Barry Ritholtz: Escaping to Buy Gifts
on Thursday, November 24, 2016Barry Ritholtz Funny Money Quote saying we’ll make any excuse to get away from our family, even to go out shopping for them after the holiday meal. Barry Ritholtz said:
“Shopmas now begins on Thanksgiving Day. Apparently, escaping the families you cannot stand to spend another minute with on Thanksgiving Day to go buy them gifts is how some Americans show their affection for one another” — Barry Ritholtz
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In this quote, Barry Ritholtz seems to be satirizing how Thanksgiving traditions have increasingly given way to holiday shopping in American culture. Some key points:
- He notes that for many, “Shopmas” or the Christmas shopping season now starts as early as Thanksgiving Day itself, rather than the day after.
- Ritholtz suggests some use the opportunity to leave family gatherings on Thanksgiving, which they apparently “cannot stand to spend another minute with”, in order to begin shopping for gifts.
- This implies the desire to spend time with loved ones on Thanksgiving has been replaced by a priority to rush out and purchase presents as soon as possible.
- The quote lampoons how consumerism and the pressure of gift-giving seems to have diminished the original meaning and family focus of the Thanksgiving holiday for some Americans.
Overall, Ritholtz aims to critique the degree to which holiday shopping has encroached upon Thanksgiving traditions through this tongue-in-cheek characterization of using retail therapy to escape tedious family time on the holiday itself.