developing vaccines are making remarkable progress in their Phase III trials, including Moderna’s with a reported 94.5% efficacy rate in its clinical trial of 30,000 adults begun in late July. The double blind study involved half getting the vaccine and half getting the placebo. A total of 95 participants have contracted COVID-19 to date — 90 in the placebo group and just five who had received the vaccine, which is given in two doses. Rival Pfizer’s efficacy rate has been reported as “greater than 90%” based on 94 positive COVID-19 cases in its ongoing trial. Researchers are currently evaluating the long-term effects and awaiting peer-reviewed studies of these vaccines.

Such positive news offers a renewed hope that someday soon we will see this pandemic slowed and its horrific toll lessened. For this, we should all be most thankful.