GETAWAY TIME!
In the newsroom, we call it the Summer Slump. The Professor and the Imp call it Break. The schmancy people in the Hamptons call it the Season. My writer friends just call it August, and sigh because they know nothing good – or bad -- will happen until after Labor Day.
Whatever you call it, you can thank the late 19th century for your summer break.
Until then, taking more than a day or two off was only for people who were deathly ill, or taking care of someone who was. The very idea was an offense to the whole concept of work ethic that so many Americans held dear. People, unless they had the sheer good fortune to be born wealthy, were expected to work for their keep on a daily basis.
But then, a few things happened to move the needle.
Unions started to succeed in their push for eight-hour days, safer working conditions – and actual time off.
Schools started to adopt calendars with longer breaks in the summer, and not just so kids could work in the fields. In some communities at some times, farm work did play a role…but it was just as possible that the length of the year was determined by the amount of money the school district had to pay teachers. Not to mention the fact that most of the really serious farm work happens at planting and harvest – spring and fall – not summer.
Another big reason for summer vacations was the rise of an urban or suburban middle class. That meant more families with more money and time off to take a break.
The Victorian housewife also had a role to play. With their men working in city offices, and their children out of school for weeks at a time, many mothers started wanting to go somewhere cool, clean and safe.
So they did.
Resorts and summer rentals exploded anywhere families could reach by a reasonable train or wagon ride. This is the beginning of the summer seasons in the Catskills and more.
Families of even relatively modest means started sending the wife and children to a cabin or resort for weeks at a time. It was intended as a break for everyone, getting the family away from the heat, grime and danger of the city in the summer, and giving Dad a little bachelor time. Of course he wasn’t supposed to take advantage, and Mom wasn’t supposed to acknowledge it…but…
The family summer holiday remained a tradition for decades – it was still very much a thing as late as the 1950s, when it was the plot device for “The Seven-Year Itch” starring Marilyn Monroe as the temptation for a bachelor dad.
Eventually, as more women started working, and businesses tightened up their rules, the months-long vacations tapered off…and many of us would be thrilled to get a few days at the shore now.
Still, though, even if you don’t take the month off, there’s no question that the old-fashioned work ethic drops off a good bit in August -- and everyone needs a break. So don’t be too annoyed if it takes a while to get a reply to that email. And don’t rush to return mine.
Got a #ThrowbackThursday idea? Drop it in the comments!
Whatever you call it, you can thank the late 19th century for your summer break.
Until then, taking more than a day or two off was only for people who were deathly ill, or taking care of someone who was. The very idea was an offense to the whole concept of work ethic that so many Americans held dear. People, unless they had the sheer good fortune to be born wealthy, were expected to work for their keep on a daily basis.
But then, a few things happened to move the needle.
Unions started to succeed in their push for eight-hour days, safer working conditions – and actual time off.
Schools started to adopt calendars with longer breaks in the summer, and not just so kids could work in the fields. In some communities at some times, farm work did play a role…but it was just as possible that the length of the year was determined by the amount of money the school district had to pay teachers. Not to mention the fact that most of the really serious farm work happens at planting and harvest – spring and fall – not summer.
Another big reason for summer vacations was the rise of an urban or suburban middle class. That meant more families with more money and time off to take a break.
The Victorian housewife also had a role to play. With their men working in city offices, and their children out of school for weeks at a time, many mothers started wanting to go somewhere cool, clean and safe.
So they did.
Resorts and summer rentals exploded anywhere families could reach by a reasonable train or wagon ride. This is the beginning of the summer seasons in the Catskills and more.
Families of even relatively modest means started sending the wife and children to a cabin or resort for weeks at a time. It was intended as a break for everyone, getting the family away from the heat, grime and danger of the city in the summer, and giving Dad a little bachelor time. Of course he wasn’t supposed to take advantage, and Mom wasn’t supposed to acknowledge it…but…
The family summer holiday remained a tradition for decades – it was still very much a thing as late as the 1950s, when it was the plot device for “The Seven-Year Itch” starring Marilyn Monroe as the temptation for a bachelor dad.
Eventually, as more women started working, and businesses tightened up their rules, the months-long vacations tapered off…and many of us would be thrilled to get a few days at the shore now.
Still, though, even if you don’t take the month off, there’s no question that the old-fashioned work ethic drops off a good bit in August -- and everyone needs a break. So don’t be too annoyed if it takes a while to get a reply to that email. And don’t rush to return mine.
Got a #ThrowbackThursday idea? Drop it in the comments!
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James wrote: "Very interesting and timely piece, Kathleen. Thank you.I can just hear Nat King Cole crooning "Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer.
It's summertime, and the livin' is easy. At least that's what y..."
James wrote: "Very interesting and timely piece, Kathleen. Thank you.
I can just hear Nat King Cole crooning "Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer.
It's summertime, and the livin' is easy. At least that's what y..."
WOW! Thank you so much for sharing this! Impressive!
I can just hear Nat King Cole crooning "Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer.
It's summertime, and the livin' is easy. At least that's what you've been led to believe based on songs and film—and your friends' Facebook pages. But for some, summer isn't quite the funfest it's cracked up to be.
The dog days of summer are the hot, sultry days of summer. They were historically the period following the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius (known colloquially as the "Dog Star"), which Hellenistic astrology connected with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, and bad luck. They are now taken to be the hottest, most uncomfortable part of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
Dr. Norman Rosenthal, and colleagues at the National Institute for Mental Health discovered seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and realized there's also a summer version.
Summer SAD shows up as agitation rather than winter's lethargy. Long sunlit days can mean you get up earlier and stay up later—a recipe for sleep deprivation, which is more common in summer than any other time of the year. Your body releases more of the stress hormone, cortisol, when you're sleep-deprived which can contribute to depression.
Perhaps the move to a 4 day work week will help. More than 3,300 employees across 70 companies in the U.K. are participating in a pilot program to work four days a week in exchange for the same productivity and pay. Launched in June, the six-month experiment led by the nonprofit 4 Day Week Global relies on previous research that finds employees are happier, healthier, and more efficient with reduced working hours.
Forty companies in the U.S. and Canada have joined the pilot program, with another 60 signed up for a second phase in October. While 100 companies are a propitious start, the number is hardly enough to shift the zeitgeist in America, where coming into the office before breakfast, working through lunch, and answering emails after dinner are de rigueur.
Thanks again, Kathleen, for bringing us such interesting and thought provoking topics.