I love three-day weekends!  I love my job and my clients and the media I work with, but I love three-day weekends.  Especially in summer when you can swim, or go to the beach, or just generally be outside in the fresh air and sunshine! 

What?!  You didn’t have a three-day weekend?  But it was Flag Day yesterday!  Isn’t that a day-off like Memorial Day and Labor Day and Thanksgiving?  Nope.  Ever wonder why?

Flag Day is set always on June 14^th, not the first Monday, or the last Monday, or the third Thursday.  But, you say, Veteran’s Day is set always November 11^th, and it’s a day off!  Good point.  Veteran’s Day was set on the day of the WWI ceasefire, on the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month.  And, for a while Veteran’s Day was on the fourth Monday of October in the early 1970’s, but Veteran’s groups got it put back to the day it was supposed to be.  

What makes Flag Day different?  Simple, it’s an Observance, not a Federal Holiday.  The Second Continental Congress adopted the design of the flag as we know it today on June 14, 1777. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation officially establishing June 14 as Flag Day, but it wasn’t until August 1949 when President Harry Truman signed a resolution making Flag Day a permanent observance. 

So, banks are open, mail is delivered, and you have to go to work – except, if you live in Pennsylvania where the day is marked as a State Holiday! 

You can fly the flag every day, but it’s particularly flown to show patriotism on these days: New Year’s Day, Inauguration Day, Lincoln’s Birthday, Washington’s Birthday, Armed Forces Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Patriot Day, Constitution Day, Columbus Day, Navy Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. On Memorial Day, the flag should be displayed at half-staff until noon.