Stikii Appreciates our Presidents!

Presidents’ Day is right around the corner, which is why many of you may have the day off this coming Monday. Each year Presidents’ Day is celebrated on the third Monday in February.  This day, which was originally in celebration of the United States’ first president, George Washington, is a day to honor the legacies of all of our U.S. presidents, past and present day. The holiday, first established in 1800 when Congress declared February 22 (Washington’s birthday) a federal holiday, now honors the birthday of Abraham Lincoln (he was born on February 22).

 The following are some fun facts associated with the federal holiday:

1. Washington’s Birthday was celebrated during his lifetime, and was considered the original Presidents’ Day.

2. Traditionally, many celebrated (and still do) Washington’s birthday with desserts made of cherries (think back to the story about GW chopping down the cherry tree). Cherry pie, cherry cake, cherry muffins, cherry cobbler or just a plain old bowl of fresh cherries. I cannot tell a lie.

3. Shopping and sales – in the 1980s retailers began to use the holiday as a time to clear out fall and winter styles for the new spring and summer fashion lines.

4. Reading of Washington’s Farewell Address – Almost every year since 1888, Washington’s Farewell Address has been read in the US Senate on February 22. This is an annual celebration of George Washington’s birthday that stems from th1862 reading of the address to help boost morale during the U.S. Civil War. In his address, Washington emphasized the importance of national unity over sectional differences.

For some fun and educational President’s Day activities to do with your children, check out the following websites:

http://holidays.kaboose.com/presidents-day/presidents-day.html

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/presidentsday/

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/presidents-day/

http://fun.familyeducation.com/presidents-day/entertainment/32937.html

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson223.shtml

Stikii hopes that everyone will take the time to appreciate all that our past presidents have done for our country as well as the responsibilities and endeavors of our current president. The USA is a place where dreams come true, and freedom is, well, free! We have our presidents to thank for many of the liberties we enjoy today. Do something educational and fun in honor of our country’s leaders this Monday, February 20, 2012. Happy Presidents’ Day from Stikii!