It's time again in our calendar year of holidays to celebrate Labor Day. For some of us, it has extra meaning. Me, for example. Labor Day just happens to fall on my birthday this year (cash and chocolate are always appropriate gifts ... and not necessarily in that order). Two members of my choir, two daughters of close friends and two women I've known for many years also share that natal day. (I'm just guessing here, but I believe cash and chocolate would be fine with them as well.)

But I digress. Labor Day, as the name implies, was originally proposed as a "workingmen's holiday." Today, of course, that would more accurately be "workingperson's holiday."

But back in 1882, when the first celebration was held, little, if any, thought was given to women in the workplace. According to the Department of Labor, New York City's Central Labor Union came up with the idea of the holiday. Workers in other cities, to the surprise of no one, thought a day off in September sounded pretty darn good. And the tradition soon spread nationwide, culminating in a national observance being declared in 1894.

(One side note of interest: Some reports indicated President Grover Cleveland wanted to make sure the holiday was observed far, far away from May 1, the traditional "Worker's Day" in socialist and later communist countries.)

Originally, there were just parades in the big industrialized cities, followed by picnics and pleasant gatherings. Apparently, they didn't even have politicians pontificating and horning in on the deal. That all came later. Today, of course, the holiday is marked in the traditional way ... with 3-day furniture, mattress, electronic and back-to-school clothing sales.

Oh sure, there are still parades to be found. But, quite frankly, they're getting smaller and smaller. Back in the 50s and 60s when labor unions were at their height membership-wise, large and loud marches were the norm. Now, however, union membership is down to maybe a third of what it once was and marchers are getting harder to come by.

All of which brings me to the reason for this column. Maybe it's time to change the name of the Labor Day holiday to something more appropriate to the majority of Americans. I mean, lots of us who work for a living take the day off, but we've never seen the inside of a Union hall. I definitely think we should still keep the holiday intact, but I have a few suggestions on what to call it.

Retail Day. As previously mentioned, having a sale seems to be the way many establishments celebrate Labor Day now. That pretty much means their employees don't actually get the day off. As a matter of fact, the idea is to draw even more people into the stores than normal, meaning everyone actually has to work harder. Talk about adding insult to injury. Might as well name the day after these folks.

Last-Fling-of-Summer Day. Labor Day has traditionally marked the end of the summer season at most resorts. Seaside cities, water parks, thrill-ride amusement centers, campgrounds and tourist traps everywhere should be saluted and patronized one last time as we bid farewell to the feeling of carefree fun for yet another year.

Education Day. I think there may be more teachers in organized unions these days than there are factory workers. And even though many school systems have jumped the gun on start dates, Labor Day used to always be the traditional signal that classrooms would soon be full of mushy brains needing to be molded. Perhaps we should make this holiday a Salute to Teachers Day.

Football Day. I'm just guessing, but this suggestion is probably going to prove to be quite popular. No one who follows college football needs to be told that the Saturday before Labor Day is generally accepted as the start of the pigskin part of the year. And the NFL follows a few days after the holiday. Officially saluting the sport would actually help cities save money. Tailgating and Football Day celebrations could just be one continuous party. No parades necessary, no extra police required. Just enough liquid refreshment, chips and hot dogs.

I'm not certain, but Football Day may even sit pretty well with union members too. After all, they would still get the day off. And if their team won, they'd really have something to celebrate.

It sure beats having to listen to some politician at the end of a long parade, doesn't it?

Bill Lewis is a freelance writer in Marietta.