Presidents' Day

Tomorrow I have a Monday holiday: Presidents' Day. It is always the third Monday of February. It is associated mainly with Presidents Washington and Lincoln. Lincoln's birthday is February 12th and Washington's birthday is February 22nd, so Presidents Day falls in between.



In my research online, I found out that Washington's birthday became a Federal holiday in 1880, and it was celebrated on whatever day it fell on. I remember in junior high (grades 7 & 8) making a little cherry pie in home economics class in honor of Washington's birthday. That is because of the story about Washington's honesty, that when he was a boy he cut down a cherry tree and, when his father asked who had done it, young George said, "Father, I cannot tell a lie. I did it with my little axe." Or words to that effect.

Lincoln is also known for his honesty, even bearing the nickname "Honest Abe." The story I heard about him was that when he was a young man he worked in a store, and one day he accidentally overcharged a woman by a tiny amount. I think it was three cents. Granted, in those days, three pennies could buy more than it could now. Anyway, according to the story, when he realized his mistake, he walked a long distance to the woman's home to give her back her pennies without delay.

In the late 1960s, Congress passed a bill changing four holidays (Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day) to always be Mondays, so that workers could have three-day weekends. (Labor Day was always a Monday. Veterans Day was changed back to November 11th in the mid-1970s. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday was established as a Monday holiday in the early 1980s.)

I was surprised to learn that Congress has never officially changed the name of Washington's Birthday to Presidents' Day. But it has become general usage. Some say the honors all presidents. In today's polarized political environment, that could cause some uproar.

Anyway, as this lengthy explanation shows, Presidents' Day is a somewhat amorphous holiday and, it seems to me, does not bring out the patriotic feelings of some of our other Federal holidays. Other than cherry pie, I know of no traditions associated with it. Not that cherry pie isn't a fine tradition all by itself. But I do appreciate George Washington and Abraham Lincoln for being such exemplary Presidents of the United States that I can sleep in tomorrow. Thanks, guys.