Quest Partners LLC Purchases Shares of 26,146 Columbia Banking System, Inc. (NASDAQ:COLB)Lots of brands are rolling out new and returning plant-based favorites ahead of Christmas 2024, which is now just over four weeks away. Here is the best vegan Christmas chocolate you need to know about for this year’s holiday season . Read more: Galaxy Launches Dairy-Free Chocolate Selection Box For many households, chocolate is a key and beloved part of the festive season. But the vast majority of chocolates traditionally associated with Christmas aren’t suitable for those on plant-based diets. The likes of Celebrations, Roses, Quality Street, and Toblerone all contain dairy, and they have yet to introduce vegan versions of their products. There are a number of brands, however, that do offer dairy-free Christmas chocolates. As well as all-vegan companies like Catherine’s Originals and Nomo , mainstream chocolate brands like Lindt also offer vegan Christmas chocolates for 2024. Here are our picks of the best. Lindt Lindor Truffles Lindt launched two vegan versions of its Lindor Truffles , “Oatmilk” and “Dark Oatmilk,” just in time for Christmas last year. The iconic truffles are available once again, though they are still only being sold in the US. Amazon also stocks an “Assorted Oatmilk” non-dairy selection featuring both vegan Lindor truffles in one box. (For UK and EU customers, Lindt does offer some vegan selection bundles on its website, which are available outside of the US.) Find out more here . Catherine’s Originals Celebrations-style vegan selection tin Catherine’s Originals launched its vegan chocolate selection tin back in July, thought to be the first of its kind in the UK. It includes 81 chocolates in nine flavors, including vegan options inspired by non-vegan selection boxes. These include coffee truffles, “honeycomb,” cookies and cream, orange and almond, pralines, coconut, and caramels. Founder Catherine Dodd started the company in 2021 when she was just 18. Dodd has said that she was inspired to create vegan holiday chocolates after missing out on the selection tins that are such a popular choice at Christmas, particularly in the UK and Ireland. Find out more here . Moo Free’s vegan milk and white chocolate ‘Crimbo Pud’ Moo Free has a selection of plant-based Christmas chocolates, including this “Chrimbo Choccy Pud” which features a milk chocolate base “iced” with white chocolate. They are dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, vegan, and made with Rainforest Alliance chocolate. Find out more here . Read more: ‘World’s First’ Oat Milk Cream Liqueur Cocktail Arrives In Supermarkets Nomo’s Christmas Reindeers Nomo has been making vegan chocolates for nearly 20 years, and its range is available at major UK supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Asda, Tesco, and Ocado. This year, the company has introduced a mint chocolate version of its popular reindeer-shaped bar. Cookie dough flavor reindeer bars and a large, foil-covered reindeer bar are back once again. (Nomo also has a whole Christmas collection on its website, including an advent calendar, sharing boxes, mini bars, and bundles.) Find out more here . Chococo’s Festive Selection Box Another selection box, this new festive-themed option from Chococo includes a selection of 25 handcrafted chocolates. It features both dairy-free milk chocolate and dark chocolate, and flavors include Hazelnut Latte, Roasted Almond Cluster, and Glorious Ginger. Find out more here . Catherine’s Originals Toblerone-style ‘Obar’ Catherine’s Originals has also introduced the Toblerone-style “Obar,” a triangle-shaped chocolate bar featuring plant-based honey, almond pieces, dairy-free milk chocolate, and a “secret ingredient.” It’s currently available to preorder and will ship in early December. Find out more here . Read more: Vegan Brand Launches Bounty-Style Coconut Chocolate Bar
By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS NEW YORK (AP) — Sneaking a little ahead of line to get on that plane faster? American Airlines might stop you . In an apparent effort to reduce the headaches caused by airport line cutting, American has rolled out boarding technology that alerts gate agents with an audible sound if a passenger tries to scan a ticket ahead of their assigned group. This new software won’t accept a boarding pass before the group it’s assigned to is called, so customers who get to the gate prematurely will be asked to go back and wait their turn. As of Wednesday, the airline announced, the technology is now being used in more than 100 U.S. airports that American flies out of. The official expansion arrives after successful tests in three of these locations — Albuquerque International Sunport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Tucson International Airport. The initial response from customers and American employees “has exceeded our expectations,” Julie Rath, American’s senior vice president of airport operations, reservations and service recovery, said in a statement. She added that the airline is “thrilled” to have the technology up and running ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday . American got lots of attention when it unveiled its gate-control testing last month. Analysts say that isn’t surprising. It’s no secret that line cutting in airports hits a nerve. Whether intentional or not, just about every air traveler has witnessed it, noted Henry Harteveldt, an airline industry analyst with Atmosphere Research Group. It can add to frustrations in what can already be a tense environment, with particular anxiety around passengers wanting to sit together or rushing for some overhead bin space. Harteveldt doesn’t see American’s recent move as “shaming” customers who cut the line. “What it is intended to do is bring order out of chaos,” he said. “And I hope it will defuse any potential flare ups of anger (from) people who simply think they’re entitled to board out of turn .... It’s just not fair.” Harteveldt added that he thinks this change will enhance the experiences of both customers and gate agents. Others say more time will tell. Seth Miller, editor and founder of air