Thanksgiving is upon us!
While Thanksgiving is an American holiday, I have celebrated it with many nationalities in a dozen different countries around the world over the last few decades. Most people forget the original Pilgrims in 1620 came to North America on a yacht (sort of)! It may have been crowded on board, but maybe we should credit them with the idea that everyone needs a bigger yacht! They were just the first! Just as Boxing Day has long been a holiday for Yanks in Yachting (Yes, I just coined that phrase. You're welcome.), Thanksgiving has extended itself as a holiday to many of our colleagues in the industry throughout the world (whether they wanted it or not!) in the wonderful sharing of cultures we have enjoyed throughout our careers.
As with everything 2020, this year's celebration will be different from those before. Many of us have spent holidays separated from our loved ones, but we are only now becoming used to being separated from our loved ones while in the same city. Please share in my optimism that the end of this long pandemic is in sight with the continued successful development of vaccines by various pharmaceutical companies both here and abroad. However, please also share in my caution that we still have a long battle before us all while the pandemic is surging as never before in the US and Europe. No one wants to be the last casualty in a war, and we don't want to needlessly lose anyone because we couldn't wait another six months to celebrate together. Let's all be safe so we can celebrate many holidays to come.
We must all concentrate on what we have to be thankful for. Yachting has not only survived in comparison to most industries, it has thrived. We are all lucky to be part of a business that provides a safe escape for our clients when they need it most. I try to remind myself how lucky we all are on a daily basis.
Of course, Thanksgiving also allows those of us in the US who have been discreetly celebrating Christmas since Halloween to finally let our Joyeux Noel flag fly! Full disclosure, we've had two Christmas trees up in the house since the day after Halloween. I just finished watching a Christmas movie and it was not the first, by a long shot. At least I waited until tonight to turn on the Christmas lights outside. So to all you Grinches out there, it's time to join the party. You're late, as usual!
No matter our individual situation, we all have something to be thankful for. Unless you're a turkey. If you're a turkey, you should feel free to complain to your heart's content. 2020 will not get any better for you.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sean Cassidy & the CYC Team
