Most of us think of holidays as one of those few days our employer actually pays us to stay home. We all know the big ones: New Year's, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas. And yes, some employers are a little more generous but most likely you'll have no more than 7 days a year that you consider a holiday. Depending on your religious beliefs you may add a few more to that annual list, and find that you're up to a dozen or so.
For a day to be considered a "National Holiday" it needs to be declared so by Congress. And then of course we have the "commercial holidays" that we all love, which in effect are simply days that have become popular over the years. We all love them, but for some of us that just isn't enough. Organizations, corporation, and even loosely connected groups of people can "declare" a day for any reason they choose. Some of these days catch on and become popular with the general population, some remain only recognized by their creator, and some fizzle out and become a mere memory after only a year or two.
The point is - Every day, somewhere someone is celebrating something.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

January 1, 2014 is Ellis Island Day

     The gateway to America for some 12 million future Americans between 1892 and 1954 Ellis Island stands as a symbol of our roots.  Truly about one-third of the population today can trace their ancestry to immigrants who first arrived in America through Ellis Island before dispersing to other parts of the country.    The station opened with a celebration on January 1, 1892 and processed almost 450,000 immigrants in the first year.  In November of 1954 the station was closed and it wasn't until October of 1966 that it was recognized as on the National Register of Historic Places.


     Celebration ideas for today can include finding out more about your own ancestry and starting a family tree.  Get together with the family and make a dinner of some old family recipes, pull out the old photos and make sure to label them so generations to come will know who they are.

Everydays_A_Holiday

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