Ten Reasons for a Labor Day Celebration

Can you believe it's here already? Labor Day. What does Labor Day mean to you?

Labor Day Celebration

A celebration of the achievements and contributions of American workers – Oregon was the first state to recognize Labor Day as a Holiday in 1887. It wasn't until 1894 that Labor Day became a U.S. Holiday. #1 above is the official reason for the Labor Day holiday, and the other nine reasons below are merely additional reasons to celebrate.
A day off work – Nobody can object to having a day off work at the end of summer. While we have roughly the same amount of holidays as say our brethern in the U.K., they have a mandatory 20 days of vacation or more than twice the vacation time that the average worker enjoys in the U.S.
A three day holiday – The three day (Monday) holiday has become a ritual due to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 which applies to all Federal Holidays except for New Years, Independence Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
A time for barbecues, picnics, and family gatherings – It would seem odd for most American's to celebrate Labor Day without some form of barbecue, picnic, or family gathering. Indeed, this appears to be part of the original Labor Day charter which called for a parade followed by a festival for workers and their families.
The end of summer – It seems like a good marker for the end of summer. Vacations are over. Except for a few busloads of Germans and French, our national parks have emptied out. The lifeguards are packing up their equipment.
The beginning of the school year – Labor Day is particularly a nice holiday for those who have kids going back to school right afterwards. Families take their final summer trips before school over the Labor Day Holiday. However, it seems that many schools are now starting up in the middle of August so maybe reason #6 will go by the wayside.
The beginning of football season – For sure Labor Day is a good signal to begin talking about football and for many folks to join the fantasy football league and give up on their favorite baseball team (if they're not playoff bound).
Time to change your wardrobe – For high brows, Labor Day was also the time to quit wearing white (or seersucker) and move back to the drab dark suits that they wear for the rest of the year.
A day of rest – As an extra day of rest there are some who might question the rest they get in the traffic jam returning from the beach late on Monday afternoon, but in general a day at the beach is usually preferred to a day at the office.
Annual Labor Day Appliance Sale at Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center – (We had to get this in. 🙂 This year it's not just a Labor Day Sale, but a 3 day long event with the best prices of the year and some unbelievable special terms that we can't yet discuss. The Pre-Sale begins on Friday, August 31st. The Labor Day Sale itself runs from Saturday through Monday, September 3rd.