Holiday News!
Is the Post Office open closed on Presidents Day? That depends…
Post offices around the country will be closed on Presidents Day 2011, the federal holiday, Monday, February 21 and every third Monday of the month of February in the known future. Normal Postal Services will resume February 22, 2011, but until then only the self serve stamp machines and postal mail drop boxes inside their facilities will work. That is right — the doors are unlocked but there is nobody at home in the back room to help you if you say the stamp machines are broke.
Says uspsholidays.net, “So the post office is closed today and you might also ask will I get mail on Presidents day? Well unfortunately the answer to that is no as well.” Presidents Day 2011 is a federal holiday and post offices, as well as all government offices and most banks, are closed each year on Presidents Day (also formally known as Washington’s birthday to government offices).
NowPublic reports, “That being said, there may be some post offices open on Presidents Day, but don’t count on it.” Trying likely will be folly. Some people may take the chance but find out they are wasting their time driving instead of celebrating and honoring George Washington and Abraham Lincoln for Presidents Day 2011.
Do yourself the favor of waiting until tomorrow, February 22, because you likely will be wasting your time and energy traveling to get out that urgent package and causing yourself a lot of stress in the process, particularly when you find out the post office is closed for Presidents Day. In fact, depending on where you live, you may even want to wait until Wednesday, because the post offices are likely to be packed with people who forgot that the third Monday of the month, every February, is Presidents Day. Generally speaking, if it’s a federal holiday like Presidents Day, or even close to approaching a federal holiday, it’s best to assume that the post office will be closed.
While many people recognize Presidents Day as a federal holiday, many people do not know it wasn’t always that way. Many private businesses used to close shop for Washington’s birthday on February 22, and Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on February 12. With so many people skipping out for holiday to celebrate twice in the same month, Congress decided in 1968 to work on a single holiday to honor both President Washington and President Lincoln at the same time, and declare that holiday a federal holiday which could be celebrated by everyone at the same time, reducing confusion among people who celebrated only one president or the other.
That federal holiday became Presidents Day, which falls on the third Monday of February each year. In that fashion, Congress gave a nod to each group of people, whether they celebrated Washington’s birthday or Lincoln’s birthday or both. Since the third Monday of February sits in the middle of both Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthday, but falls on neither birthday, the federal holiday now known as Presidents Day honors both presidents without offending anyone who prefers one birthday over the other. However, as it is written in law, the US government still acknowledges the federal holiday on the third Monday as Washington’s birthday.
Whatever you prefer, avoid wasting time traveling to the post office this Presidents Day 2011, and just enjoy some time at home celebrating, be it with your family or friends or just a relaxing day by yourself away from work. We’ll all be getting back into the routine tomorrow, February 22, 2011.
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