Getting Back to Work After Long Weekends

Long weekends are a lot of fun.  Returning to work after a few days off is a completely different story.  How to deal with the back to work syndrome?  Is there anything to mitigate the pain of forced labor?  Actually, I don’t think so.  You just gotta get thru the back to work transition as if you were going through the flu recovery.  Another long weekend is coming again, sooner or later.  Sometimes it feels like much, much later.

Constitution Day in Poland and USA

Constitution Days are celebrated in numerous countries all over the world as a sign of appreciation for the "funding document” of their political system.

The US Constitution Day is observed on a fixed date - on September, the 17^th, unlike most American holidays, which are set on a specific weekday, instead.

May Day or Labor Day in Poland and US

 May 1st as Labor Day is traditionally observed not only in Poland, but in the most of the World with some exceptions.  One of those is the US.  In the States, Labor Day is celebrated in/ at the beginning of September - on the first Monday of the month, to be exact.

Why such a difference?

Long Weekends in the USA and Poland and the 5W Rule

Party time, dude!

Who doesn’t like to have fun, man?  Who does not like long weekends?  Whether you live in the United States of America or in Poland or in any other country in the whole wide World, for this matter, it doesn’t matter – “I just wanna have fun”.  Who ain’t?

New Year’s 2012 Speech by US President Barack Obama

Traditionally the US President gives a New Year’s speech in his Weekly Address to the Nation.

This year’s presidential appearance and presentation were focused on the poor economic situation and overcoming the crisis.

Celebrating New Years’ Eve in the USA

Just like in the most of the World January 1^st marks the beginning of a new year in the USA.  The New Year’s Eve’s celebration is the biggest and a truly world-wide party with its climax at the NewYear’s midnight, which like a web interconnects party goers all over the planet and moves around the globe following the time zones.

Majority of people get together with friends and families to celebrate the event.  They either stay home and have private parties or go out to bars, restaurant, theaters or places where they will be able to welcome the New Year in spectacular and scenic surroundings and where they can watch the traditional fireworks shows.

The Word Eve in American English

Do you know what the word eve means?  Have you speculated about it?  Did you check into it?

We all know about Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.  Some of us know that Halloween is the eve of All Saints’ Day.  But what does the word stand for exactly?  Does it carry the meaning “the day before” as it may imply?   Or maybe it denotes something else?

Why Christmas and New Year’s Are Exactly One Week Apart not Only in the USA?

Have you ever thought why these two major holidays Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve and obviously Christmas and New Year’s are exactly one week apart?

It may be just a pure coincidence but maybe not.

One Two Eight or Twelve Days of Christmas in the USA

In most countries Christmas is celebrated as a two-day holiday.  The second day of Christmas is sometimes called the Boxing Day.  No, it has nothing to do with fighting or the sport of boxing.  The name comes from an old tradition of giving gifts in boxes to servants by their lords.

In the USA Christmas is a one day festivity.  I still remember my first Christmas in America.  For me it so obvious that it is a 2-day celebration that it didn’t even come to my mind that I should go to work on the Second Day of Christmas.

Christmas Carols in the USA and the “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens

Who doesn’t like Christmas Carols and Christmas in general?  Well … you might be surprised.  But that’s a different story.

What are Christmas Carols, anyway?  When did the carols tradition start?  Why are these songs called carols and what does the word carol itself mean?  Where are Christmas carols performed nowadays?  Should we still talk about Christmas carols or rather Christmas songs?

Christmas Gift Giving to Children in the USA and Where the Wise Men Came from

We, the adults, can live without Christmas gifts.  It is a completely different story, though, when it comes to giving gifts to children for Christmas.  For one reason or another presents, especially the ones for Christmas, have a very special meaning which goes far beyond regular generosity.

Christmas Is Coming to Town! The Holiday Shopping Season in the USA

Ho, ho, ho!  Coca Cola’s Santa Clause is coming to town!  Shopping malls are full.  It takes forever to get in to go shopping there and even more time to get out from there.  That’s American Christmas time.

Fortunately and lucky for us - shoppers - we have an alternative now.  We can just sit down at the computer or, better yet, take it to bed and go shopping on line at the comfort and convenience of our own home and even our favorite couch or sofa.

Coca Cola Christmas 2011 in USA

It’s all about Christmas for commerce, for both the traditional brick and mortar outlets and virtual Internet stores.

Majority of retailers and wholesalers or whole sellers alike make most of their profits at this time of the year called the Holiday Shopping Season.  Its official start falls on Black Friday, which is the Friday following Thanksgiving.

