Like the proverbial frog basking unaware in a gradually boiling pot of water, American holiday observance has been modified piecemeal over the last half century to create an increasingly progressive federal calendar. This trend should not be surprising given recent history’s leftward political drift.
Calendars, specifically observed holidays, provide insights into societies. For example, the American separation of church and state is reflected in Christmas being the only religious celebration among the six holidays on which schools, offices, factories, banks, financial markets, and all levels of government tend to be closed, the other five being New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day (the Fourth of July), Labor Day, and Thanksgiving. Of course, some people celebrate these holidays, especially Thanksgiving, by attending religious services. And New Years’ Day is of Christian origin, counting the years since the conventional date of Jesus’ birth. Also, the stock market still closes on Good Friday.
In any event, the last few decades have witnessed striking changes — all in the progressive direction. The process began in 1971 when celebration of Washington’s Birthday moved to the third Monday in February. Although the holiday’s formal name remained the same, it is commonly called Presidents’ Day. Singular honor for George Washington has been replaced by aggregate recognition of all U.S. presidents. No longer was any American honored with his own federal holiday.
Around the same time, many states dropped their February celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. Presumably the disappointment of workers and schoolchildren at the loss of time off for Lincoln’s birthday was somewhat compensated by Presidents’ Day three-day weekends. And employers were certainly pleased: one fewer paid day off in some states as well as heating and other savings from closing workplaces for three consecutive days rather than opening and closing them for single weekdays. With this more efficient closure as well as low employee attendance and the appeal of long weekends, Friday after Thanksgiving has become an increasingly common paid holiday.
USAG Humphreys
Jesus Christ is King
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