Happy Presidents Day

[Jdvn1]

Looks like someone else watched the Today show this morning.

President's Day is kind of a worthless holiday as far as I can tell. Right up there with Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Don't get me wrong, MLK, Washington, and Lincoln were all great people, who contributed to our country's history in a positive way, but there's not any actual *point* to the holiday. It's just there - another day for the Post Office to not deliver any mail. Turns out, now that I work for a financial institution, I actually got today off. But, in all honesty, I'd rather be at work.

In fact, the only point to President's Day is to give an excuse to all the furniture stores and car dealerships an excuse to run a big sale.

Shh, don't give my secret away!

Actually, I didn't even know that Presidents' Day was to celebrate those specific presidents until I saw that. But I think maybe when they came up with Presidents' Day, people were more patriotic or they were trying to push more patriotism (since Lincoln wasn't very popular during his own time), so therein the point lies. I'd guess it's a historical reason, and now it's just tradition.

You don't like having the day off?

 

[Angcuru]

I think it's a given that majority of Americans don't care about the holiday other than the fact that a lot of us get the day off. It's really just an excuse to bunch two President's Birthdays into one day where people can relax. If you're not a True Blue Patriot or in a historically-oriented profession, chances are you don't care about today.

My PoV - Any day I get to say home away from school/work is a good day.

 

[Desdichado]

Thanks from the USA! Not that we celebrate this holiday where I work, or where most people work, as I understand it.

Me neither. In general, across the country President's Day has largely been supplanted as a "celebrated" holiday in favor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Although a discussion of the merits of Washington and Lincoln vs. King Jr. would certainly be a political thread... Better not go there.

 

[drothgery]

Actually, I didn't even know that Presidents' Day was to celebrate those specific presidents until I saw that. But I think maybe when they came up with Presidents' Day, people were more patriotic or they were trying to push more patriotism (since Lincoln wasn't very popular during his own time), so therein the point lies. I'd guess it's a historical reason, and now it's just tradition.

IIRC, when some other federal holdiay was crated, Washington's Brithday and Lincoln's Brithday were consolidated into one holiday so the number of holidays wouldn't go up.

 

[barsoomcore]

The two things that, more than anything else, remind me that the US is a foreign country are Presidents and High School.

Canada and the United States have a lot of things in common, but Presidents and High School are two things that largely mystify me about my huge, noisy, good-hearted but sometimes muddled neighbor. I just don't really get how they work, down there.

But Happy Presidents Day to you all.

 

[WayneLigon]

I celebrated President's Day by finally caving in and buying World of Warcraft

I'm a state employee, so we get the following holidays:

New Years Day
Robert E. Lee's Birthday/Martin Luther King Jr. Day
George Washington/Thomas Jefferson
Mardi Gras Day (Only in Mobile and Baldwin counties; everyone else gets a floating 'Personal Day')
Confederate Memorial Day
National Memorial Day
Jefferson Davis' Birthday
Independence Day
Labor Day
Columbus Day/American Indian Heritage Day
Veterans Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas Day

And Texas, I think, still gets like two more holidays than we do, though they have a whole host of 'elective' holidays where you chose one out of two or three offered.

 

[Angcuru]

Canada and the United States have a lot of things in common, but Presidents and High School are two things that largely mystify me about my huge, noisy, good-hearted but sometimes muddled neighbor. I just don't really get how they work, down there.

Neither do I, BC. Neither do I.

 

[Desdichado]

Don't they have High School (or some kind of secondary education) that's very similar in Canada? My Canadian friends here in Detroit seem to have gone through pretty much the same experiences we did.

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

Happy President's Day, indeed!

I attend The American University *IN* Washington, DC... did I get President's Day off? No. No... I had to attend class... and, luckily, I got to take three exams!! HUZZAH!

 

[diaglo]

to our US readers

This announcement void where prohibited by law!

thanks.

spent the whole day shopping. to stimulate the economy i guess they had a ton(ne) of sales.

i bought Races of Wild and Lost Empires of Faerun. :meh: :double meh: but at least i've got them for my collection.