Now, there is also a digital or electronic commerce or e-commerce equivalent - the Cyber Monday, which is the Monday right after the Thanksgiving weekend. Not really surprisingly, considering the nature and character of the American entrepreneurial spirit and business environment and law, Internet stores started capitalizing on Thanksgiving itself with the very recent addition of Cyber Thanksgiving. 

Christmas commercials are very lavish and impatiently participated by viewers and listeners, too.  They are the cream of the cream of advertising and the world of trade promotions. 

One company took it to the extreme.  I’m talking Coca Cola here. 

Christmas in Washington, DC, USA

December is traditionally the month of Christmas celebrations including the annual “Christmas in Washington” show, which this year (2011- two thousand eleven) will air on TNT on Friday December 16^th, a week before Christmas Eve. 

In the tradition of so American-like charitable giving by the rich and famous to the poor and needy this show first appeared in 1981 and this year it celebrates its 30^th  (thirtieth) anniversary. 

Of course, it is also a huge promotional event for the participating celebrities and the television network itself. 

It is tremendously popular and you will be able to see the re-runs number of times during the year that follows. 

Merry Christmas! (the Christmas Song video and lyrics)

Cyber Monday and Cyber Thanksgiving in the US – the Electronic Black Fridays

Now when the craziness of the Black Friday weekend is behind us we can all relax, finally get some rest and in the coziness of our own homes … go shopping online. 

Just like the Black Friday, the Friday right after Thanksgiving, is the beginning of the Holiday shopping season, the Cyber Monday, following the whole Thanksgiving weekend, has become its online equivalent in the e-world and a great start to the year end digital shopping frenzy on the world wide web or net. 

Black Friday in the USA - the Start to the Holiday Shopping Season

Happy Thanksgiving!  Now when The American Holiday is over and we are all stuffed like the turkey we can do what Americans do best – we can go shopping.

The Friday after Thanksgiving is really crazy.  Not only is it the day of super promotions and super sales.  It is also one of the most dangerous days of the year for traffic and security.  People not only shop till they drop.  Crooks are coming out of the woods looking for an opportunity to make the extra buck pick pocketing, breaking into cars in shopping malls parking lots, robbing homes and just stealing whatever they can put their hands on.

Thanksgiving in the USA – The American Holiday of Eating Meeting and Visiting

Celebrating Thanksgiving is all about eating, meeting and visiting.

Families, relatives, or just friends get together at the proverbial dinner table not really to commemorate the first mutual fest of the Pilgrims or immigrants from Europe and the Native Americans or the original residents but to indulge themselves in great food, relax and have fun in the company of the dearest ones.

People tell jokes, watch football games, have a beer or too, so to speak, or a glass of wine, or rather a bottle … to be closer to reality, stuff themselves with turkey meat or filling and other traditional, or not so conventional Thanksgiving dishes and goodies.

Thanksgiving in the USA – How the Turkey Day Really Started

Turkey is on the table!  What could be more American than the Thanksgiving turkey?  Well, maybe the American apple pie or the pumpkin pie?  Maybe?  May be.  The tradition of serving turkey for Thanksgiving dinner is as old as the celebration itself, right?  Maybe not.  Actually … not really.

You may not believe it, but the turkey tradition is relatively new and did not became the Thanksgiving staple food until it was popularized on a massive scale only in the late 1940-ies (nineteen forties) by Mr. Sears and company through mail catalogue sales, which is the predecessor to the current day Internet commerce.

The tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving in America we learn in history classes started in 1620-ies (sixteen twenties).  The modern day Thanksgiving is, by popular belief, considered a direct ancestor of the Pilgrims’ celebration.  It, as the research shows however, is not.

Poland’s Independence Day and Veterans Day in the USA – November 11th

On November 11^th (eleventh) 1918 Poland regained its independence after it had not existed as a country for 123 (one hundred twenty three) years. 

In the United States Veterans Day is celebrated on this day. 

It is also the day when World War I (one) or the Great War, as it was referred to before WWII (World War Two), ended. 

For one reason or another this day, November 11^th sooner or later has become a holiday in many countries. 

Trick or Treat?

Halloween in the US is about having fun and American trick or treating.  On this day of October 31^st kids and grown-ups alike dress up in Halloween costumes.  Schools look like huge party halls full of princesses and knights, witches and ghosts, walking pumpkins and winged fairies.

After school children, usually accompanied by parents, go trick or tricking.  Of course in costumes, quite often different from those they wore in the morning.