From the Editors: November 21, 2018

Every year, Thanksgiving grows more and more neglected commercially. We're guilty of it ourselves. Though this current issue comes out the day before the fourth Thursday in November, we chose to jump a few days ahead and pull together our "Shop Local" issue.

Sure, the local economy is one of the key things on everybody's mind, but why no turkey love?

There is — or at least there seems to be — a peculiarly private air to the holiday. The day is celebrated with family. It's for our inner circle, spent around a table, on a couch, or in a car venturing toward one or the other.

Plenty of proponents exist in support of this holiday. It is one of the big ones. Rest assured that there will be a heaping helping of people on social media proudly declaring this as their personal favorite, and they won't be wrong — they'll certainly have the pictures to prove it. For those at the other end of the table, it's at least a festive bridge, a gradient transitioning from Halloween's orange and black to Christmas' red and green, through a kaleidoscope of earth tones.

And then there's the reflection on what we're thankful for. It's a forthright expression, almost prayer-like — yet fit for atheists and devotees alike. It's that moment of the year where we can look at our lives from a slightly outside perspective, and examine just what it is that transpired this year that we don't wish to curse, but truly appreciate.

As the food gets portioned out into smaller containers, be it turkey or tofu, we can settle in for a much-needed rest. And then, before we know it, it's Christmastime.

And just in time for Small Business Saturday, we present our fourth annual "Made in Erie" gift guide, offering up ten new ideas for locally made things to put on your shopping list. Matt Swanseger runs down just few of the many great things to get if you want to put money back into the local economy.

If you have a musician in the family (including yourself), you might want to think of World of Music as well. Since 1954, they've been one of the best local spots for any aspiring instrumentalist. Nick Warren talks to a few people there that make it tick, and takes a look at just what makes it such a special place to go.

Returning to our fold, Rebecca Styn talks to Karen Rzepecki, looking at what it took to make her entrepreneurial ideas come to life. Tracing the initial phases of ReCAP and her MakerPlace in particular, we're able to see what spark is needed to put a few more items on that locally made wishlist.

Through it all, and into December, we'll remember what we're thankful for. And we'll try to hold onto that warmth well into the new year.