# Presidents Day or George Washington's Birthday? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 20, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-day-or-george-washingtons-birthday/613457 "2012-02-20T21:09:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KneeSid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dec6dc/32.png) [@KneeSid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneeSid)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-day-or-george-washingtons-birthday/613457/1 "2012-02-20T21:09:36Z")
The federal holiday is Washington’s Birthday, but many state combine the federal holiday with a state one and call it President’s day. So which handle do you prefer? As a side discussion, don’t you like how the holiday evolved to be another day for retailers to sell “President’s Day Sale” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-day-or-george-washingtons-birthday/613457/2 "2012-02-20T21:16:09Z")
Washington’s is also my birthday, so screw Lincoln. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-day-or-george-washingtons-birthday/613457/3 "2012-02-20T21:22:15Z")
I think we all can come up with some presidents we don’t particularly care for, and I don’t think they deserve a federal holiday among their other honors. Washington’s Birthday is the name of the holiday officially, and so it should remain. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-day-or-george-washingtons-birthday/613457/4 "2012-02-20T21:22:38Z")
Family Day. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-day-or-george-washingtons-birthday/613457/5 "2012-02-20T21:27:39Z")
When I was growing up, we got both days (Washington’s birthday and Llincoln’s birthday) off from school. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-day-or-george-washingtons-birthday/613457/6 "2012-02-20T21:33:48Z")
I’ve never heard it referred to as anything other than “President’s Day”. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-day-or-george-washingtons-birthday/613457/7 "2012-02-20T21:34:56Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > When I was growing up, we got both days (Washington’s birthday and Llincoln’s birthday) off from school. They were both holidays, but I don’t recall getting off from school. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-day-or-george-washingtons-birthday/613457/8 "2012-02-20T21:46:03Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > I’ve never heard it referred to as anything other than “President’s Day”. Here is the [confusing Dope from Snope.](http://www.snopes.com/holidays/presidents/presidentsday.asp) Kids! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-day-or-george-washingtons-birthday/613457/9 "2012-02-21T05:55:01Z")
I really don’t care what it’s officially called. The word birthday is not applied to holidays that move. George Washington’s birthday is February 22 every year\*. So we need another name for the moving holiday. Why not use the common name? I’ve never even had a calendar that referred to the movable holiday by its official name. The holiday’s de juro name may be “George Washington’s Birthday,” but only the most pedantic don’t use it’s de facto name of “Presidents’ Day.” \*Yes, I’m aware it was February 11 on the Julian calendar. But we don’t use that calendar anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-day-or-george-washingtons-birthday/613457/10 "2012-02-21T07:16:47Z")
President **s’** Day. A day for all of them, not just one particular guy. (So naturally I voted “other.”) ---
**Author:** ![BeaMyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BeaMyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeaMyra)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-day-or-george-washingtons-birthday/613457/11 "2012-02-21T10:47:51Z")
I’m A Washington’s Birthday kinda gal ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-day-or-george-washingtons-birthday/613457/12 "2012-02-21T11:05:22Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > When I was growing up, we got both days (Washington’s birthday and Llincoln’s birthday) off from school. Yes, the 12th and the 22nd. Nowadays, the holiday doesn’t fall on the same date each year, so it can’t be anyone’s birthday. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-day-or-george-washingtons-birthday/613457/13 "2012-02-21T13:19:03Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > I’ve never heard it referred to as anything other than “President’s Day”. Oh, to be so young! 🙂 Around here, it’s referred to as “ski week”. So many kids were pulled out of school for the whole week, that the district relented and just decided it was best to shut down for the week and make it up later in the year. They probably call it spring break or something, but we all call it ski week. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-day-or-george-washingtons-birthday/613457/14 "2012-02-21T13:24:02Z")
I’m not a USAnian but I voted anyway. I was in America in 1983 on Washington’s birthday, which is what everyone called it. So that’s what it is to me. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-day-or-george-washingtons-birthday/613457/15 "2012-02-21T17:56:32Z")
I’ve never gotten a day off for either one, so to heck with both of 'em.