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 are 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 increasing taxes, continuing increases to cost of living, 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 noon Saturday, November 22.

The 16th annual Turkey Trot will be conducted at 7:45 am on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, at Newtown Middle School. A fundraiser for 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, in late October, Housatonic Railroad Company agreed to an understanding in principle on a plan to clean up the Pootatuck River following a culvert collapse that occurred during flooding in August 2024. This is a first step to lessening flooding for homes and businesses in that area as well as restoring access to an Aquarion wellfield that supplies water to a large amount of customers in town and in Bethel.

In late September, Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps (NVAC) received a new ambulance. The new rig is a sleek PL Custom Type III ambulance complete with two radios in the back, plenty of room for patient care, and a LifePak35. This new ambulance replaced one of the older rigs that was lugging around about 175,000 miles, and is the first of four to come. The ambulance took two and a half years to get to NVAC, and another is coming soon. Scott Cicciari, assistant chief of NVAC, said that two more are to come in 2027.

In early September, Newtown Human Services launched Newtown Easy Transit, a pilot program to provide transportation to Newtown residents. The program is for Newtown residents ages 60 and older, as well as disabled individuals over 18, to get to where they need to go safely, affordably, and reliably. It provides rides Monday through Friday, and can take residents to local and out-of-town locations.

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.