American Holidays

A couple years ago, I got tired of people making false generalizations about American culture.
So, when people would ask "Do you really...?", I started to say "everything you've seen in the movies is true" because you can't argue with everything a person has ever known, let alone change the tides by yourself.
Like telling someone the right way to pronounce "Tom Cruise", "South Carolina", "Tennessee", "Johnny Depp", or "Mel Gibson".
They won't believe you.
And if they do, they won't remember anyway.
So just accept that Lethal Weapon actually stars "Mel Jeebson".

But I really get a kick out of people's perceptions of American holidays.

One time, a co-worker said to me "Happy Halloween! Are you going home to celebrate?".
This person evidently thought that Halloween is a huge holiday for Americans like Carnaval in Brazil or the Canary Islands or Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
Yes, I'm going to buy a plane ticket home to dress up like a pirate and trick-or-treat, then me and my family will kill a baby goat and drink its blood in a Pagan / heretical Protestant ritual and give each other beads for whoever drinks the most blood.

Here's another: "You don't get any days off at Easter?".
"Easter is on Sunday. It's already a day off."
These are people that aren't familiar enough with Protestant churches to know that Maundy Thursday and Good Friday aren't as emphasized.
Not as if Spaniards go to church those days anyhow.

Speaking of religion: "Thanksgiving is a religious holiday, right?"
At first, I used to explain the story of the pilgrims and the Native Americans that we all heard in kindergarten.
But people still weren't satisfied.
Until I finally got to the root of the issue.
"In the movies, you always see a family at a dinner table with a turkey praying."
News flash: if a family blesses a meal at Thanksgiving, they probably do it every other day of the year.
But you don't see Mom getting her potato salad recipe out of a Bible or the kids making a nativity scene with Elmer Fudd, a turkey and Sitting Bull.

And while some people say:
"Americans are very family-oriented because they get together at Christmas",
I hear those same people, many times in the same breath, say:
"Americans don't care about family because they move all over the country".
These people have seen both A) any number of American Christmas movies where the family comes home for the holidays, and B) any number of American college movies where the kids move away and leaves the parents crying in their driveway.
Which one are you, then? family-oriented or not?
Yes.
I agree.
Bartender?

"Americans have very little vacation time"
Your average American has two weeks of vacation time.
Spain gets 20 - 25 days (work days).
That's five weeks.
I admit, two weeks isn't that much, but five weeks is unreal.
How can a company make profits?

I get a chuckle when people are surprised that we don't do something that is only done in Spain.
"You don't eat grapes on New Year's? How can you not eat grapes on New Year's?"
What connection do grapes have to New Years?
They're not even in season!
It's winter!

No, we don't celebrate virgins or saints.

On the other hand, I bet Spaniards in the United States get asked "What are you doing for Cinco de Mayo?"
"When is it, anyway?"