It is the day after the election, two days before you receive your copy of the Sentinel, as we sit here to write this week’s editorial. A gentle rain is falling. The leaves are past their prime or else blanketing the ground. We can all, as a community, exhale a collective sigh of relief. We survived the elections. They are over. From the national level to the local level there is talk of unity and helping one another do the best job possible to heal and move forward as a country and as a community.
We are going to do just that, move forward. And we are going to have fun doing it. First, there are 50 days until New Year’s, when we make our traditional resolutions to be healthier, lose weight, give up something, or make a promise we hope no one will notice when we can no longer keep it. Our first pre-New Year’s resolution is to dine at one of the many fine restaurants in town that are participating in Greenwich Restaurant Week, which begins today. More than 30 restaurants will be offering tasty deals to encourage patronage. We are going to gobble our way through a list that includes a smorgasbord of edible options, enough to tempt any palate.
Our next pre-2017 resolution is to buy local. With the holidays approaching we are planning ahead so that we can purchase our holiday gifts here in town. When you think about it, you really can buy just about anything want locally and that is good for our economy and our community. When you spend $100 locally, $80 of the purchase remains in the local economy. So what you are thinking about for holiday gifts? If it’s books, you can do no better than the book store at Christ Church. They have a great selection of secular and non-secular books. (They also make really great lattes.) Diane’s Books is another favorite. Maybe it’s a brooch or watch for your loved one? Then you cannot go wrong by going to Manfredi’s and asking Roberto for his insight. Personally, we are hoping someone will call Sotheby’s, or one of the other great real estate firms in town, and purchase us a home in Palm Beach. Okay, technically, that is not buying local, but we promise to purchase all of the furnishings here in town!
There is something empowering about buying local. We have so many wonderful stores in town, many owned by our neighbors. From exotic cheeses to old-fashioned candies to clothing stores and restaurants, the diversity of our stores throughout town is tremendous. We buy local so these store can open and thrive. After all, our local economy is interdependent on us for its success. Yes, we could order something from Amazon, but isn’t it worth the extra effort to purchase it locally, especially during the holidays, when everything is decorated and festive? We certainly think so.
Our next resolution is an easy one. We are going to have fun. The elections are over. We deserve it. There are so many wonderful activities that occur around the times of the holidays, we want to slow the clock down so we can enjoy as many of them as possible. If you are not careful, we will be beyond the holidays before you know it and into winter hibernation mode. (Or perhaps snowbird mode in that new house in Palm Beach.) Where is the best place to see what activities are occurring? Check out www.GreenwichCalendar.org. It is the townwide calendar that is managed by the Greenwich Sentinel Community Foundation. It is new, so if you see something missing, let them know and they will add it.
Our last resolution is to put the elections behind us. Let those elected govern. Get on with living our lives, supporting our neighbors and enjoying all of the wonderful things our community has to offer.
