Thanksgiving Week 2020 – what a doozy with new COVID spikes and shutdowns all around the country! But remember: It’s always darkest before the dawn.

AND despite all the downsides, there’s still plenty to be thankful for this year.

My “gratitude list” includes:

• Good health – never been more important than this year!
• My friends – both my inner COVID-POD and those in my FaceTime/Zoom circle.
• So grateful that I stayed put in NYC through the dark days. It’s made the recovery so much sweeter.
• Restaurants reopening — MAJOR! And outdoor dining is a gamechanger, even in the cold.
• The vaccine! And the fact that it is *this* close to being available.

I also agree with Jim Cramer when he recently said he expects the economy to explode in early 2021. As the vaccine becomes readily available, he foresees a boom not unlike “the end of prohibition.”

And on that note, please Scroll down for this week’s Top 10 List.

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Whoa! What a crazy week in America. I needed a valium to get some sleep on Tuesday night.

I’m not an American citizen so I can’t vote, but neither Trump nor Biden seemed like ideal candidates to me. Nevertheless, based on the polls, I thought Biden was going to win this in a landslide and we’d know the results by Tuesday night or Wednesday latest.

I still believe Biden will eke out a victory but what a bust for Democrats that the much-touted blue wave turned out to be such a dud. So much for pollsters.

But this is not a political blog, so I’ll just stay in my lane and offer the 10 observations and experiences that got my mind off the mess we’re currently in. Here’s hoping it will do the same for you.

Scroll down to get started.

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A few of you have asked how I pick what to cover on ZandlSlant. Besides exploring what’s new and happening in NYC, I also use a customized Google news feed to explore topics starting to trend nationally and globally. Ideally, things that have the potential to influence the broader culture.

Which brings me to this week’s quotes. Here are two serving as my North Star at the moment:

• Kierkegaard’s “life is a hard teacher; she gives the test first, the lesson after.” What will be the ultimate lesson of 2020 I wonder?
• And there’s this to ponder: “there is no ‘safe’ only ‘safer.'” That is certainly true.

And on that note, Scroll down to check out this week’s Top 10.

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FYI this is post #24 in ZandlSlant’s reopening series. CRAZY that I’ve been doing this for over six months!! This week the focus is on trends impacting moms, travel, and the upcoming pumpkin holiday, i.e., Halloween.

Scroll down for these trends – and much more – from this week’s Top 10 List.

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Determination, resilience, persistence — these are the traits I see strongly entrenched among those on the vanguard of the reopening. I’m also picking up a vibe among this group that they refuse to be cowed by fear of the unknown. To these fast rebounders, the “unknown” represents only positive possibilities.

And with that, Scroll down for this week’s TOP 10 LIST.

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The pandemic has made me dial-up my observational skills. And that’s made the post-lockdown experience extremely interesting and sometimes even exhilarating. This last week, in particular, has been epic for new discoveries.

This week’s discoveries run the gamut from my first foray back into department stores to the German obsession with “Lüften” to a great study on why older, single women are the happiest people on the planet. I am also extremely happy to share artist Brad Kahlhamer’s new website. It just went live and was developed by the uber-talented Jamie Dwyer.

My challenge now is to restrict myself to only 10 highlights per week when I am uncovering so many more new things and innovations.

Scroll down to check out this week’s Top 10 List.

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