Monday, February 16, 2009

Happy Beginning of End of Winter Day!

Ah, Presidents' Day, or Giant Furniture Sale Day. As I recall (confirmed by Google), it started as Washington's Birthday on his actual birthday and got moved to the third Monday in February by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act ( they should have just named this the Three Day Weekend Act for complete honesty). Once that happened it was a matter of time before other Presidents got added, mainly Lincoln but also others in some cases. It's another holiday, as opposed to Holiday. The presence of Valentine's Day the same weekend this year didn't help; it sucked up most of the marketing oxygen, leaving Presidents' Day gasping.

James Lileks feels the same way.

It has no songs; it has no traditional meals -- Applebee's won't be serving Gout Burgers in honor of William Howard Taft -- and it has no TV specials, like "You're a One-Term President Remembered Largely for Scandal and Graft, Charlie Brown."

On the other hand.....

It's just another day in the short, shuddering month of February. Which is more than halfway over, by the way. Happy Halfway to March Day! Now that means something.

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