Mark Steyn: Americans have their holidays in perpective -

Chicago Sun Times ^ | January 2, 2004 | Mark Steyn

[UnklGene]

ping

[NonValueAdded]

"and the lucky Scots get Tuesday, Jan. 4, off too -- the First Hogtuesday After Hogmonday? Eventually, the entire Scottish economy will achieve the happy state of their enchanted village of Brigadoon and show up for one day every hundred years."

Is that the definiton of hog heaven? Steyn's back ping!

[Mr. Mojo]

I've spent Christmas on both sides of the pond and, on the whole, I prefer the intensity of the American version: the big buildup, nonstop seasonal favorites on the radio between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, and then at midnight on Dec. 25, it all stops

I hear ya, Mark. But these days the buildup is beginning to start shortly after Halloween, not Thanksgiving. ......way too early to be bombarded with Christmas stuff.

[expatpat]

Many aspects of European life are, indeed, very pleasant: jobs for life, three-week Yuletides, etc. But they're what the environmental crowd would call 'unsustainable development.'

LOL. Keep on truckin', Mark.

[Mamzelle]

LOL--" Eventually, the entire Scottish economy will achieve the happy state of their enchanted village of Brigadoon and show up for one day every hundred years."--!!!

How can Steyn keep churning these out? His well would never seem to run dry?

[Mercat]

I was working 50-60 hour weeks in 2003. In 2004 I managed to cut it down to about 35-40 and this year, my goal at 56 is to cut it down even further. I hope to retire in three years. I'm self employed in a profession which eats people up and I have minimal financial needs. My 62 year old husband just got his first social security check. We plan to take mine as early as possible. He has "passive income" which means he works his behind off almost every day on some investment properties we have bought over the last 30 years. This is our first year when we won't be supporting a child. I remember someone saying, "We child proofed our house but they keep coming back."

[andyandval]

He is truly amazing.

[Rummyfan]

But Paris in August, like London ''over Christmas,'' is in itself a symbol of flight -- flight from work. In 1999, the average ''working'' German worked 1,536 hours a year, the average American 1,976. In the United States, 49 percent of the population is in employment, in France 39 percent. From my strictly anecdotal observation of German acquaintances, the ideal career track seems to be to finish school around 34 and take early retirement at 42. By 2050, the pimply young lad in lederhosen serving you at the charming beer garden will be singlehandedly supporting entire old folks' homes. If tax rates were to be hiked commensurate to the decline in tax base and increase in welfare obligations, there would be no incentive at all to enter the (official) job market. Better to stay at school till 38 and retire at 39. That's why America's richer, and why, though the Europeans preen about their kinder, gentler society, customers of Amazon.com have pledged more money to disaster relief in the Indian Ocean than the French government.

Bump for Mark Steyn!

Happy New Year to All Freepers!

[nothingnew]

Q-Fluless Steyn ping.

FMCDH(BITS)

[shield]

bttt

[SedVictaCatoni]

Hogmanay is actually the traditional Scots name for New Year's Eve.

What Steyn is hinting at but not really saying, with regard to Christmas, is that in America we celebrate Advent (the lead-up to Christmas) and in Britain they celebrate Christmas (a twelve-day festival from Christmas Day to Epiphany). We often hear of the "twelve days of Christmas" in America, but we never stop to think about it.

[Cicero]

The European Christmas is more in line with the traditional Church calendar, which observes Christmas from December 25 through January 6, Epiphany or the Feast of the Magi. That's where the Twelve Days of Christmas comes from.

But of course Europe no longer thinks of it in terms of a religious celebration. Just more time for slacking off.

[aculeus]

BTTT

[1066AD]

By 2050, the pimply young lad in lederhosen serving you at the charming beer garden

By 2050, the pimply young lad in traditional dress and keffiyeh will be serving you at the charming tea garden.

[hershey]

How lucky we are Steyn chooses to put pen to paper.

[Poser]

Another good one by Mark bump.

[shezza]

It would require enormous political will to shift the people of Europe. After you've turned citizens into junkies, with government as the pusher, it's very hard to turn them back again, and even harder to get them to quit cold turkey. It's all but impossible in the present Continental political culture.

Spot on, Mr. Steyn.

[Spyder]

Ah ha! This explains where Terry Pratchett got Hogfather from. It's an obviously cute little satirical Christmas story, but his "Santa Claus" is the Hogfather and the holiday Hogswatch.

[Chgogal]

Hehehehehe! So very true. The only thing worse than stale Christmas punch is trying to get something done in Europe during the weeks of late July and early August!