---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For rich people, holiday festivities were…"
description: "\"“For rich people, holiday festivities were only beginning on December 25. They would continue enjoying feasts and gifts through Epiphany on January 6—t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/962/jeff-guinn-21483_christmas_for-rich-people-holiday-festivities-were_705741.jpg"
---

#  For rich people, holiday festivities were only beginning…

![“For rich people, holiday festivities were only beginning on December 25. They would continue enjoying feasts and gifts through Epiphany on January 6—these were the twelve days of Christmas. Poor people went back to work on December 26.” quote by Jeff Guinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/962/jeff-guinn-21483_christmas_for-rich-people-holiday-festivities-were_705741.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/962/jeff-guinn-21483_christmas_for-rich-people-holiday-festivities-were_705741.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/962/jeff-guinn-21483_christmas_for-rich-people-holiday-festivities-were_705741.jpg)

> ““For rich people, holiday festivities were only beginning on December 25. They would continue enjoying feasts and gifts through Epiphany on January 6—these were the twelve days of Christmas. Poor people went back to work on December 26.””

[Jeff Guinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-guinn/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Wealth creates a prolonged celebration for the rich, while the poor return to work immediately.

**In simple terms:** Rich enjoy extended holidays; poor must work.

Key Takeaway

Recognize economic disparity in holiday traditions.

Themes

inequality holiday traditions class divide

Mood

critical empathetic

Type

sociological observational

When to use this quote

- holiday planning
- social policy
- educational curricula
- media analysis

Key Concepts

sociology economics culture

Questions to Reflect On

- How do holiday traditions reflect class?
- What can be done to make holidays inclusive?

A Different Perspective

Romanticizing the past can ignore systemic issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Christmas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas/) [Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holiday/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Poor people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-people/) [Rich people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich-people/)

## Related quotes

> [Christmas is a poor excuse every 25th of December to pick a man's pockets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/christmas-is-a-poor-excuse-every-25th-of-december-to-pick-a-man-s/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [The irony of Christmas is always upon the poor in heart; the mystery of the solstice is always upon the rest of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/the-irony-of-christmas-is-always-upon-the-poor-in-heart-the-mystery/)

[John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/)

> [The night of December 25, to which date the Nativity of Christ was ultimately assigned, was exactly that of the birth of the Persian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-night-of-december-25-to-which-date-the-nativity-of-christ-was-2/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [“At the Unitarian Universalist Christmas pageant in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it didn't matter that Mary insisted on keeping her nails painted black or that Joseph…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-keegan/at-the-unitarian-universalist-christmas-pageant-in-cambridge/)

[Marina Keegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-keegan/)

> [To the American People: Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good will, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/to-the-american-people-christmas-is-not-a-time-or-a-season-but-a/)

[Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/)

> [“To the American People: Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good will, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/to-the-american-people-christmas-is-not-a-time-or-a-season-but-a-2/)

[Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/)

> [One of my first favorite books was 'The 12 Days of Christmas,' and I would just go up to people and say, 'I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-manuel-miranda/one-of-my-first-favorite-books-was-the-12-days-of-christmas-and-i/)

[Lin-Manuel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-manuel-miranda/)

> [There are 364 days until Christmas and people already have their lights up. Unbelievable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goodmanb/there-are-364-days-until-christmas-and-people-already-have-their/)

Goodmanb

> [Does anything good happen a couple days before Christmas? Nothing good happens just a few days before Christmas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-meadows/does-anything-good-happen-a-couple-days-before-christmas-nothing-good/)

[Mark Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-meadows/)

> [“A department store two days before Christmas Eve is like a city in a state of siege…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/a-department-store-two-days-before-christmas-eve-is-like-a-city-in-a/)

[Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/)

> [There are 17 more shopping days until Christmas. So, guys, that means 16 more days till we start shopping, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/there-are-17-more-shopping-days-until-christmas-so-guys-that-means-16/)

[Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/)

> [January is the beginning of a new year for us in the Western world. Let us give to God what belongs to him: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-white/january-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-year-for-us-in-the-western-world/)

[Paula White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-white/)

