SPDR S&P 500 ETF (ETF:SPY) – How Business Leaders Spend Thanksgiving This Year

This year’s Thanksgiving is different. With the coronavirus cases rising again and borders still closed, many people are staying in and have more time on their hands than usual.

And while CNBC recommends catching up on some IPO reading during the holidays, we have talked to the leaders of the business world about the best way to spend Thanksgiving this year.

Tim Draper, Draper Fisher Jurvetson

A prominent venture capital investor Tim Draper is planning to “be with as much family as are willing to be with me,” hoping to play in the Turkey Bowl. 

Being a huge Bitcoin supporter, Tim says he will spend “quite a bit of time explaining why Bitcoin is better than Government currency.”

As a Thanksgiving go-to content, Draper suggests diving into the “Meet The Drapers,” the show “that allows the viewer of our SharkTank-like model to invest in the startups,” and “The Queen’s Gambit” on Netflix.

Tim’s message of inspiration: Live your life. Don’t let the media and the politicians live it for you.

Catherine Coley, Binance.US

Another “The Queen’s Gambit” fan is Catherine Coley, the CEO of a major crypto exchange US arm, Binance.US.

Her other movie choices for this holiday are Showtime’s drama Billions, Netflix’s martial arts comedy-drama Cobra Kai, documentaries Free Solo, and The Last Dance.

A former foreign exchange trader for Morgan Stanley, Catherine is planning to catch up on her reading list, which has books like “A Promised Land” by Barack Obama, “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill, and “Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee.

Spending her Thanksgiving in North Carolina, the state which, she notes, Binance.US has just started supporting, Catherine is planning on sharing all the things she’s thankful for with her family, “including working with a best-in-class team every day that is literally changing the future of digital currency in the US.” 

Catherine’s message of gratitude: Even with 2020 being a challenging year, there is a lot to be thankful for. I’m thankful for our users and those who help us improve each day. The Binance.US team is growing, and we have used remote work to our advantage. I’m thankful for the culture we have and the way our teamwork has evolved throughout the year. 

Alex Lieberman, Morning Brew

Alex, a young entrepreneur and co-founder of a popular daily email newsletter, Morning Brew, is taking a minute off his busy schedule to cook meals, make fires (because he loves the smell), and drink red wine in New Jersey this Thanksgiving.

He’s going to finish reading a New York Times bestseller, Nick Bilton’s “American Kingpin” and playing the Chess app, which he became addicted to after watching two episodes of “The Queen’s Gambit.”

Alex’s message of reflection: We spend so much time in the weeds, experiencing the minutia of life. Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to appreciate what truly matters and make sure that you’re living life on your own terms. 

Allison Barr Allen, Fast

Allison, the CCO and co-founder of Fast, an online login and checkout platform backed by Stripe, Index Ventures, and others, will be skiing with her husband in Lake Tahoe. Unfortunately, her parents will not be joining this year because of the third wave of Covid in the country.

Having just finished “Emily in Paris” on Netflix, which she is “obsessed with it,” she’s now watching “The Crown” and insists that ”anyone who will listen that they need to see ‘Ted Lasso’ on Apple TV+.”

She notes that the best way to spend Thanksgiving is to think about the positive things that have happened this year.

“There is no doubt 2020 has been horrible for so many of us and we’ve all spent the better part of the year documenting all of the ways it’s been awful. We need to give ourselves an emotional break for the day, to look for and celebrate the wins we have personally had, no matter how modest they may be. For me, I’m celebrating the time for self-reflection I’ve had in 2020 and for the flexibility to work in different locations that I never thought was possible before.”.

Allison’s message of support: Be your own biggest cheerleader and dream big!

Author’s note: To anyone who’s reading it, I wish you the best holiday you could possibly have, given the circumstances. Let your beloved ones know you love them, say thank you, and try to enjoy this moment as much as you can (not dwelling too much on social media).

“As much as we may disagree, as physically distanced as we may be, the truth is that we are more connected than ever because of all we have individually and collectively endured this year,” Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, wrote in her New York Times op-ed, and I think she’s right.

Happy Thanksgiving.