In fourteen hundred and ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

And thanks to that, a lot of Americans had the day off today– especially in D.C. I wasn’t one of those lucky ones. Instead, I spent the day at work panicking over a contractor in the U.K who disappeared when I needed him most. Does the U.K. celebrate Columbus Day too? Anyway, the rest of the fam had a lovely day hanging out without me.

Columbus Day sure has changed since I was a kid. I remember making construction paper boats signifying the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria. Christopher Columbus was a hero to be honored. These days, people seem to be keeping it real. I saw a whole lot of this on people’s Facebook feed today:

Since Dave is a history buff, I was curious to get his take. He said “Columbus enslaved the Indian population in the name of converting them to Christianity.”

And there are a lot of people, quoted on the internet, with much more harsh words that that.

One historian called him “an unrelenting social climber and self-promoter who stopped at nothing— not even exploitation, slavery, or twisting Biblical scripture— to advance his ambitions”

Well that doesn’t sound like someone I want to sing songs about. Do he make you want to sing? That doesn’t even sound like someone I want to take the day off for. (ok, I’m lying– I still want to take the day off.)

The wine shop/florist on Lincoln Park had a lovely sign outside that sums it up well:

 

Perhaps I’ll end the day with a glass of wine while thinking about Columbus… or maybe I’ll just have a glass of wine.

What’s your take on Columbus Day? Should Columbus even have a day?