We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving week with friends, family and those you love.

Now, it’s back to work as we countdown to Christmas and juggle busy holiday schedules.

But before we dig into the next season, let’s look back on the Thanksgiving week. It certainly gave us many reasons for which to be thankful!

– Volunteers packed into the Stewpot Thursday to help scoop, cut and distribute meals to hundreds of hungry residents in need of a warm meal. We are thankful our community is so willing to give back, and we hope that holiday cheer sticks around.

– Crowds packed into mall stores early Friday for Black Friday sales. It was great to see so many shoppers choosing to do their purchasing right here at home. That will show up in local sales tax revenues.

– The downtown Christmas tree is lit and beautiful. A large crowd gathered Friday for the official ceremony, which reunited old friends and joined together the Natchez family.

– Seven local cheerleaders spent Thanksgiving on the road, dancing and performing in big-city parades. Randa Morace joined teens from around the country in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and a group of cheerleaders from Vidalia Junior High marched in the Houston, Texas, Thanksgiving Day parade. Thanks to all for making us proud.

As we face a new week, it’s easy to do so with thankfulness in our hearts for this great community.