OMG!  Today is already November 10.  There are only 45 days left until Christmas.  Have you started baking?  Are the gifts wrapped? No?  What are you waiting for?   Today we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther, Guido Turchi and Roy Scheider.  By the way, tomorrow is the 34^th anniversary of my 30^th birthday.  Today in 1775 the US Marine Corps was established by Congress, in 1871 Stanley presumed to meet Livingston in Central Africa and in 1969 “Sesame Street” premiered on PBS-TV.  In India it is Guru Namak’s Day, in Indonesia it is Hero Day/Youth Day and tomorrow is Veterans Day here in the US.

As I am wont to do, I would like to discuss the holiday tomorrow in more detail.  World War I officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919.  However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918.

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day.  The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed by parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business starting at 11 AM.  An act approved on May 13, 1938 made the 11^th of November a legal holiday – a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be known, officially, as Armistice Day.

 

It was a day primarily set aside to honor veterans of World War I.  In 1954, after World War II and the Korean War, the 83^rd Congress, at the urging of veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking the word “Armistice” and inserting the word “Veterans.”  This changed the holiday to Veterans Day.

From 1971 to 1978, under the Uniform Holiday Bill, which changed holidays to create 3-day weekends, Veterans Day was observed on the last Monday in October.  The holiday was moved back to November 11 because the date was a matter of historic and patriotic significance to many citizens.  The change was supported by an overwhelming majority of state legislatures and all major veterans service organizations.

This is a day to honor veterans for their service.  It is not like Memorial Day, honoring those who died in service to their country.  It is for all veterans.  If you know someone who is a veteran, take a moment to thank him or her for their service.

As I mentioned earlier, tomorrow is also my birthday.  When I was much younger, I had many of the kids I grew up with convinced that all the parades and celebrations were for my birthday.  They all thought it was great that we got my birthday off from school.  It was quite a letdown when they found out that all the hoopla was not for my birthday.  Oh well, I had them for a few years anyway.

I make a point about Veterans Day because as far as the rest of the world is concerned, we are now 11 days into the Christmas season.  After Halloween, nothing counts until Christmas.  This is because people do not go crazy shopping for Veterans Day gifts (or my birthday for that matter) or Thanksgiving gifts.  These are not holidays that will generate huge incomes as people work hard going overboard buying things for people.  Grocery stores will do okay at Thanksgiving, but that is just a one-day event.  There will not be parties leading up to the holiday, nor will there be gatherings after the holiday leading up to New Years Day.  So who cares about veterans?  Who cares about a holiday where no one gets gifts?  We need to start getting people into the buying mood by playing “Jingle Bell Rock” and other smarmy Christmas songs repeatedly for the next 45 days.

I don’t know about you, but I enjoy Thanksgiving.  It is a day to get together with family, eat to excess, sit around with your pants unbuttoned and then have dessert.  That’s a holiday!  No worries about getting the right size sweater or will they like the color or any of that foolishness.  This is simple – eat, rest and then eat some more.  Another benefit to the holiday is that we don’t have annoying Thanksgiving commercials.  Unfortunately we still have the annoying Christmas ones, but at least we don’t have talking turkeys telling us to buy our loved ones a car. 

This week’s fact tells us that $283,200 is the absolute highest amount of money you can win on Jeopardy.  That is why I have never gone on the show.  If that is all I can win, why waste my time.  I can spend a couple of minutes buying lottery tickets and win a lot more.  That plan has not worked well yet, but I have hope.

In the meantime, Thanksgiving is only 18 days away so get out the stretchy pants and get ready for the holiday.