>However, we have special holidays that encourage the deadbeats to at least come across with the goods once a year.
>
>Given these reasonable assumptions, our loved ones benefit at a slightly higher rate than their European counterparts.
>
>QED <g>

OTOH, the merchants benefit at the significantly higher rate than their European counterparts :)

Though, in most of the east-European countries there's the International Women's Day (March 8th) which is the day all the florists are living for. I do think this is more fair than having a Mother's day, because it doesn't reduce the better half of the humankind to only one role, but rather serves as a praise to their struggle for equality. One of the things from communist times that nobody even thinks to remove.