My favorite holiday is Christmas. It is closely followed by Halloween and Thanksgiving and Easter and Valentine's Day and my birthday and any other time chocolate is considered an acceptable present. So normally, when I think about celebrations, oddly enough, Labor Day doesn't normally make the list.

Why is that?

The idea of Labor Day was first proposed in sometime in the early 1880s. However it was not until an entire decade later that it became nationally recognized. Even then, it's true creator remains a mystery. Although most evidence points towards a Matthew Maguire, secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York, some people argue that it was conceived by Peter McGuire, cofounder of the American Federation of Labor. Maguire vs. McGuire. See the confusion?

Nevertheless, the first Labor Day (though not officially legalized) occurred on September 5, 1882. The conceptual design was in celebration of the hard work and dedication given by American employees. With the rise of certain worker organizations following incidents like the Haymarket Riot and Pullman-Railroad Strike, the Labor Day proposition was signed into effect by president Grover Cleveland on June 28, 1894.

Prior to recent years, large displays of nationalistic pride and parades were a staple of the Labor Day festivities. Lately however, Labor Day has become a more intimate holiday with people hosting barbecues, pool parties, and other family oriented activities. Labor Day also serves as the last victory of summer with fall beginning only a mere 2 1/2 weeks later.

Now, what about the origin of the "no white pants after Labor Day" rule? For that, there is a slightly differentiated answer.

Equate it to this- Jack and Jill are best friends. The kind of best friends that have been together since birth. Then, a new kid moves into town. Bill suddenly swoops in and strikes up a friendship with Jack. Jill gets angry. It's not fair to her that Bill thinks he can be better friends with Jack than she can. So when Bill isn't around, Jill makes a bunch of inside jokes that only she and Jack can understand. That way, when Bill comes back, he'll realize how inadequate he is compared to Jill.

Make sense yet? If not, here's the real story.

As the end of the Civil War passed, there was a considerable amount of circulating new and old wealth. Those who found themselves in the latter category were not as enthused with their neighbors' sudden good fortune. In order to distance themselves from those they deemed satisfactory, the old money Americans created a system of stylistic rules that only they knew. Wearing white during the fall months was one of these. Soon, with the creation of Labor Day, the national holiday somehow found itself mixed up in the dramatic episode as the ending point of the acceptable time to wear white. However, as the years have worn on, this age-old myth has lost its once lasting impact.

So as this year's holiday rolls around, take a second to think about the origin of Labor Day. While it isn't the most glamorous of holidays, with prettily wrapped presents or declarations of love and admiration, Labor Day has a significance of it's own. It serves as a reminder to be thankful for the positions we hold, whether they be in offices, hospitals, schools, or construction sites. Every job is important. Too often do people place higher recognition on certain jobs, and they don't consider where they would be without other workers. That, essentially, is foolish. The breakdown of the United States society should be worth more than that.

Labor Day is about celebrating work, and personally, I believe that to mean the human potential- the human potential to do good. Just as the "no white pants" rule has shown, tradition doesn't have to mean forever. Choose to make Labor Day something a little special.