Thanksgiving Normalcy
Thanksgiving is a very special holiday in the United States, marking the beginning of holiday season and getting together with families. Last year, Thanksgiving was far from normal with the COVID-19 pandemic, but things are coming together for a massive celebration today, and there are promising things that signal this.
First, we are seeing a great number of travellers this year. In 2019, 55.3 million Americans travelled for Thanksgiving, and this number cratered to 50.6 million in 2020, with many opting out of travel due to the pandemic. This number is back to pre-pandemic levels, with approximately 53.4 million travellers this year, and airports are full of passengers ready to board flights. This is helping businesses all over the country, and airports too, giving the economy a boost, it missed last year.
Second, shopping is starting to make its way back. An estimated 158.3 million people plan to shop this Thanksgiving weekend, an increase of 2 million from last year, although we are still far from pre-pandemic levels. Small businesses look to reap in more money from shoppers going by. Retail companies have said that there is enough stock to prevent shortages, but I fully expect there to be shortages, especially on Black Friday.
Finally, it looks like Macy’s has hopped onto the crypto train. Every Thanksgiving Day, Macy’s holds their Thanksgiving Parade in New York City, where people are dressed in costumes and ride vibrant, specially designed vehicles through the streets, with balloons and blimps following. Macy’s announced that they would release NFTs designed after 10 of their Parade Day balloons, joining the NFT craze along with many other companies. After all, there is no other time to turn an old tradition into a new one than the year of 2021, right? Are you excited for Thanksgiving this year?
I am not a financial advisor and my comments should never be taken as financial advice. Investments come with risk, so always do your research and analysis beforehand.