I have started a letter of thanks that I will be handing to the front-line workers I encounter between December 6 and January 6 (my family celebrated from St Nicholas Day to the Feast of Kings when I was growing up.)

This will include cashiers, pharmacist & staff, restaurant staffs where we do takeout, waste collectors, postal workers, UPS drivers, baristas at the takeout window (my personal indulgence), food shelf workers, clinic staff and my PT office - probably others as I think of it. Where appropriate, I will enclose a small gratuity. If I had children in school, I would be including the entire staff, from bus driver to superintendent, because I have watched my daughter and nieces work HARD to try to continue serving "their" kids - often changing direction on a minute's notice.

It breaks my hear to listen to customers bad-mouthing and berating those who have held on and provided service, often at risk to their own health, through this pandemic.

And I will be sure to thank all the parents who are managing their children's remote learning while working from home themselves, teaching after work, on leave for loss of day care or dealing with the stress of Covid job loss.

Sue