Did you note and appreciate the innovation around federal holidays in the U.S. yesterday when the nation celebrated Labor Day?

I agree that most such long weekends these days are more about relaxation plans than actually remembering why these holidays were instituted in the first place. 

That said, there’s a major aspect of American holidays that I’ve come to appreciate.

Growing up in India, I was often disappointed when federal holidays would fall on weekends. 

Unlike in the U.S., Indian holidays were marked by the exact date of the year rather than the particular day of the week.

That made it hard to plan ahead for those holidays since we had to check the days and dates of the year they would fall on. 

Declaring most holidays to fall on particular Mondays lets everyone plan easily in advance, ensures it’s a long weekend, and sets up consistency in how we celebrate holidays.