Happy Presidents Day! Why it's one of my favorite holidays

Presidents Day may be the only holiday of the year that is famous for its lack of any real tradition. Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for life's blessings with family and loved ones while sharing a sumptuous feast; Christmas and Easter both have deep religious and secular traditions, ranging from the birth and resurrection of Christ to toys under the tree and Easter egg hunts; New Year's Day is about fresh starts and college football; Independence Day is about flags, parades and fireworks; Memorial Day is marked by solemn graveside remembrances of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country; Labor Day is a day for picnics and barbecues; and MLK Day has its share of community events that pay homage to Dr. King's legacy and the ongoing struggle for racial justice and civil rights for all.

But there is no unifying tradition or practice to celebrate the holiday held in honor of Washington and Lincoln's birthdays. There's nothing distinctive about how we mark Presidents Day. Except in my household. The history buff in me has steadily turned Presidents Day into one of my favorite holidays of the year. We now have an annual tradition of putting together our Presidents Day floor puzzle (I don't plan to update it to include our current president). Later in the day, I cook a meal featuring one of Honest Abe's favorite dishes. Last year, it was Chicken Fricassee. This year, we're going with bacon-basted militia chicken from my "Abraham Lincoln in the Kitchen" cookbook, followed by one of Mary Lincoln's almond cake recipes (or as close to it as as the book can come). And I'll surely sneak in an article or video or two celebrating Lincoln and Washington's legacies.

Of course, there's a bit of self-deprecating humor in the fact that I get myself so excited each year about a holiday most of the country simply treats as an excuse to sleep in and maybe catch up on some household chores, or a sale or two at the mall. It gives my wife and daughters one more reason to see the inner nerd in me and laugh about how different it is to live with someone who actually begins the morning with a cry of "Happy Presidents Day!" that would rival the best "Merry Christmas!"

But in all seriousness, Presidents Day really shouldn't be just a day for history buffs and Lincoln nerds to celebrate. The fact we live in what is widely regarded as the greatest, most powerful nation on earth is a testament in large part to the role Washington played in establishing a constitutional democracy that ultimately placed power in the hands of the people, and creating a presidential model that was both strong in leadership but limited in the absolute power it could wield. The tradition he established of presidents serving only two terms was a strong statement that our country would never descend into the grip of authoritarianism that has plagued so many nations over the years. And the holiday is also a testament to the role Lincoln played in preserving the union during its greatest crisis and ultimately ending the stain of slavery that prevented it from living out the principles of equality and liberty that were espoused in its founding.

These were also two men who, despite living in times that were generally much more course, unjust and cruel than anything we experience today, exemplified dignity, compassion and respect for their fellow humans. Washington established his legend as a general fighting wars but spoke of his first wish being "to see the whole world in peace, and the inhabitants of it as one band of brothers, striving who could contribute most to the happiness of mankind." Lincoln led our nation through its bloodiest war, where hatred and inhumanity reached levels never seen on this continent before or since. But instead of preaching vengeance for his adversaries who had torn the nation apart in their selfish quest to preserve one of western civilization's greatest evils, he spoke of a future of healing and redemption. "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."

At a time when the words emanating from the White House are far different from those uttered by two of our greatest presidents who knew the travesty of war and hate all too well, my first wish on this Presidents Day is to see all Americans take time to ponder what these two men meant to the lives we lead today, and what their words and examples should mean for our future.