Officials in Vermont and New Hampshire are asking their residents to avoid family gatherings and stay home for the holidays this year.

This is a tough decision for my own family.  My children live in New Jersey and we have not been apart for the holidays. In addition to that, my daughter is expecting her first child and we have not seen her in months.

According to vnews.com, Dr. Joshua White, who is Chief Medical Officer at Gifford Medical Center, warns that the “inconvenience and disappointment in not seeing people is far less than seeing them in an intensive care unit.”

This is one of my favorite things about New England.  You people do not sugar coat anything.

In New Hampshire, Gov. Chris Sununu, who has a very large extended family of seven brothers and sisters with tons of nieces and nephews said in a statement in October that he would have both Thanksgiving and Christmas without his extended family, according to reporting by vnews.com.

He continued to say in his statement “We’re keeping it separate, keeping in our immediate families because there’s just no need to take that risk.”

The downsizing has people scrambling to find smaller turkeys this year.

Not sure what our plans will be this year. It is especially hard on my wife because Thanksgiving falls on her birthday this year which she shares with our oldest son.

Everyone is making sacrifices this year and I know for some; it will be their first holiday without a loved one at the table.  I want to thank all the doctors, nurses, and first responders that will be working through the holiday.

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