We’re not going to pretend that 2020 hasn’t been a tough year, but as you know, here at Galavante, our glasses are always half full. We think it’s especially important this season to top yours off until your cup run-eth over, with some good old holiday cheer.  After all, our business at Galavante is travel, food, drink and all the good things in life.  So we’ve got recipes; we’ve got gift ideas;  we’ve got a healthy dose of celeb pop culture; and of course, we have your travel goals this holiday season.  And this week, in honor of Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, or whatever you choose to celebrate, we have the top 10 Things To Be Thankful For This Year.

1.    Family  

You connected with family. Granted it was forced family time, at first. And at times, it included home schooling.  But for many of you, your young kids, adult kids, parents and whomever you could squeeze into your abode became your people, through thick and thin.  More likely than not, you’ll never have this amount of quality time with family again, and overall, it was really special to be together.  From puzzles, to mahjong, to binging on Netflix, to trying new recipes and becoming breakout TikTok stars, you and your dearest will be forever bonded in a unique way.

2.    Health 

We’re going through a second wave as we write this, but health has never been such a blessing, and staying healthy and COVID-free is something that we are all thankful for.  If you were one of the millions who did contract COVID, recovery is probably on your thankful list too.

3.    Kindness 

We shared toilet paper over the fence, we went to the store for our elderly neighbors, we found care packages of baked goods and casseroles on our doorstep, and for some, we helped those in need pay rent and put food on their table.  These small to grand gestures of kindness will never be forgotten. If you were making those acts of kindness, you must be so thankful you were in that position to help others.

4.    Amazon

Whatever you may have thought pre-pandemic about Amazon, wow they just saved 99.9% of our butts this year.  Our supply didn’t chain didn’t break. It was stressed at times, and getting a delivery slot was like an Olympic feat, but Amazon came through.  So keep that mind for whatever this next few months brings; our supply chain will weather this storm.  And tip our essential workers at the grocery stores big.

5.    Food  

You fed your family, and from your social media, you fed them pretty darned good.  I know this is an assumption, but most of you did not have to worry about where your next meal would come from.  Not everyone is as fortunate, if you’ve seen the lines for the food banks around the country.  If you can, help out a local food pantry, because everyone should be able to feed their family.

6.    No commutes to work

And wow it was fun to work in your PJ bottoms and to be on your own schedule, providing the work got done this year.  You saved a lot of money, and a lot of time in the trains, planes and automobiles this 2020.

7.    Goodbye face time with your boss

At least for now.  Office culture has been changed because the work is getting done, and you don’t need to show your face for the sake of it.  We may be better creatively together, but this year has set the precedent for working from home, at least part of the time.

8.    Relationships

We saw who our friends were, and who we were, which was amplified with the pandemic.  This brought us closer to people, but it also highlighted those relationships that maybe weren’t so healthy.  We’re thankful for it all though, as this was a chance to evaluate who we want in our lives on the other side of the pandemic.

9.    Perspective

Some of you had your moment to prioritize and realize what makes you happy, and figure out what you wanted to get out of life. We hope you’re not sweating the small stuff so much anymore, and when you’re sitting around the Thanksgiving table with your smaller unit this year, you have a chance to be thankful for all the experiences and character building of this year.

10. Travel

We have this on the list not because it’s our business, but because anyone who likes to explore the world is thankful and appreciative for travel more than ever.  The freedom and ability to explore is something we probably won’t ever take for granted again. We’ve heard from so many of you, that you’re going to seize the day and can’t wait to get back in the world on the other side of this pandemic.  We can’t wait to cheer on every photo you post and to see the happiness that travel will bring back to your life.

We know we have some challenging times ahead. But there is so much to be thankful for this year, far beyond our top 10 list.  We are so thankful for you, our Galavante friends.

All the Best,

Christine Drinan, Founder