Speaker 1: I saw Halloween decorations at the story yesterday. What a
reality check. I guess summer is almost over and we
need to get back into the swing of things.
Speaker 2: Welcome to another Happy English podcast, coming to you from
New York City. And here's your English teacher, Michael.
Speaker 1: All right, thank you, John, and thanks everyone. It's Michael
here from Happy English and I help people speak English better.
And this is Happy English Podcast, Episode eight sixty seven,
the end of Summer Vibe in the US. Hello, and
welcome and thanks for joining me for another episode of
the Happy English Podcast. Can you believe it? Summer is
winding down? It feels like just yesterday we were talking
talking about hot dogs, fireworks and road trips. But now
here we are at the official end of summer in
the USA. Today, I want to talk about two big
things that happen at the end of the American summer.
Getting ready to go back to school and Labor Day weekend,
the last big hurrah before fall kicks in. And along
the way, I'll toss in a few idioms that you'll
hear Americans using during this season. So let's dive in now.
Even if you're not a student or you don't have kids.
You'll still notice when back to school season hits. Stores
are full of school supplies, backpacks, laptops, lunchboxes, and of
course those big red and yellow back to school sale signs. Seriously,
you walk into a store in late August and it's
like the summer decorations vanish overnight. One day you're shopping
for beach towels. The next day it's pencil cases and planners.
Parents are trying to get everything on the school supply list,
kids are dreading homework, and teachers well, they're getting back
into the swing of things. When you get back into
the swing of things, it means that you return to
your normal routine after a break, like after summer vacation.
It's hard to get back into the swing of things.
It usually takes a week or two for kids to
get back into the swing of school. And you know,
when I moved here in March, it took me like
a month to get back into the swing of things. Now,
let's talk about it. Labor Day weekend. Labor Day is
a national holiday in the US, and it was originally
created to honor workers and the labor movement, but these days,
for most people, it's a chance to enjoy one last
summer weekend before the school year and the work routine
kicks in. And since Labor Day itself falls on the
first Monday of September, it's a three day weekend like barbecues,
road trips, beach parties, lake days, outlet shopping, and backyard games.
I like to think of it as summer's last dance.
In fact, it's such a big deal that some people
really go all out for Labor Day. Yeah, they go
all out. This means that people do something with maximum
effort or enthusiasm, Like my neighbors went all out with
their Labor Day barbecue. They had fireworks, a DJ, even
a taco truck. In fact, my town goes all out
for Labor Day weekend. They have a street fair with
live music, food, and of course fireworks. But hey, if
you're not into big gatherings, Labor Day weekend is also
a good time to just chill, sleep in, and mentally
prepare for the school year or busy fall season. And
you know, summer is not technically over. I mean, the
summer season doesn't officially end until later in September. But
in American culture, Labor Day weekend feels like the end.
I mentioned this point in our first Summer culture lesson.
The American summer season of outdoor fun begins on mom
Oriole Day weekend at the end of May and finishes
up on Labor Day weekend at the beginning of September.
Since kids are basically on summer vacation until around the
beginning of September, it's summer vibes. Between those two long
weekends and Labor Day weekend is where everyone collectively starts
shifting into fall mode. You might hear people say something like, well,
I guess that's it. Summer's over. Even if it's still
hot as heck outside, there is this bittersweet feeling in
the air. The fun is winding down and the reality
is starting to creep in. And that's quite a reality check.
A reality check that means a moment that reminds you
that the fun and party are over and real life
is about to start again. Like buying school supplies is
a total reality check that summer's ending. Seeing Halloween decorations
in the story Yesterday is a weird reality check. And
for college students or teachers, Labor Day is often their
last day of freedom before everything gets serious again. You know,
like the last day of your cruise or the last
day of your trip to Rome. That plane ride home
is a reality check. And let's not forget one more
thing that happens on Labor Day weekend. Those Labor Day
sales big ones, furniture stores, clothing shops, car dealers, electronics stores.
If it can be discounted, it will be. In fact,
a lot of people wait for Labor Day to buy
things like sofas, laptops, or a new car. Like I
wasn't planning to shop for a new computer, but then
I saw the fifty percent off sale and I got
sucked in. I got sucked in. To get sucked in
means to be pulled into something, usually without planning to.
I just went to look around, but I got sucked
in and bought a new phone. Like we weren't going
to buy anything, but the low prices sucked us in. Okay,
let's wrap it up. As Labor Day weekend rolls around
in the US, people are getting back into the swing
of things, going all out for that last celebration and
facing a little reality check, and sometimes getting sucked in
to those back to school sales. It's the season of change. Goodbye, summer.
Hello routine, What about you? Are you back into the
swing of things in September. I hope you enjoyed this
little series of lessons on American summer culture. It was
fun for me to bring them to you. Thanks, as
always for hanging out with me today. Remember the best
way to remember English like this and any other word
or phrase in English, is to take that word or phrase,
write it in a sentence that's true for you or
true in your world, and then memorize your sentences. And
remember to check out my AI tutor. It's a great
way to practice your English, get answers and more twenty
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