travel experience analysis site PaxEx.aero, said he can see the benefits of more orderly and universal gate-control enforcement, particularly for airlines. But he said he isn’t “100% convinced this is perfect for passengers” just yet. Families, for example, might be booked on several different reservations across more than one group, he said. Airlines typically have workarounds for that, and American noted Wednesday that customers traveling with a companion in an earlier group can simply have a gate agent “override the alert” to continue boarding. Still, Miller said, “you have to go through the extra hoops.” And a difficult customer still might choose to hold up the line and argue when they’re not allowed to board, he added. Related Articles National News | A Mexican cartel leader arrested in the US faked his death and assumed a phony name, prosecutors say National News | Major storm drops record rain, downs trees in Northern California after devastation further north National News | SEC Chair Gary Gensler, who led US crackdown on cryptocurrencies, to step down National News | Jussie Smollett’s conviction in 2019 attack on himself is overturned National News | The FBI and DHS leaders won’t testify publicly about national security threats before the Senate Another question is whether customers who encounter a beep will walk away feeling embarrassed. But Harteveldt said he was happy to learn that American’s alert is “not a bellowing sound that can be heard throughout the terminal,” or accompanied by your name read over a loudspeaker, noting that this is important to avoid feelings of shame. Expanding this technology just a week before peak Thanksgiving travel could be “both good and bad,” Harteveldt adds. On one hand, the tech could help significantly improve the boarding process during such a busy time, he said, but airport employees might also have appreciated more time to prepare. Both Miller and Harteveldt said they wouldn’t be surprised if other carriers soon follow American’s lead. Headaches over airport line cutting are far from new. While maybe not to the extent of American’s new tech, Miller noted he’s seen gate agents from other airlines ask people to leave a line and wait for their group. Harteveldt added that he’s been to some airports in Asia and Europe with “sliding doors” that ensure passengers are in the right group before boarding a plane. The more than 100 airports that American is now using its gate-control technology in are all spoke, or non-hub, locations — including Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The airline says it expects to further expand to its hubs and other airports in the coming months.NEW YORK (AP) — Brian Thompson led one of the biggest health insurers in the U.S. but was unknown to millions of people his decisions affected. Then Wednesday's targeted fatal shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk thrust the executive and his business into the national spotlight. Thompson, who was 50, had worked at the giant UnitedHealth Group Inc for 20 years and run the insurance arm since 2021 after running its Medicare and retirement business. As CEO, Thompson led a firm that provides health coverage to more than 49 million Americans — more than the population of Spain. United is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, the privately run versions of the U.S. government’s Medicare program for people age 65 and older. The company also sells individual insurance and administers health-insurance coverage for thousands of employers and state-and federally funded Medicaid programs. The business run by Thompson brought in $281 billion in revenue last year, making it the largest subsidiary of the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group. His $10.2 million annual pay package, including salary, bonus and stock options awards, made him one of the company's highest-paid executives. The University of Iowa graduate began his career as a certified public accountant at PwC and had little name recognition beyond the health care industry. Even to investors who own its stock, the parent company's face belonged to CEO Andrew Witty, a knighted British triathlete who has testified before Congress. When Thompson did occasionally draw attention, it was because of his role in shaping the way Americans get health care. At an investor meeting last year, he outlined his company's shift to “value-based care,” paying doctors and other caregivers to keep patients healthy rather than focusing on treating them once sick. “Health care should be easier for people,” Thompson said at the time. “We are cognizant of the challenges. But navigating a future through value-based care unlocks a situation where the ... family doesn’t have to make the decisions on their own.” Thompson also drew attention in 2021 when the insurer, like its competitors, was widely criticized for a plan to start denying payment for what it deemed non-critical visits to hospital emergency rooms. “Patients are not medical experts and should not be expected to self-diagnose during what they believe is a medical emergency,” the chief executive of the American Hospital Association wrote in an open letter addressed to Thompson. “Threatening patients with a financial penalty for making the wrong decision could have a chilling effect on seeking emergency care.” United Healthcare responded by delaying rollout of the change. Thompson, who lived in a Minneapolis suburb and was the married father of two sons in high school, was set to speak at an investor meeting in a midtown New York hotel. He was on his own and about to enter the building when he was shot in the back by a masked assailant who fled on foot before pedaling an e-bike into Central Park a few blocks away, the New York Police Department said. Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said investigators were looking at Thompson's social media accounts and interviewing employees and family members. “Didn’t seem like he had any issues at all,” Kenny said. "He did not have a security detail.” AP reporters Michael R. Sisak and Steve Karnowski contributed to this report. Murphy reported from Indianapolis.
