John,

I want to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Watch a video message from me to you and your loved ones below ⤵️

Thanksgiving offers an opportunity to reflect on the blessings in our lives. I know I’m grateful to be celebrating with my family, especially our grandbaby Sofia, who’s growing up so fast.

But for me and so many New Yorkers, this Thanksgiving is also bittersweet. This is the first year I’ll be celebrating without my dad, who passed away unexpectedly last month; and as great conflicts continue in our world, pain is being felt by communities across our state.  

I hope that the joy of spending time with loved ones brings you peace and comfort. 

As a mom, I know Thanksgiving and the holiday season offer a meaningful, and sometimes rare, opportunity to gather everyone around the table. Alongside younger children and high schoolers, college kids may be home for the first time since they left in August. With the rise in hateful rhetoric and actions both online and off, I encourage you to talk to your kids about what they’re hearing and seeing at school and on their campuses, and ways that they can spread kindness, not hate. New York State has resources to help facilitate these sometimes difficult, yet important, conversations.

Because it’s on all of us to do our part to create the kind of society we want to live in.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I also encourage all New Yorkers to give back.

Volunteer in your community.  

Support a small business this Saturday.

And, as we see the ugliness of hate rear its head amongst our communities, look for opportunities to spread love and kindness instead.  

As always, remember the spirit of warmth and appreciation that makes the holiday season so special.

From my family to yours: Happy Thanksgiving.

Gov. Kathy Hochul