June 1st is Children's Day here in Poland and, while I love my kids (tending to go slightly overboard anyway in the gift-giving department), I really do think that this is just one occasion too many.

After all, Polish children get two Christmases - their traditional St. Nicholas' Day on December 6th as well as the better known December 25th holiday. And my girls really clean up at this time of year: I can't "tone down" Santa Claus while the forerunner is grandly marked by every Pole.

Then there's name days. Most of us get one birthday a year, but these people not only celebrate their birth, they also party on their namesake's saint's designated day. So every Zofia in the land gets flowers and presents, cakes and chocolates, on May 15th in addition to a smaller festivity on the anniversary of her birth. Of course, my North American daughters are now claiming their rights to name days ...when in Rome...or Warsaw, as the case may be.

I haven't yet figured out all the religious holidays which occur nearly monthly, shutting down the entire country for a day or two, but I've learned enough to know that manual labor of any sort, such as weeding the garden or hanging out laundry, is a shocking breach of social manners and only barely tolerated if performed by "Angelskis" ("English"). Of course, the countless hours of house scrubbing and feast preparation by Polish women for these celebrations is not only accepted but expected.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd better get shopping...