They made our days

Thanksgiving started out as a religious holiday, proclaimed by President Lincoln in the midst of the Civil War as a “day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.” Many Americans still see it that way, though in today’s multicultural and multireligious society, it is often considered more of a festival of gratitude for feasts, friends and family. For those of us on The Times’ editorial board, it’s an opportunity to give thanks for the newsmakers, news events and newcomers that have enlivened our year. We’re grateful to:

Everybody involved in the rescue of the 33 miners trapped deep underground in Chile, who produced a happy ending in a situation that could easily have gone the other way.

Kamala Harris and Steve Cooley, whose hairsbreadth race for the office of California attorney general reminded us all that every vote does indeed count.

Pope Benedict XVI, for recognizing the role of Latinos in Southern California’s Roman Catholic community by appointing Mexican-born Archbishop Jose Gomez to succeed Cardinal Roger Mahony in the Los Angeles diocese.

U.S. Department of Agriculture worker Shirley Sherrod, who maintained her dignity in the face of a despicable and misleading attempt by partisan media to make her look like a racist by selectively editing an old videotaped speech.

California voters, for showing their strong commitment to the environment by rejecting Proposition 23, which would have ended the state’s pioneering efforts to slash greenhouse gas emissions. As an added bonus, voters also nixed the poorly drafted marijuana legalization measure, Proposition 19.

TBS, for giving Conan O’Brien something to do besides sending Tweets.

The Fox TV show “Fringe,” which features a parallel Earth with intriguing differences from this one. Presumably the Democrats retained control of Congress over there.

The Los Angeles Lakers, still Southern California’s most successful professional sports franchise.

General Motors’ initial public stock offering, for bringing us closer to the day when Uncle Sam will hold no stake in the auto industry.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, for supporting a full panoply of political reforms — from the citizen redistricting commission to draw legislative lines to the open primary to the expansion of redistricting to cover congressional seats. Schwarzenegger’s efforts to rewrite California’s political rules may end up being his most lasting contribution to the state and its politics.

U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker, for his lucid and detailed opinion on why Proposition 8, which outlawed same-sex marriage in California, is unconstitutional.

President Obama, for canceling NASA’s Constellation program, the goal of which was to return Americans to the moon, and refocusing the space agency on more scientifically rich endeavors.

Chief Charlie Beck, for a successful first year at the helm of the Los Angeles Police Department. Even as some other big cities have seen crime begin to edge upward after years of declines, L.A. in 2010 continued to enjoy falling numbers, especially the murder rate.

Pixar, which makes our list for the second year in a row. Movie franchises have from time to time produced sequels at least as good as the originals, but how many can you name that haven’t fallen apart by the third installment? With “Toy Story 3,” Pixar had the courage to (spoiler alert) move beyond Andy, just as he had moved beyond his toys.

The organizers of CicLAvia, an Oct. 10 event that saw a short route through downtown L.A. closed to cars and open to cyclists and walkers, turning the streets into a 7 1/2-mile-long park. More, please.

E-Readers, whose new apps for newspapers and magazines could help save our medium.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, for its return to an active focus on consumer protection. The agency aggressively investigated unsafe practices at plants producing children’s over-the-counter medications, and it was quick to jump on dubious health claims made by food producers. It was also right to hold off on approving genetically engineered salmon because of gaps in research on health and environmental effects.

California public schoolteachers. We call for more accountability for them and frequently criticize their unions, but that doesn’t stop us from recognizing the incredibly difficult and valuable job they do under trying circumstances and with too little societal respect.

Kanye West, not only for apologizing to former President George W. Bush for calling him a racist but for putting out a pretty great new album.

Meg Whitman, for fulfilling her pledge to create jobs in California. Though Whitman was defeated in the gubernatorial race by Jerry Brown, she spent $144 million of her own money along the way, creating jobs for political consultants, advertising experts and campaign workers, and fattening the bottom lines of many a California television station.

The Supreme Court, for upholding free-speech rights even when they involve disgusting depictions of animal cruelty. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. penned an opinion for the ages when he wrote: “The 1st Amendment … reflects a judgment by the American people that the benefits of its restrictions on the government outweigh the costs. Our Constitution forecloses any attempt to revise that judgment simply on the basis that some speech is not worth it.”

CNN, for rehabilitating former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who in his new incarnation as a TV talker puts the professional pundits to shame.

LAPD detectives, who busted Lonnie David Franklin Jr., a former police garage attendant and onetime garbage collector suspected in a murder spree spanning more than two decades.

The California Supreme Court, which delivered a victory for many deserving students when it upheld a 2001 law allowing illegal immigrants who attend state high schools for three years and graduate to continue to pay the lower, in-state tuition rates at public universities and colleges.

Celebrities reaching out to gay teens via YouTube with the message “It gets better,” encouraging kids to stay strong and not cave in to bullies.

The iPad, for giving us something to crave even if we don’t know what we’ll do with it.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (known to some as Obamacare), with all its flaws, for setting the healthcare system on a path toward sustainability.

The demise, or at least diminishment, of celebrity-infested clubs protected by velvet ropes, which have given way to beer bars where everyone is welcome and drinks cost $5 instead of $15.

Carly Fiorina’s “demon sheep” ad against rival Tom Campbell in the Republican primary for U.S. senator, which demonstrated how inexpensive it is to mount an incomprehensible political attack. Baaah!

Noomi Rapace. We’ll wait and see what the American movie versions do with Stieg Larsson’s wildly successful murder mysteries. But the previously little-known Swedish actress with cheekbones so sharp they could slice cheese will always be the consummate Lisbeth Salander, one of the most subversive and enjoyable female sleuths in fictional history. Take that, Miss Marple.

“Halo Reach,” a classy ending to a revolutionary video-game franchise.