Israel launches new airstrikes on Lebanon as leaders draw closer to a ceasefire with Hezbollah
Mount Airy soccer wins first-ever State ChampionshipEngland in New Zealand: Jacob Bethell to bat at three on Test debut - BBC.comReplica enables Fortune 100 financial, business and healthcare institutions and Federal agencies such as the US Army and Defense Innovation Unit to securely engage in high risk cyber activities without compromising productivity. FALLS CHURCH, Va. , Nov. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Grey Market Labs (dba Replica Cyber ), a pioneering leader in cybersecurity solutions, proudly announces it has secured $8M in Series A funding led by Capri Ventures, with participation from Blu Ventures and AFG to accelerate adoption of its groundbreaking platform - Replica. This strategic investment will enable the company to advance its mission of delivering Secure Environments-as-a-Service, bringing unparalleled privacy and security in an increasingly vulnerable digital landscape. With this round, Andy Brown , CEO of SandHill East , former CTO of UBS, and current board member of ZScaler and PureStorage, will be joining the Board of Directors as will Dennis Shaya , Partner at Capri Ventures. In addition, Don Duet , Former Head of Technology at Goldman Sachs, and Tim Estes , founder of Angel Kids AI and former CEO at Digital Reasoning, will be joining the advisory board, complementing an already strong team including: Christopher Caine (CEO – Mercator XXI), Gary Cubbage (fmr. EVP – Booz Allen Hamilton ), Nick Donofrio (fmr. EVP Innovation – IBM), Todd Helfrich (VP Federal – Censys). The Replica platform offers Secure Environments-as-a-Service, revolutionizing how organizations protect and enable high risk activities. This includes targeting Russian misinformation campaigns in Ukraine , safe testing of new tech with proprietary data, disrupting financial scams and fraud aimed at seniors, and identifying and mitigating insider threats within organizations, among other scenarios. By integrating patented technology, intelligence tradecraft, and Zero Trust architecture, Replica quickly creates realistic IT environments that encompass hardware, operating systems, applications, networks, and data layers. This innovative solution not only protects user and organizational privacy but also delivers the data, tools and workflows needed for users to be productive in their most sensitive work. Kristopher Schroeder , CEO of Grey Market Labs, emphasized the significance of this funding round: "Replica is the culmination of over 20 years of experience in embedded tradecraft, intelligence operations, and cutting edge software. Our engineering team, with extensive backgrounds in offensive and defensive cyber warfare, has developed a product that is comprehensive with the protection and efficiency needed for today's enterprises and their users." Schroeder goes on to say, "This funding will allow Grey Marketing Labs to accelerate our vision to deliver even more impactful solutions for our customers." Capri Ventures, the lead investor in this funding round, expressed their excitement about partnering with Replica. "We are thrilled to support Grey Market Labs in their mission to redefine cybersecurity with the Replica platform," said Dennis Shaya , Partner with Capri Ventures. "Their innovative approach and deep expertise position them as a frontrunner in the industry, especially financial services, and we believe this partnership will drive significant advancements in digital privacy and security." Available as both a SaaS product and a hosted service, Replica enables secure work even in a global ecosystem, while reducing burden on the IT organization. The platform's flexible architecture supports rapid deployments (noted as some of the fastest in Financial Services), continuous updates, and seamless integration with existing enterprise services, including single-sign-on, proxies, and data governance. Additionally, Replica offers rich audit and reporting functionalities to ensure compliance with regulatory standards and provide the critical observability needed for leadership. Replica has solved critical problems for major Banks, Health Systems, Global Consulting, and Governments with use cases like: Protected Research (deep/dark web, social, automated collects, OSINT), Isolating Acquired (M&A) tech and activities, Advanced Sandboxing for Malware/ Unknown Files , Complex Training Environments, Enabling Fraud /Cyber Investigations, Secure DevOps with Data Controls, Intellectual Property Sharing and Protection, and more. With this new round of funding, Replica is poised to expand its value to customers, enhance its offerings, and further solidify its position as a leader redefining how to protect and enable high-risk activities. For more information about Replica, please visit ReplicaCyber.com . About Grey Market Labs Founded as Grey Market Labs® (dba Replica Cyber ), a Certified B-Corp with the mission to protect life online. Our work protecting the United States from foreign intelligence evolved to the creation of ReplicaTM, the world's first Secure Environments-as-a-Service