According to Wikipedia, Thanksgiving is a “celebration [that] dates to 1863 and has been linked to the Pilgrims 1621 harvest festival since the late 19th Century. As the name implies, the theme of the holiday generally revolves around giving thanks with the centerpiece of most celebrations being a Thanksgiving dinner.

“The dinner often consists of foods associated with New England harvest celebrations: turkey, potatoes (usually mashed and sweet), squash, corn (maize), green beans, cranberries (typically as cranberry sauce), and pumpkin pie, but has expanded over the years to include specialties from other regions of the United States, such as pecan pie (the American South) and wild rice stuffing (the Great Lakes region) as well as international and ethnic dishes.

“Other Thanksgiving customs include charitable organizations offering Thanksgiving dinner for the poor, attending religious services, and watching or participating in parades and American football matches. Thanksgiving is also typically regarded as the beginning of the holiday shopping season. The day following Thanksgiving, Black Friday, is often considered to be the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States.”

Wikipedia goes on to say that “Days of thanksgiving, that is, days set aside to give thanks to God, have been common in Christendom for hundreds of years and long predate the European colonization of North America.” Days of thanksgiving is a long-standing tradition going back to Europe — and Canada has its own Thanksgiving as well, on a different day.

While it’s been a tough year with flooding, electric rate increases, and a number of contentious developments being decided by local zoning boards, Newtown has a lot to be thankful for this year.

The firefighters, as always, are having their pre-Thanksgiving food collection this weekend, with Fill The Fire Trucks for FAITH Food Pantry events at both Big Y and Sand Hill Plaza from 9 am to 1 pm Saturday, November 23.

Newtown Interfaith Council is planning a Thanksgiving gathering at 2 pm Sunday, November 24, at Sticks and Stones Farm, 201 Huntingtown Road. The event is a celebration of community and an exploration of how individuals can continue to nourish life, hosted by Newtown Interfaith Council who will be leading a time of prayer and reflection; non-perishable food donations for FAITH Food Pantry are requested.

The 15th annual Turkey Trot will be conducted at 7:45 am on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, at Newtown Middle School. A fundraiser for the C.H. Booth Library, this long-standing Thanksgiving Day tradition has annually attracted over 1,500 participants in recent years. The Newtown Turkey Trot provides essential funds to maintain the library and provide programming initiatives. Funds raised through the annual event support C.H. Booth Library’s mission to promote the joy of lifelong learning, stimulate curiosity, support the exchange of ideas, and provide a welcoming gathering place.

Additionally, Newtown celebrated its first year of early voting and its very first early voter on October 21, marking an era of easier voting that gave Newtown an 85% turnout in this year’s election.

Development of vacant buildings at the Fairfield Hills campus is finally moving forward with the long-coming approval of historic credits at the site. This will allow WinnDevelopment to begin its work on mixed use retail/residential buildings as first mentioned several years ago.

Newtown Forest Association along with more than 400 donors acquired Deep Brook Farm in September, protecting more than 60 acres of farmland and upland forest, meadows, and wetlands in perpetuity with public access to hiking trails and other passive recreation. The property is surrounded on two sides by bucolic dirt roads and is less than a mile away from the flagpole. In addition to the preservation of the land itself, NFA has taken ownership of the stone barn on the property, the foundation of which dates back to the mid 1700s.

And that’s just looking back at the last few months. There are so many good things coming out of Newtown: new beginnings, continued work, and final achievements, Newtown can be grateful and thankful for it all as we approach the end of this year and a clean slate in 2025.