Today is Presidents Day, marking the combined birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. For most of the nation it's a day to sell cars and furniture. Two car brands have a slight edge since they share their names with two of the presidents.

We don't know if combining the two days in a single holiday gives it more emphasis. If nothing else, it gives national recognition to Lincoln, whose birthday was not observed in the Southern states, still fretting over the Civil War. You wonder how President Washington would react to his birthday being observed by a mattress sale, or President Lincoln would respond by the sale of a car with no payment for 90 days. Having been through the grinder of warfare perhaps these two historic presidents would understand our desire to get away for a long weekend and just chill out.

Washington fought a war with an army of farmers and shopkeepers, battling one of the finest military forces in the world. He fought and withdrew from Boston all the way to New Jersey. His troops were poorly clothed and underfed while faced with the winter's cold. In a dramatic effort, he crossed the Delaware into New Jersey and caught the British napping.

For Lincoln the task was daunting. He had to pull together the Union states into a fighting machine and he had to deal with critics from within his own administration. But he proved that the Union could survive as a nation.

So do whatever it is that you planned on this Presidents Day. Just pause for a moment to reflect on those two giants whom we honor today.