platform. This patented SaaS platform simplifies creation of comprehensive hybrid-computing systems, delivering privacy and security while giving control to business users and reducing the burden on IT by 99.73%. We have solved critical problems for major Banks, Health Systems, Global Consulting, and Governments with use cases like: Protected Research (deep/dark web, social, automated collects, OSINT), Isolating Acquired (M&A) tech and activities, Advanced Sandboxing for Malware/ Unknown Files , Complex Training Environments, Enabling Fraud /Cyber Investigations, Secure DevOps with Data Controls, and more. For anyone that has tried to build complex, secure systems and platforms - Replica replaces this expensive work with the automation of secure environments. About Capri Ventures Capri Ventures is an early stage venture capital firm focused on Enterprise Technology. The team is composed of former software executives and leaders from Fortune 500 enterprises, bringing significant resources early in a company's lifecycle to help drive commercialization and market adoption. About AFG Partners AFG Partners < https://www.afgvc.com/ > is an Asian-based VC fund investing in B2B fintech and enabling tech startups addressing the critical needs of financial institutions and corporates globally, particularly in Asia . A core part of the strategy is to invest and help companies in Europe and the US who are interested in expanding across Asia via our network of LPs and ecosystem partners. Previous investments of the principals include N26, Unit, Blockdaemon, Airbnb, Transferwise, Gocardless and Wefox amongst others. About Blu Ventures Blu Ventures, a venture capital firmed based in Washington, DC , provides strategic funding and expert guidance in Seed to Series A companies in cybersecurity, healthtech, and B2B software startups. Blu leverages the deep domain expertise of its partners—all former operators with extensive industry experience—to empower visionary entrepreneurs. Learn more at www.bluventureinvestors.com SOURCE Grey Market Labs
4 easy, comforting bean dishes for fall
New e-libraries to provide edu tools to Haryana cops’ familiesUnlike scores of people who for the blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight in recent years, Danielle Griffin had no trouble getting them. The 38-year-old information technology worker from New Mexico had a prescription. Her pharmacy had the drugs in stock. And her covered all but $25 to $50 of the monthly cost. For Griffin, the hardest part of using the new drugs wasn’t access. It was finding out that the didn’t really work for her. “I have been on Wegovy for a year and a half and have only lost 13 pounds,” said Griffin, who watches her diet, drinks plenty of water and exercises regularly. “I’ve done everything right with no success. It’s discouraging.” In clinical trials, most participants taking Wegovy or Mounjaro to treat obesity lost an average of 15% to 22% of their body weight — up to 50 pounds or more in many cases. But roughly 10% to 15% of patients in those trials were “nonresponders” who lost less than 5% of their body weight. Now that millions of people have used the drugs, several obesity experts told The Associated Press that perhaps 20% of patients — as many as 1 in 5 — may not respond well to the medications. It’s a little-known consequence of the obesity drug boom, according to doctors who caution eager patients not to expect one-size-fits-all results. “It’s all about explaining that different people have different responses,” said Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity expert at Massachusetts General Hospital The drugs are known as GLP-1 receptor agonists because they mimic a hormone in the body known as glucagon-like peptide 1. Genetics, hormones and variability in how the brain regulates energy can all influence weight — and a person’s response to the drugs, Stanford said. Medical conditions such as sleep apnea can prevent weight loss, as can certain common medications, such as antidepressants, steroids and contraceptives. “This is a disease that stems from the brain,” said Stanford. “The dysfunction may not be the same” from patient to patient. Despite such cautions, patients are often upset when they start getting the weekly injections but the numbers on the scale barely budge. “It can be devastating,” said Dr. Katherine Saunders, an obesity expert at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-founder of the obesity treatment company FlyteHealth. “With such high expectations, there’s so much room for disappointment.” That was the case for Griffin, who has battled obesity since childhood and hoped to shed 70 pounds using Wegovy. The drug helped reduce her appetite and lowered her risk of diabetes, but she saw little change in weight. “It’s an emotional roller coaster,” she said. “You want it to work like it does for everybody else.” The medications are along with eating behavior and lifestyle changes. It’s usually clear within weeks whether someone will respond to the drugs, said Dr. Jody Dushay, an endocrine specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Weight loss typically