As we all retire to our respective dining rooms today for too much turkey and dressing and pumpkin pie, we want — in the spirit of the holiday we are celebrating today — to stop and take a few moments to thank you, dear reader, for all that you do.

As a free publication, the Suffolk News-Herald takes special note of each and every copy of the newspaper that finds its way into the community. Unlike those publications that you might subscribe to and pay for, with only a few dozen exceptions, this newspaper finds its way into your hands entirely because you chose to take the time and effort necessary to make sure to get a copy.

Unlike the celebrity magazines or newsmagazines or other periodicals to which we all might subscribe — and which so often pile up unread on the coffee table, simply because we’re too busy to read them and too busy even to cancel the subscriptions — receiving this newspaper each day requires a volitional act on the part of each reader. It requires you to stop by a news rack, get out of your car and pick up a paper, and that’s a commitment, especially on weekends and holidays like today, when you probably aren’t making your normal rounds.

We think that makes our readers even more valuable to advertisers than are the potential readers of periodicals whose paid subscribers might or might not have a particular interest in any particular edition. And valuable readers make the newspaper valuable to its potential advertisers, who, in turn, pay the bills and enable us to continue to publish news about Suffolk and the surrounding communities.

So, yes, you’re very important to us. That’s right, you — the one reading this right now. You are the reason we exist, and please know that we appreciate you and keep you in mind in the midst of all our coverage choices, in the midst of all that we do.

This Thanksgiving, we want to say, “Thank YOU, dear reader.”