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When is Presidents Day 2014? The correct answer to that question is 鈥渘ever.鈥� When it comes to federal holidays, there is no such thing as Presidents Day. We鈥檝e been saying this for years, but shockingly, the charade continues.

The official name for the holiday celebrated Feb. 17, 2014, is Washington鈥檚 Birthday. If you don鈥檛 believe us, look at the of 2014 holidays for federal workers.

There it is, Washington鈥檚 Birthday, right between Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. and Memorial Day. There are an asterisk and a helpful note at the bottom of the page, which says that the holiday in question is specified as Washington鈥檚 Birthday under Section 6103(a) of Title 5 of the United States Code.

鈥淭hough other institutions such as state and local governments and private businesses may use other names, it is our policy to always refer to holidays by the names designated in the law,鈥� OPM states.

Long story short: Washington鈥檚 Birthday has been a US holiday since 1886. In the late 1960s, Congress scrambled around a bunch of federal holidays to make three-day weekends, and Washington鈥檚 Birthday got thrown into that mix. The Illinois congressional delegation thought it would be a great idea to honor Abe Lincoln by expanding the name to Presidents Day. But Virginia lawmakers blocked the move to protect the prerogatives of The Father of Our Country. That鈥檚 where things still stand today.

As we noted, we鈥檝e written more fully about all this in the past, so we鈥檙e not going to dwell on that at this time. Instead, we鈥檒l float theories as to why the myth of Presidents Day continues.

States鈥� rights. As OPM notes, states can do what they wish, and some do call it Presidents Day. (Many also follow the federal lead and don鈥檛.) Perhaps they want to stretch the day to get a little recognition for their own native sons. New York鈥檚 Martin Van Buren, come on down!

Corporate conspiracy. Maybe advertisers believe that consumers are more likely to get out and spend on a holiday called Presidents Day, so that鈥檚 what they call it on all their fliers. For all his virtues, George Washington seems formal and chilly: Would he approve of you buying that mattress? Even if it鈥檚 on sale?

Richard Nixon. There鈥檚 an urban legend that Richard Nixon started Presidents Day in the early 1970s. He issued a holiday proclamation turning Washington鈥檚 Birthday into a more inclusive event honoring all US chief executives, including him, according to this rumor.

That鈥檚 not true: His proclamation clearly referred to Washington鈥檚 Birthday. The debunking site has the full story. But what if Nixon started that rumor himself? He might have planted it knowing full well it would get repeated in the years ahead and he might get some Presidents Day recognition after all.

Yes, that鈥檚 kind of a back flip, but Nixon was a shrewd guy. And look at his own presidential library: This year it鈥檚 of Presidents Day, not Washington鈥檚 Birthday, complete with actors playing Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt.

Not that we鈥檙e complaining. We鈥檇 go if we could: First 100 guests get a free slice of cherry pie.