begins right away and continues as the dosage increases. For some patients, that just doesn’t happen. For others, side effects such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea force them to halt the medications, Dushay said. In such situations, patients who were counting on the new drugs to pare pounds may think they’re out of options. “I tell them: It’s not game over,” Dushay said. Trying a different version of the new class of drugs may help. Griffin, who didn’t respond well to Wegovy, has started using Zepbound, which targets an additional hormone pathway in the body. After three months of using the drug, she has lost 7 pounds. “I’m hoping it’s slow and steady,” she said. Other people respond well to older drugs, the experts said. Changing diet, exercise, sleep and stress habits can also have profound effects. Figuring out what works typically requires a doctor trained to treat obesity, Saunders noted. “Obesity is such a complex disease that really needs to be treated very comprehensively,” she said. “If what we’re prescribing doesn’t work, we always have a backup plan.” ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Jonel Aleccia, The Associated Press
Aden Holloway established career highs of 26 points and eight 3-pointers to help No. 5 Alabama roll to a 105-82 nonconference victory over South Dakota State on Sunday at Tuscaloosa, Ala. Freshman Labaron Philon had the best game of his young career with 21 points and six assists for the Crimson Tide (11-2). Mark Sears had 20 points, including 6-for-14 3-point shooting. Grant Nelson added 17 points and eight rebounds and scored the game's first eight points. Alabama coach Nate Oats has sometimes been critical of his squad's defensive effort and the second half against the Jackrabbits will provide more fuel for that concern. Alabama did connect on a season-best 19 3-point shots but also attempted 55 long-range shots (34.5 percent). The Tide also saw South Dakota State put up 49 points in the second half to keep the score relatively competitive. Alabama claimed a fifth straight win with its third 100-plus point performance of the season. South Dakota State (9-6) was led by Washington State transfer Oscar Cluff, who had 21 points and 15 rebounds, including seven offensive boards. The Jackrabbits connected on 11-for-26 3-point shooting (42.3 percent), with guard Isaac Lindsey scoring 11 points, including 3-for-6 on 3-point tries. After Nelson's personal 8-0 run to open the game, South Dakota State pulled with 16-14 on a shot by William Whorton with 11:45 to play in the opening half. But Alabama then broke the game open, going on a 24-3 run culminating in a Holloway 3-pointer to give the Tide a 40-17 edge with 7:37 left in the opening half. South Dakota State trailed 57-33 at halftime, but played a much more competitive second half offensively by connecting on 17 of 33 shots (51.5 percent). Alabama will open 2025 with a home game against No. 12 Oklahoma on Saturday. South Dakota State will host Summit Conference opponent Denver on Thursday. --Field Level MediaAmericans are heading into the first holiday season in years where buying less may be the first thing on their minds. And this year, gift lists may exclude one important person: you. Stacker dug into Deloitte's 2024 holiday retail survey to explore the psychology behind Americans' reluctance to self-gift this year. In the modern era, holiday gifting includes a practice that may seem rooted in consumerism—giving ourselves gifts. However, "self-gifting," psychologists say, carries its own importance. It's one consumers intend to cut back on or eliminate entirely this holiday shopping season, according to Deloitte's 2024 holiday retail survey of over 4,000 U.S. consumers. We've all done it. With hard-to-resist Black Friday deals and hypertargeted advertising, it can be difficult to resist shopping for yourself when doing so for others. Meanwhile, the cost of goods and services has risen faster than usual every year since 2021, when post-COVID-19 pandemic inflation took root in the U.S. economy and altered how we consume. Even so, Americans expect to spend more on gifts this holiday than in the previous five years. Deloitte found that the average person anticipates spending $1,778 this year, a 19% increase from 2019, when the average expected spend was $1,496. Baked into that figure are consumers' expectations of higher prices this season, according to Deloitte. In response, some Americans are signaling they may do less for themselves. About 1 in 3 consumers intend to self-gift this year, down from almost half of all consumers last year, Deloitte found. At least 2 in 5 (43%) won't spend on themselves at all, up from 25% last year. Today, the appeal of giving gifts around winter holidays is nearly universal. The holidays have long been an occasion to show our love for others in the exchange of gifts. Though giving gifts may have emerged from the biblical story of the three wise men, Christmas celebrations were among the first to lean into a commercialized version of the winter holidays. Other religious traditions like the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah have evolved to include gifting as a part of its observance over the winter holiday. Even workplace culture has adopted gifting as a way to foster connections and lift moods with traditions like Secret Santa. This holiday season, though, our modern treat-yourself-culture could be on pause for many Americans. You may also like: Gen X, millennials pay more for their mortgages Dr. Steve Westberg, a professor of marketing and consumer psychology at the University of Southern California, suggests that the uptick in surveyed adults who say they hope to scale back self-gifting this year may be due to consumer pessimism and financial concern. Faced with more limited options during the pandemic years, Americans bestowed themselves with material goods—some out of practical necessity, others not. Over the 2020 and 2021 holiday seasons, Americans hunkered down at home to avoid catching or spreading the latest COVID-19 variant. They bought lots of furniture, electronics, and other items in lieu of spending on travel, outings, and live events. In 2022 and 2023, consumers embarked on so-called " revenge travel " to catch up on international and domestic trips. They attended the live music and sporting events they had missed out on. Today, there are signs that all of that spending is beginning to cause stress for the typical American consumer as prices remain painfully high . Americans' total amount of credit card debt is at an all-time high, and default rates for vehicle loans and credit cards are rising. In almost every major poll leading up to the 2024 presidential election, the economy and inflation were consistently the top issues driving voters to the polls. However, as consumers pull back, there's evidence that self-gifting can positively impact personal well-being . Dr. Jacqueline Rifkin, an assistant marketing and management communications professor at Cornell University, describes the practice as a way to self-regulate emotions. Self-gifting can express positive emotions in a way we may recognize as a celebration. "You just got a promotion, or you won some big award, you're feeling good, and you want to extend or amplify those good feelings. You can use self-gifting to achieve that," Rifkin told Stacker. Self-gifting can also be a way to deal with negative emotions. Rifkin published research in the Journal of Consumer Research on self-gifting, which revealed that people were least likely to gift things to themselves when under stress or feeling constrained—even though self-gifting can help us regulate during stressful moments. "If you're going through a rough time ... you can use self-gifting to pick yourself back up. One of the colloquial ways we think about this is 'retail therapy,'" Rifkin said. Can self-gifting and retail therapy veer into wasteful self-indulgence? Potentially, according to Westberg, who says the reasons we self-gift are similar to those that drive compulsive shopping habits. The act generates a positive emotional response. There's an important distinction, however, that experts draw between the two. Westberg and Rifkin agree that self-gifting stands out from other forms of shopping in that it incorporates intentionality. "You could define self-gifting as being a little more thoughtful in your choice," Westberg explained. Consumer advocates suggest that shoppers looking to cut back on spending create guardrails to help them shop more intentionally. Removing credit card information from our web browser's autofill function or delaying the impulse to "buy now" and creating a wish list instead can elongate the purchase process. Putting space between the initial urge to buy and the purchase can be revealing, too: It clarifies what's really meaningful and worthy enough to justify buying. For others, like Westberg, shopping satisfaction is derived from researching items to self-gift in the future. Westberg's initial inclination when it comes to self-gifting, like many of us, is to reward himself with some kind of "big ticket" item. "On the other hand, I don't know that I'll ever actually do that because once I have it, the anticipation aspect is going to go away," Westberg said. "So while I do think about self-gifting myself a car ... I get a lot of enjoyment [from] doing the research. ... [It's] the thoughtfulness that I can put into it rather than having the physical thing." According to Rifkin, our reluctance to give ourselves gifts isn't always born of financial constraints but also a belief that giving ourselves something won't actually make us feel better, even though it can. She advises consumers to remember that gifts can take on different forms this holiday season, and many of them don't cost a thing. "It's this intentional behavior that we engage in. It's something you do, you do it on purpose, and you do it for yourself," Rifkin said. "Could it be going for a walk around the block? Absolutely. Could it be dusting off a book that you hadn't read in a while and spending an hour reading it? Yes." Story editing by Alizah Salario. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Kristen Wegrzyn.
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