Today is Presidents Day, a holiday originally established to honor President George Washington’s birthday. Later, it was decided it would become a holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February to commemorate the birthdays of the aforementioned Washington and President Abraham Lincoln, who was born on Feb. 12. Both birthdays, as well as the Presidents Day holiday itself, enjoyed more cultural relevance with previous generations when the culture of this country embraced honoring its Founding Fathers instead of demonizing them. 

Today, Presidents Day is arguably an afterthought, with many companies and institutions no longer acknowledging it or considering it worthy of a holiday. For example, while listening to a sports radio talk show on Philadelphia’s Sportsradio WIP this morning, host Tom Kelly referred to Presidents Day as a “phony holiday.” His co-host, Al Mogranti, diminished the day for “sales” at stores to get discounts on products such as refrigerators.