THANKFUL.

Wow. It's Thanksgiving week. Time keeps flying by. The Indian Summer we were having is behind us and it definitely feels like fall (or winter)!. And thank goodness the Covid era is behind us, too!

In celebration of the holidays, I did something new this year...I actually started decorating for Christmas over the weekend. I also attended the Creche Festival at Mepkin Abby.

Visiting the Abby has been on my "to do" list forever, and I am so glad I finally made the trip.

The festival showcases a special display of nativity scenes, which were wonderful to see. But the grounds of the Abby themselves are magnificent. I would definitely recommend putting this event on your calendar if not for this year, for next.

Another one of my "to do" list items has is the "Nights of 1000 Candles" at Brookgreen Gardens. I have heard it's spectacular, and I am hopeful that I can grab some tickets (tickets for non garden members become available later this week).

I think one of the reasons I am embracing this holiday season is the fact that after various false starts, it really seems as though pre-Covid routines and traditions have returned. Also, 2022 has not been the easiest of years for many of us.

I think most of my readers know that I lost my husband in March. Christmas was his favorite holiday, and maybe as a tribute to him, I am soaking up as much Christmas as possible.

But also, what better was to put aside such heavy issues as inflation, the war in Ukraine and the political infighting that is tearing our country apart than to get excited about Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah and New Years?

I am particularly blessed this Thanksgiving to have not only my daughter at home, but three of her college tennis teammates as well. They are a great group of young women, and am so happy for my daughter that she is surrounded by such a wonderful support network.

One tradition that looks like it has been changed forever by Covid, however, is Black Friday. Stores are no longer opening late on Thanksgiving Day and many retailers have already started offering Black Friday weeklong specials (if that even makes any sense). In the spirit of these specials, we are going to combine our prior Black Friday and Cyber Monday events with the offering of our gift card special for the following week (from today, November 21st through Cyber Monday).

This way, patients can use the discounts in any way they chose, whether it's for one of our new chemical peels (which do an amazing job on pigment problems, and melasma, btw!), Botox, fillers, microneedling, dermaplaning, skin care products, or laser/radiofrequency skin treatments.

As always, we are happy to help customize a skin care regimen for your skin care needs, and are happy to answer any questions you have about these services.

As my parting sendoff, I actually have two songs to share with you this week about family. The first is an all time great song by Harry Chapin: The Cat's in the Cradle

and the second is a more modern song by Taylor Swift: The Best Day .

I hope everyone is able to take a breather from the chaos of everyday life and enjoy family this week and share some hugs and laughter.

My staff and I are wishing all of you the best this Thanksgiving holiday!

"Til next time.

Heidi Williams, MD

My staff and I wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving.