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I鈥檝e always been jealous of places like Massachusetts, where they鈥檝e had their own statewide holiday since the 1890s called . I’m jealous because there aren’t really any Washington holidays.

This is the Monday in mid-April (when the Boston Marathon takes place) that marks the anniversary of the Revolutionary War Battle of Lexington and Battle of Concord. Every six years or so when Patriot鈥檚 Day falls on April 15, the people of the Bay State even get an extra day to finish their federal taxes. Then there’s our Canadian neighbors to the north also make me envious with their province-wide , which was celebrated this past weekend. This British Columbian holiday has only been around since the 1970s.

For most of the 19th century, most Americans celebrated just two holidays: Independence Day and Christmas (Easter was observed in places of worship, not yet with egg hunts in the public square). But as of yet, no Washington holidays. While some holidays have now become nothing more than excuses to sell specially-themed packages of M&Ms, there鈥檚 still value in marking anniversaries of important occasions as a means of transmitting meaningful history and culture to our kids and grandkids.

Are there any possible Washington holidays we could invent?

Doesn鈥檛 the Evergreen State deserve some special holidays of our own? Shouldn鈥檛 we regularly celebrate moments that have shaped our state? Don鈥檛 our elementary school teachers need more reasons to hold special assemblies with rousing sing-alongs of and ?

If the political will ever materializes in Olympia to designate a few Washington holidays that justify closing the post office and the banks, and give us more reasons to roll out the barbecue grills and fireworks (and maybe even the M&Ms), I鈥檓 ready to launch a grassroots campaign.

Here, then, is my list of 21 Washington holidays we should be celebrating. I鈥檒l have it ready to present to the Washington Legislature just as soon as they say the word.

Feliks Banel’s suggested Washington holidays

Microsoft Day, January 1

According to at least one website, business and life gamechanger Microsoft moved from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Bellevue on January 1, 1979. It seems hard to believe that Bill Gates and Paul Allen would move on a day most people already have off from work, but this sure makes this holiday an easy sell. I also like the idea of the spirited countdowns to this holiday in the seconds before midnight.

Nirvana Day, January 11

Washington pioneers of grunge Nirvana had pretty much already taken over the world by the time Saturday, January 11, 1992 rolled around. Still, it felt like the band鈥檚 birth certificate was their , seen locally on NBC affiliate KING TV. The best part was the commercial for Teen Spirit deodorant seen moments before the band played the eponymous hit song.

Give The Ball To Marshawn Day, February 1

Perhaps it would be a bit of a downer amid the Washington holidays. But we all need an occasional reminder that sometimes each of us is capable of making huge mistakes that deeply disappoint those who are counting on us. What better way to commemorate this phenomenon, remind us of the value of humility, and motivate a drive for redemption, than by observing a holiday marking the Seahawks鈥� ignominious February 1, 2015 defeat in Super Bowl XLIX?

J.P. Patches Day, February 10

My love for/obsession with all things J.P. Patches is well-known, so it should come as no surprise that I believe that our state鈥檚 greatest and most talented television performer should be among the Washington holidays, stretching across all 39 counties. The most appropriate day is February 10, the chilly Monday in 1958 when J.P. beginning holding forth in the Northwest corner of the vast wasteland via 成人X站 TV.

Seattle Day, February 15

Those early settlers known as The Denny Party arrived at what鈥檚 now West Seattle back in November 1851 with some flour and coffee in their packs, and the gleam of a future metropolis in their eyes. But they weren鈥檛 satisfied that they鈥檇 chosen the best spot for Gotham West. A few months later, on February 15, 1852, brothers Arthur Denny and David Denny paddled across Elliott Bay and the mouth of the Duwamish River to stake a claim to land where they would create downtown Seattle.

Washington Territory Day, March 2

It was a bold move to break off from Oregon Territory, but American settlers north of the Columbia River felt neglected by the territorial government way down yonder on the Willamette River in Salem. Plus, even then, folks around these parts were already a little different from those odd Oregonians. President Millard Fillmore signed Washington Territory, almost called Columbia Territory, into existence on March 2, 1853.

Century 21 Day, April 21

From the moment The Denny Party called their West Seattle landing place 鈥淣ew York Alki鈥� (鈥淎lki鈥� meaning 鈥渆ventually鈥� or 鈥渂y and by鈥� in Chinook jargon), the land eventually known as the state of Washington was all about the future. So it鈥檚 fitting that the 1962 Seattle World鈥檚 Fair was dubbed and was also all about boldly embracing the era waiting in the wings. In the five decades since the fair, Seattle has remained obsessed with the future, and kept its gaze focused toward the culture and technology always just over the horizon. As living memories of the fair fade, it鈥檚 worth celebrating the 鈥淎lki鈥� and Century 21 spirit with a holiday marking the day of the fair鈥檚 grand opening in 1962.

Columbia River Day, May 11

was an American merchant from Boston, in the Northwest to trade for furs to take to Asia. On May 11, 1792, Gray crossed cross the treacherous mouth of what turned out to be a huge river. He went upstream several miles, claimed it for the United States, and named it Columbia in honor of his ship. Captain Vancouver had sailed by days earlier and seen all the telltale signs of the river, but had dismissed it as not worth exploring. Vancouver鈥檚 error was Gray鈥檚 gain, and strengthened 19th century American claims to what became Washington state. Heck, it even inspired Woody Guthrie to write some incredible songs that are also worth celebrating (and singing) on Columbia River Day.

Dash 80 Day, May 15

Boeing is in the midst of a centennial celebration this year, and while there are plenty of milestones in the company鈥檚 hundred years in business, one major event stands out as worthy of its own holiday. On May 15, 1954, the company debuted the , a prototype for both the revolutionary 707 passenger jetliner and the KC-135 tanker. It was a brilliant strategy, and it paid off for Boeing and for the tens of thousands of engineers and machinists employed by the Lazy B over the next several decades. Boeing has always been more than just an employer in Washington, and probably had more impact on local culture (as well as, of course, the local economy) during the 20th century than just about any other entity. Of all my Washington holidays, this one could take flight.

Discovery Day, May 19

When Captain George Vancouver of Great Britain sailed through Juan de Fuca Strait aboard H.M.S. Discovery and reached what鈥檚 now Puget Sound on May 19, 1792, he knew he鈥檇 arrived somewhere special. Sure, he affixed names to bays, islands, mountains and other geographic locations in honor of Brits, some of which remain controversial , but he also was one of the first non-natives to deeply appreciate this area and to write about it in elegant language. Captain Vancouver wrote in his log, 鈥淭o describe the beauties of this region, will, on some future occasion, be a very grateful task to the pen of a skillful panegyrist. The serenity of the climate, the innumerable pleasing landscapes, and the abundant fertility that unassisted nature puts forth, require only to be enriched by the industry of man with villages, mansions, cottages, and other buildings, to render it the most lovely country that can be imagined; whilst the labor of the inhabitants would be amply rewarded, in the bounties which nature seems ready to bestow on cultivation.鈥� And, 鈥渄iscovering鈥� Puget Sound was an okay consolation prize for Vancouver, who had failed to find the Columbia River just days earlier.

Sonics Day, June 1

The NBA left town back in 2008, and it still hurts. For tens of thousands of Sonics fans, it brings some modicum of comfort to recall that team鈥檚 World Championship run in 1979. It was a big holiday-worthy deal when the team won it all in , on the road against the Washington Bullets, on June 1, 1979. It was Seattle鈥檚 first professional sports championship of the modern era, and the whole state went nuts. Just close your eyes and summon the voice of Bob Blackburn calling the action on 成人X站 Radio.

Seattle Fire Day, June 6

The story of Seattle鈥檚 destruction by fire on June 6, 1889 and the rapid rebuilding that followed is justifiably mythic in its scope and scale. Seattleites of that era were, and their resilience in the face of disaster is something worth talking about each June 6 and carrying forward for future generations, including those who might one day have to pick up the pieces after a devastating earthquake.

Chief Seattle Day, June 7

The city鈥檚 namesake passed away on June 7, 1866. Words attributed to him may not have been his at all, but it鈥檚 clear that early settlers found Sealth worthy of being honored. The relationship between natives who鈥檇 been here for millennia and Europeans who arrived in great numbers in the 19th century is not easily explained or understood, and there鈥檚 little to 鈥渃elebrate鈥� from the native viewpoint, given how treaties were negotiated and reservations created. Still, even if it feels like a clumsy attempt to be politically correct or maybe just a culturally insensitive nod to those who came before, it seems fitting to honor Chief Seattle with a holiday in his name, in August.

Pioneer Independence Day, July 5

Who wouldn鈥檛 want an extra holiday right after the Fourth of July? Back in 1841, the officers and sailors of the United States Exploring Expedition, under the command of Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, in a meadow not far from the British outpost of the Hudson鈥檚 Bay Company at Fort Nisqually. Some historians believe that this was the first celebration of Independence Day west of the Missouri River. Since the Fourth of July that year fell on a Sunday, the celebration was delayed until Monday, July 5. Site of the celebration is marked with a monument, but the land is on JBLM and off limits to the general public.

Seattle Spirit Day, July 14

Some say that the 鈥淪eattle Spirit鈥� is a special quality that has carried the people of the city through the hardest times in its history, and moved Seattleites to great acts of personal generosity for civic good. Many believe that the Seattle Spirit began with a setback, when on July 14, 1873 the Northern Pacific Railroad announced that it had chosen Tacoma as terminus for its cross-country rail line. This meant potential money, jobs, commerce and population for Tacoma and not Seattle. But rather than give up and give in to their neighbor to the south, the people of Seattle tried to build their own railroad by hand the following spring, with men, women and children pitching in to clear a route, and level and pack the soil. They didn鈥檛 get very far, but Seattle would ultimately get the necessary rail connections, and later surpass Tacoma in money, jobs, commerce, population and so much more.

Advance Party Day, September 25

David Denny was just 19 years old on September 25, 1851 when he and Charles Terry and Carson Boren selected a spot at what鈥檚 now Alki Beach in West Seattle to build a cabin. They had left the other members of The Denny Party behind in Oregon City, and as an 鈥渁dvance party,鈥� their job was to find a place to settle and build a basic shelter. They didn鈥檛 make much progress, and the cabin was roofless when the rest of the group arrived on a rainy day six weeks later (why the women are crying in the 鈥淎lki Landing鈥� diorama in the MOHAI collection). September 25 gets bonus points for also being the day (in 1968) when 19th century Seattle sitcom 鈥淗ere Come The Brides鈥� premiered on ABC.

The Double Day, October 8

Even with the Seahawks鈥� incredible run the past few years, there鈥檚 still nothing in Seattle sports history (or, really, history period) that comes close to that unforgettable moment in extra innings in fifth and final game of the American League Division Series against the Yankees in October 1995. The play is even known in baseball circles simply as 鈥淭he Double,鈥� for the Edgar Martinez hit in the old Kingdome that drove Ken Griffey, Jr. home and won the game and the series for the Mariners. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe it!,鈥� said, as the Mariners were on their way to play against Cleveland in the American League Championship Series. Of all the Washington holidays, this should be a home run.

Evergreen Statehood Day, November 11

The day in 1889 when Washington Territory joined the Union and became the State of Washingto was big damn deal, and school children everywhere should star in awkward annual pageants, replete with recitations from important documents in Washington鈥檚 history. Oregon beat Washington to statehood by more than 30 years, and some scholars and historians believe those three decades gave the Beaver State a leg up on all kinds of 19th century federal pork. Others (this writer among them) believe those 30 years of 19th century statehood gave Oregon a sense of complacency (and a reliance on logging and fishing), and ultimately gave Washington a leg up on embracing the 20th century and all kinds of innovation. Either way, our state鈥檚 coming of age should be a holiday (it鈥檚 already a federal holiday for Veterans鈥� Day).

Alki Day, November 13

It was on November 13, 1851 when a group of settlers landed at what鈥檚 now West Seattle. This day, along with February 15, ought to be celebrated each and every year, with a re-creation of the landing of the schooner 鈥淓xact鈥� on the beach. Bonus points will be scored if it鈥檚 as cold, dark and rainy as it was in 1851.

Northwest Independence Day, December 2

In his first annual message to Congress on December 2, 1845, President James K. Polk laid out a series of bold initiatives to acquire territory in Western North America. These would later be characterized as part of the concept of 鈥淢anifest Destiny鈥�; the notion that it was America鈥檚 divine right to ultimately expand the republic across the continent. In his remarks, Polk spoke of the Oregon Country and made it clear that it was time to settle the matter by splitting the land and setting a boundary between American territory and British territory. Polk wanted Oregon far north of the Columbia River boundary desired by the British. Polk鈥檚 word choices make it clear that he was willing to go to war. This December 2 address was, in some ways, Polk鈥檚 鈥淒eclaration of Independence鈥� from Britain for the Oregon Country. This day could serve as a catch-all for the Treaty of Ghent (which on December 24, 1814 ended the War of 1812 and restored Oregon Country land to the US after it had been taken by the British) and the June 15, 1846 signing of the Oregon Treaty with the British, that established the 49th parallel as our northern border. As an added bonus, December 2, 1869 is the day Seattle was incorporated as a city by the Washington Territorial Legislature.

I鈥檓 sure there are some important events I鈥檝e missed, and there are somber occasions worthy of remembering and learning from, such as the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II or expulsion of Chinese workers in the 1880s. Those dark times still have much to teach us if we鈥檙e willing to stop and consider how far we鈥檝e come as a society and civilization, and what role the Pacific Northwest has played in this progress over the past few centuries.

If there鈥檚 a holiday or other observance you think should be on the list, please describe it in the comments section below.