DellaMattera talks with WalletHub about Thanksgiving in Maine

Julie DellaMattera, University of Maine associate professor and director of the School of Educational Leadership, Higher Education and Human Development, was interviewed by WalletHub for a report about the best states for Thanksgiving celebrations in 2020. Maine ranked 8th overall based on affordability and celebrations, pandemic safety, statewide reopening measures and giving thanks. Vermont, ranked 6th, was the only other New England state in the top ten. Due to COVID-19, DellaMattera says that this year family gatherings “may not be a physical act, but more of an emotional one. Families can call, Zoom,
FaceTime; send cards, photos, videos.” She also says the pandemic has clarified for many people what they are thankful for: “The focus needs to not be on the food, not on the tablecloth and fancy holiday dishes, not on the new TV to watch the football game,” she says. “The focus is shifting to the intangibles that make people feel as if they are indeed part of a family (whoever you decide those people are) such as kindness, common decency, a helping hand, support.”