Presidents Day, a time set aside to honor all those who have served as our country’s leader, is celebrated the third Monday of February.

Known as George Washington’s birthday federally, it is also a state holiday in most states, though the names vary and include past leaders such as Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson.

Washington’s birthday was celebrated on Feb. 22 – the day of his actual birth – from 1879 until 1970 when it was moved to the third Monday in accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act that gave federal employees three day weekends on certain holidays.

Because it’s a federal holiday, the U.S. Post Office is closed today and mail will not run.

USPS observes 11 official holidays each year. They’ve already closed for New Year’s Day (observed Jan. 2 in 2023); Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 16; and Presidents Day on Monday, Feb. 20. Remaining USPS closures will be on:

• Memorial Day: Monday, May 29
• Juneteenth National Independence Day: Monday, June 19
• Independence Day: Tuesday, July 4
• Labor Day: Monday, Sept. 4
• Columbus Day: Monday, Oct. 9
• Veterans Day: Saturday, Nov. 11
• Thanksgiving: Thursday, Nov. 23
• Christmas: Monday, Dec. 25