> [Since, O sweet Lord Jesus, Thou art the present portion of Thy people, favour us this year with such a sense of Thy preciousness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/since-o-sweet-lord-jesus-thou-art-the-present-portion-of-thy-people/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If I had been an Italian I am sure that I should have been whole-heartedly with you from the start to finish in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/if-i-had-been-an-italian-i-am-sure-that-i-should-have-been-whole/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. MARTIN LUTHER, letter to Chancellor Gregory Brück, January 13,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/i-cannot-forbid-a-person-to-marry-several-wives-for-it-does-not/)

[Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/)

## More by Jeff Guinn

> [“It is a privilege to help children learn the true meaning of Christmas, which is gratitude to God for sending us his son Jesus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-guinn/it-is-a-privilege-to-help-children-learn-the-true-meaning-of/)

[Jeff Guinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-guinn/)

> [Not all magic is fireworks and fanfare. Sometimes magic is quiet and sneaks up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-guinn/not-all-magic-is-fireworks-and-fanfare-sometimes-magic-is-quiet-and/)

[Jeff Guinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-guinn/)

> [“If anything was certain, it was that there would always be people looking for someone to tell them what to believe in and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-guinn/if-anything-was-certain-it-was-that-there-would-always-be-people/)

[Jeff Guinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-guinn/)

> [“conformity. They believed in and followed the same rules, respecting parents and teachers above all. This was typical throughout Indiana—according to state historian James…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-guinn/conformity-they-believed-in-and-followed-the-same-rules-respecting/)

[Jeff Guinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-guinn/)

> [“Charlie still likes to listen to music, mostly vintage rock ’n’ roll as well as Sinatra. His favorite actor is John Wayne, and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-guinn/charlie-still-likes-to-listen-to-music-mostly-vintage-rock-n-roll-as/)

[Jeff Guinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-guinn/)

> [“On Jones’s instruction, Larry Schacht ordered one pound of sodium cyanide, enough for 1,800 lethal doses. It cost $8.85.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-guinn/on-jones-s-instruction-larry-schacht-ordered-one-pound-of-sodium/)

[Jeff Guinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-guinn/)

> [“Not all magic is fireworks and fanfare. Sometimes magic is quiet and sneaks up on you. An illusion is what needs all the bells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-guinn/not-all-magic-is-fireworks-and-fanfare-sometimes-magic-is-quiet-and-2/)

[Jeff Guinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-guinn/)

> [“on Tombstone’s streets. It took the judgment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-guinn/on-tombstone-s-streets-it-took-the-judgment/)

[Jeff Guinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-guinn/)

> [“Revelation, Charlie explained, predicted that locusts would come, and locusts were, of course, beetles—the Beatles. John said that the locusts would have “scales like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-guinn/revelation-charlie-explained-predicted-that-locusts-would-come-and/)

[Jeff Guinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-guinn/)

> [With hindsight, we recognize that the social and moral confusion of the late 1960s and early 1970s is part of a cultural cycle; we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-guinn/with-hindsight-we-recognize-that-the-social-and-moral-confusion-of/)

[Jeff Guinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-guinn/)

> [“add and the contributions it might”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-guinn/add-and-the-contributions-it-might/)

[Jeff Guinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-guinn/)

> [“One thing the army didn’t do very often was swoop in to deflect Indian attacks on wagon trains of settlers—there weren’t that many such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-guinn/one-thing-the-army-didn-t-do-very-often-was-swoop-in-to-deflect/)

[Jeff Guinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-guinn/)

> [“He felt that anything he wanted ought to be his no matter what.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-guinn/he-felt-that-anything-he-wanted-ought-to-be-his-no-matter-what/)

[Jeff Guinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-guinn/)

> [“But in 1621 the Puritan leaders decreed that Christmas would not be celebrated at all in Plymouth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-guinn/but-in-1621-the-puritan-leaders-decreed-that-christmas-would-not-be/)

[Jeff Guinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-guinn/)

> [“Christmas was not officially restored as a full holiday in Scotland until 1958.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-guinn/christmas-was-not-officially-restored-as-a-full-holiday-in-scotland/)

