This has certainly been a year where we are reminded of the important things in life … and just how grateful we should be for them. Time with family, simple pleasures, and good health have jumped to the forefront of what we value most day to day. I would like to take a moment to show appreciation for the amazing writers who have gone to such lengths to present you, our readers, with interesting, insightful content in this November issue.

Jenny Maxwell, Katie McElveen, and Susan Slack have been writing for CMM since I was a little girl playing at the CMM office and copying my face on the Xerox machine. They are an invaluable part of our team. Jenny always seems to think of a novel approach for a story — a unique lead, a creative angle, asking the unexpected question. Let her walk you through AnnaBelle LaRoque’s beautiful home on page 70. Katie brings the chic style and nuanced know-how of Emily Post to our entertaining articles … and about any other topic we throw her way! Learn how to care for your heirloom family linens so that you can pull them all out for festive table settings this holiday season on page 48. The amount of time and fastidious effort that acclaimed epicure Susan Slack puts into researching each of her food articles for CMM is absolutely astounding. Frequently, she crafts fresh recipes specifically for these articles and spends countless hours testing, testing, testing them to make sure you only have the finest. Enjoy her take on crème brûlée on page 40.

Another writer who pours innumerable time and personal creativity into her stories is Melanie Crawford. Just take a peak on page 64 to be wowed by her artistic suggestions for decorating the table for Thanksgiving this year. Helen Dennis, another outstanding food writer, is always game for any topic we pitch to her.  Check out her cover story on page 28 to spice up your bloody marys this fall. I am so excited that Tom Ryan is back this issue from a long hiatus, bringing with him his inimitable sense of humor! Flip to page 24 for your laugh of the day (you’re welcome). New to CMM this month is Richard Breen, whose fascinating feature on pheasant hunting on page 58 is sure to put South Dakota on your bucket list.

Satch Krantz, former executive director of Riverbanks Zoo, often shares his extensive knowledge of South Carolina’s wilder side with us. Learn this issue about bobcats on page 26. We are proud to have Amanda McNulty, another local expert on life outdoors in South Carolina, as a regular contributor to CMM. If you haven’t tuned in to Making it Grow! on SCETV lately, you can still brush up on some of her gardening advice on page 86. We are also grateful to Dr. Tom Barbian, executive director of the Christian Counseling Center, for his frequent advice column. Turn to page 30 for some helpful suggestions on dealing with tricky in-laws this holiday season.

Last, but certainly not least, I would like to recognize Melissa Andrews and Lynn Beard, who as you may notice, frequently contribute two stories each in any given issue. That is because they can write about anything and everything at the drop of a hat. Home and garden? Of course. Business? Absolutely. Underwater basket weaving, due tomorrow? No problem.

We have many other incredibly talented, regular writers who are not in this issue but are indispensable to CMM, such as Lynn Nickles, Reba Campbell, Jim Kibler, Vona Weiss — the list goes on. Dear writers, your mastery of the written word continues to blow us away, and we literally could not do this magazine without you. From all of us at CMM, a hearty thank you!

Sincerely,

Margaret Clay