Tomorrow is Monday, February 16, 2026. Are you wondering, Who is off on Presidents Day? For some of us, that means a glorious morning of sleeping in and searching for mattress sales. For others, it’s just another 9-to-5, and perhaps a trip to the post office or bank. But for the history nerds among us, it’s a day to argue about where the apostrophe goes – if the holiday even exists at all.
If the holiday feels like a bureaucratic riddle wrapped in a three-day weekend, that’s because it is. Welcome to the great American linguistic free-for-all.
🏛️The Federal Reality Check
First, a quick “actually” for your calendar: The federal government doesn’t recognize “Presidents’ Day.” Since 1879, the holiday has officially been Washington’s Birthday. When the government moved holidays to Mondays in 1971 to secure those three-day weekends, there was a push to rename it to honor Lincoln, too. Congress said no. Retailers, however, realized “Presidents’ Day Sale” sounded much more profitable than “Washington’s Birthday Sale,” and the name shifted by sheer force of advertising.
The Punctuation Pitfalls
Even the states that agree on the name can’t agree on how to spell it. It’s a grammar nightmare out there:
- Presidents’ Day (Plural): States like Hawaii, Washington, and Pennsylvania put the apostrophe after the ‘S’ to honor the collective group of all U.S. presidents.
- President’s Day (Singular): Alaska, Idaho, and Maryland put the apostrophe before the ‘S’. Technically, they are only honoring one president (usually Washington).
- Presidents Day (No Apostrophe): Oregon and Nevada have decided to skip the punctuation entirely and just let the words hang out.
The “Plus One” States: Alabama, Utah, Ohio, Arkansas
Some states think George Washington needs a roommate. In Alabama, tomorrow is officially George Washington/Thomas Jefferson’s Birthday, even though Jefferson was born in April. Meanwhile, Utah and Ohio lean into the February theme by officially designating it Washington and Lincoln Day to honor both February-born icons. Not to be outdone, Arkansas celebrates George Washington’s Birthday and Daisy Gatson Bates Day, honoring the legendary civil rights activist alongside the first president.
The California Naming Quirk
California is an interesting case. Tomorrow is a holiday here, but if you dig into the state’s legal code, the holiday has no name. It’s simply referred to as “the third Monday in February.” Why the mystery? California used to celebrate Lincoln (Feb 12) and Washington (Feb 22) separately. To streamline the calendar and keep the budget balanced, the state merged them into one day. But because they couldn’t agree on a title, they just… left it blank. Most Californians call it Presidents’ Day by default – and the advertised sales do too, but legally, it’s just a nameless Monday off.
The “Working Monday” Club
If you’re in Delaware, don’t expect the post office or state offices to be closed. It’s one of the few states that doesn’t observe the holiday at all. Instead, they save their “political holiday” energy for Return Day (held in November every even year). It’s a colonial-era tradition where winners and losers of elections ride in carriages together to literally “bury the hatchet” in a box of sand.
The Georgia & Indiana Time-Travelers
These states pulled off the ultimate productivity hack: they technically observe Washington’s Birthday, but they move the actual day off to December 24th. By shifting George’s “day” to Christmas Eve, state employees get a longer winter break, but they have to power through tomorrow like a normal Monday.
The 2026 Florida Special
Floridians, take note: you actually have a state holiday this year. Usually, Florida state offices stay open, but for 2026, Governor DeSantis added the day to the calendar to mark the start of the U.S. Semiquincentennial (the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence). Florida officially lists the holiday as Washington’s Birthday, joining the federal government in focusing the day specifically on the first president.
🎩 The “Presidents’ Day” Trivia Pack
- The Tall & Small: Lincoln was our tallest (6’4”), while James Madison was a lean 5’4” and barely 100 lbs.
- English as a Second Language: Martin Van Buren was the first president born a U.S. citizen, but his first language was Dutch.
- The Speeding Ticket: Ulysses S. Grant was once arrested in office for speeding… on his horse. He had to pay a $20 fine. This was actually a trivia question on Jeopardy! – and it remains the only time a sitting U.S. president has been taken to a police station.
- The Lefties: Only about 10% of people are left-handed, but a weirdly high number of recent presidents are, including Obama, Clinton, and Reagan.
- The Senate Tradition: Every year since 1896, a Senator is chosen to read Washington’s 7,641-word “Farewell Address” to a mostly empty chamber. It takes about 45 minutes of straight talking.
- The No-Show Birthday: Because of the way the calendar is set, “Presidents’ Day” can never actually fall on Washington’s real birthday (Feb 22).
- The 15 Kids: John Tyler had 15 children. Remarkably, he has a grandson who was still alive as recently as 2020 – nearly 200 years after Tyler was born.
- The Boxing Injury: Teddy Roosevelt was blinded in one eye during a boxing match while he was President. He kept it a secret so people wouldn’t worry.
- The First Photo: James K. Polk was the first sitting president to be photographed (1849). Before him, it was all oil paintings and artistic license.
- The Curse Breaker: For over a century, every president elected in a year ending in “0” died in office (The Curse of Tippecanoe). Ronald Reagan (1980) finally broke the streak by surviving his 1981 assassination attempt.
Happy Third Monday in February to those who celebrate!
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