Last holiday season was very trying for the majority of people. Everyone was dealing with Covid, which was greatly restricting how families could celebrate. People were unable to see older or more vulnerable family members due to the risk of getting them sick. This put a damper on a time of year that is meant to be festive and bring everyone together. This year, we are lucky to be working towards getting our lives back to normal and have a lot of things to be thankful for.

First and foremost, one of the most obvious things to be thankful for is family. Like I mentioned before, the past year has been difficult for many families. This year we should be thankful there aren’t as many restrictions on our family gatherings. There’s no need to count every family member you’re inviting over in fear of going against the Covid guidelines. Also, travel is much easier this year so any long-distance family you might have has the opportunity to celebrate with you again.

Next, we should be thankful for our friends. These are the people who continuously support and encourage you. The new school year has created the opportunity to build new friendships and strengthen old ones and hopefully, everyone attempted to do this. Highschool is very difficult for some people, but having good, caring friends makes hard things seem much more manageable.

Lastly, we should be thankful to have an (almost) normal school year. I know that a lot of student’s dislike school, but we are lucky to be able to be learning in person again and have access to all the things the school offers. We are able to speak to our teachers more easily, have access to the library, have access to guidance, and are provided with laptops to help us complete our school work. In addition, we should be thankful to be able to participate in sports this year. Sports are an integral part of the lives of many teenagers and the cancelation of them last year was devastating to countless students. This year, everyone has the chance to try out and possible play for the team of whatever sport they choose.

In all, these are just a few of the numerous things we have to be thankful for. This holiday season, I implore everyone to focus on the good things in their lives. Whether that be friends, family, school, sports, or something else, everyone has something to be grateful for and it’s incredibly important to not take these things for granted. Spend time with the people you love, participate in things you enjoy, and most importantly, have a happy holiday season!