[Jeff Guinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-guinn/)

[Explore all 29 Jeff Guinn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-guinn/)

## More Christmas quotes

> [The notion of a non-religious Christmas is ridiculous. But so is the insistence on the part of Christians that politicians and retailers carry out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/the-notion-of-a-non-religious-christmas-is-ridiculous-but-so-is-the/)

[Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/)

> [As we are coming to the end of the year, I want you to forget about the past, the failure, the negative thoughts or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-are-coming-to-the-end-of-the-year-i-want-you-to-forget-about/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I once bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas with a note on it saying, toys not included.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-manning/i-once-bought-my-kids-a-set-of-batteries-for-christmas-with-a-note-on/)

[Bernard Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-manning/)

> [May you have the spirit of Christmas which is Peace, the gladness of Christmas which is Hope, and the Heart of Christmas which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/may-you-have-the-spirit-of-christmas-which-is-peace-the-gladness-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [To my future children; you will know the true meaning of Christmas just not you get gifts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-my-future-children-you-will-know-the-true-meaning-of-christmas/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [No sane local official who has hung up an empty stocking over the municipal fireplace is going to shoot Santa Claus just before a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-smith/no-sane-local-official-who-has-hung-up-an-empty-stocking-over-the/)

[Al Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-smith/)

> [A new heart for a New Year, always!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/a-new-heart-for-a-new-year-always/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [Santa Claus has nothing to do with it," the latke said. "Christmas and Hanukah are completely different things." "But different things can often blend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/santa-claus-has-nothing-to-do-with-it-the-latke-said-christmas-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [For Christmas one year I bought my son a BB gun. He bought me a t-shirt with a bulls eye on the back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-dangerfield/for-christmas-one-year-i-bought-my-son-a-bb-gun-he-bought-me-a-t/)

[Rodney Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-dangerfield/)

> [“Why did he hesitate? He finally admitted to himself that he was like an American child who was almost completely certain about Santa Claus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/why-did-he-hesitate-he-finally-admitted-to-himself-that-he-was-like/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [There seems a magic in the very name of Christmas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/there-seems-a-magic-in-the-very-name-of-christmas/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [Heaven? Floating about with everyone you ever knew for eternity? Me family does me 'ed in after one day at xmas, I'd rather be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/heaven-floating-about-with-everyone-you-ever-knew-for-eternity-me/)

[Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/)

> [Like everyone in his right mind, I feared Santa Claus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/like-everyone-in-his-right-mind-i-feared-santa-claus/)

[Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/)

> [“I stopped keeping an eye out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve because, when I was five, my mother told me that Santa was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/i-stopped-keeping-an-eye-out-for-santa-claus-on-christmas-eve-because/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [On Hanukkah, the first dark night, Light yourself a candle bright. I'll you, if you will me invite To dance within that gentle light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-gordon/on-hanukkah-the-first-dark-night-light-yourself-a-candle-bright-i-ll/)

[Nick Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-gordon/)

[Browse all 5,100 Christmas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“For rich people, holiday festivities were only beginning on December 25. They would continue enjoying feasts and gifts through Epiphany on January 6—these were the twelve days of Christmas. Poor people went back to work on December 26.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jeff Guinn"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-guinn/for-rich-people-holiday-festivities-were-only-beginning-on-december/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Christmas"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-guinn/for-rich-people-holiday-festivities-were-only-beginning-on-december/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/962/jeff-guinn-21483_christmas_for-rich-people-holiday-festivities-were_705741.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/962/jeff-guinn-21483_christmas_for-rich-people-holiday-festivities-were_705741.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/962/jeff-guinn-21483_christmas_for-rich-people-holiday-festivities-were_705741.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For rich people, holiday festivities were only beginning on December 25. They would continue enjoying feasts…” — Jeff Guinn",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Jeff Guinn",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-guinn/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“For rich people, holiday festivities were...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-guinn/for-rich-people-holiday-festivities-were-only-beginning-on-december/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-guinn/for-rich-people-holiday-festivities-were-only-beginning-on-december/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
