What to Do (to Survive) on “President’s Day”

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President’s Day! I mean, Presidents Day. Or Presidents’ Day. Washington’s Birthday. Washington’s and Lincoln’s Birthday. 

Yeah, it’s kinda up to the states what exactly to call “That Day.”

When we think of celebrating President’s Day (or That Day), we think of celebration and a day off from school.

When there’s that Day with the capitalized D, the connotation is to celebrate, a Day of 100% positivity. But like how the Native American community choose to convert Columbus Day into Indigenous People’s Day, let us rethink the Default Positivity Obligation on holidays. This could be your mental health day, a day to mourn, and/or a day to make a game plan.

There are many positive ways to celebrate/contemplate That Day.

Celebrate George Washington’s B-Day (technically on Feb 22).

Happy Birthday, Mister George Washington! I hope you’re liking where our two-party system has taken us!

• Blast on the Hamilton soundtrack, gush and squee when George Washington (Christopher Jackson’s warm vocals) comes in.

• Meditate on the faults of George Washington. Because as much as Hamilton likes to rip on Thomas Jefferson’s slaveholding habits, (“We know who’s really doing the planting!”), Washington himself was a slaveholder.

Celebrate Abe Lincoln’s B-Day (technically on Feb 12)

• Have a double feature of Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln and Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter.

Celebrate Lincoln AND Washington’s B-Day

• Write the first draft of your Washington Vs. Lincoln screenplay.

• Write your smut fanfic.

• Make a cake of them holding hands and frolicking on the meadow or Valley Forge, or something.

• Research the 2001 “Washington-Lincoln Recognition Act of 2001,” which by the way, never got voted on. Talk about Washington and Lincoln getting snubbed.

Celebrate the concept of Presidency in general

• Research why democracy exists.

Since it’s still Black History Month:

• Watch Hidden Figures.

• Watch Fences, starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, because Davis hasn’t really gotten her due at the Golden Globes as eyes were on Meryl Streep.

• Watch films by director Ava DuVernay.

• Read up on the first African-American woman who ran for President, the one who ran against George Wallace. If you want to go further, pitch the Shirley Chisholm Ran Versus George Wallace movie.

Contemplate the Trump Era (or Not My President Day)

• Take a holiday from social media and the news. Go jump on a trampoline.

• Conversely, get on social media and forward and reblog beneficial articles and enlightening posts.

• Meditate.

• Scribble a brainstorming sheet for your memetic protest signs.

• Rehearse talking to your representatives on phone.

• Drink plenty of fluids, whether it’s booze or H2O.

• Assure your friends that it’s okay to feel frightened and angry.

Our consciousness evolves. We go from blind celebration, to informed contemplation about our Days, and that’s perfectly okay.

(image via Flickr/South Dakota)

Caroline Cao is a Houstonian Earthling surviving under the fickle weather of Texas. When she’s not angsting over her first poetry manuscript or a pilot screenplay about space samurais, she’s doing cheesy improv performances for BETA Theater, experimenting with ramen noodles, engaged in Star Wars fanfictions, or hollering vocal flash fics on Instagram. Her columns and poems have popped up on The Cougar, Mosaics: The Independent Women Anthology, Glass Mountain. Her flash fiction recently earned an Honorable Mention title in Sweater Weather magazine. She has her own Weebly portfolio and contributes thinkpieces to Birth.Movies.Death. She’s also lurking in the shadows waiting for you to follow her on Twitter.

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