Hi All,It's that time of year again! You know what I'm talking about, right? It's holiday time - a time of year when seasons greetings meet you at every turn. Where dreams come true and snow falls at just the right time to make the Christmas lights glow and cast shadows on beautiful snow drifts in your backyard.
It can also be a time of great happiness and entertainment! And why am I waxing so nostalgic over this season of giving? Well, click on this link from the New York Times for an article entitled, 'Denmark, Where Joy Is Always in Season'. What an article - what a county! I want to visit! Now you see why I'm writing this blog entry!
Click on this link - which goes to the Farmingdale library card catalog - which will send you to a link for travel books about Denmark in the Farmingdale PL. Based on the New York Times article, I suspect quite a few readers will now want to visit Scandinavia. With that thought in mind...
click on this link from Wikipedia about 'Scandinavia' - which commonly describes the three countries of 'Denmark, Sweden, and Norway'.
So just exactly why am I writing about Scandinavia? Because of a survey called the 'Satisfaction with Life Index'. Learn more about this by clicking on this link from Wikipedia.
Top 10 countries on the Satisfaction with Life Index are:
1. Denmark
2. Switzerland
3. Austria
4. Iceland
5. Bahamas
6. Finland
7. Sweden
8. Bhutan
9. Brunei
10. Canada
and for perspective...here is a very, very partial list of where other well-known countries stand on this list....
11. Ireland
23. United States
31. Saudi Arabia
35. Germany
41. United Kingdom
42. Dominican Republic
46. Spain
50. Italy
51. Mexico
58. Israel
62. France
63. Hong Kong
81. Brazil
82. China
83. Cuba
90. Japan
96. Iran
133. Turkey
142. Syria
151. Egypt
166. Pakistan
167. Russia
174. Ukraine
178. Burundi
Finally, click on these links to find out how to make the holiday season count:
Chicago Tribune - Procrastinator's Guide to Making Holidays' Count
Berkeley Beacon - Health Matters: Making the Holidays Count
Forbes - How to Make Your Holiday Giving Count
Enjoy the links and the holidays! Promise, there will be more holiday related blog entries in the near future!
Regards,
Stu
