What comms pros can be thankful for in 2021

What a difference a year makes.

Last November, before vaccines and booster shots, in the immediate aftermath of a tumultuous presidential election, the future was uncertain. Many had to forego annual celebrations with family and friends, marring their Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S.

A year later, and millions of Americans have been vaccinated. And even though the Delta variant has postponed a full return to pre-pandemic life, there’s more hope. There are booster shots. Airlines anticipate packed planes amid a busy holiday travel season. There are more hugs and fewer elbow bumps. There’s much to be thankful for.

The Thanksgiving holiday traces its roots to the early colonists that settled the Northeastern U.S. and the Wampanoag tribe, which came together to celebrate an autumn harvest in 1621. While for more than 200 years, individual Thanksgiving celebrations were held in the nascent United States and its colonial forerunners, it wasn’t until the after the U.S. Civil War that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national holiday to be held in November.