We never had Presidents' day when I was in school. We celebrated Abraham Lincoln's birthday (February 12) and George Washington's birthday (February 22) so we had two days off in February, which we loved.
They they decided that mid-week holidays were awkward and that holidays should be on weekends, so they combined the two presidents and set Presidents Day on a day that was never the birthday of either.
Actually, George Washington's birthday celebration was announced shortly after his death in 1799 and in 1879 it became a legal holiday. They started celebrating Lincoln's birthday in 1866, a year after his death. "Presidents Day" was created in 1971, as part of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.
So basically it means nothing to do with presidents, but more to do with sales of cars, televisions and other large appliances. I wonder what Washington and Lincoln would think of the way we celebrate their births!
Since Lincoln's death, there have been several presidents who might deserve to have their births celebrated. I am thinking today, particularly of Jimmy Carter, now spending his final days under Hospice care.
If there was ever a man, much less a president, who deserves to be celebrated, this is the guy. He may not have made an indelible mark as a president, but my word as an ex-president he has done more for the world than any other president.
This quote from Carter pretty much sums up his life: “I have one life and one chance to make it count for something. I’m free to choose that something. ... My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I can, whenever I can, for as long as I can.”
If I'm going to buy a car or a television set in February, I'd prefer that it be in honor of our 39th president rather than Washington or Lincoln.
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