Iâm so old that I remember way back in my Illinois elementary school when we had two days off in February for presidential birthdays. We had a day off for George Washingtonâs Birthday (Feb. 22), but also had a day off on Abraham Lincolnâs birthday (Feb. 12), since he spent much of his life living in Illinois. I think I was in high school when it was decided to combine the two birthdays and celebrate them with just one day off. It was kind of a bummer as a kid. February is already a short month â but one that seems so long because it is typically freezing in the Chicago area, and there are gobs of dirty, sloshy snow and ice all over the place, and those two school holidays in one month were pretty sweet.