Bear and Christopher brought me mulberries and flowers from the Farmers Market on Mother’s Day
Father’s Day is Sunday, June 17! I always like to know the history of the holidays we celebrate, so here’s a little backstory on Father’s Day:
The first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Washington. A woman named Sonora Smart Dodd came up with the idea to honor her father, a Civil War veteran who raised his six children as a single parent. How sweet is that? Three years later, a bill was introduced to make Father’s Day a national holiday, but Congress didn’t want to pass it, because, ironically, they feared it would become too commercial.
It wasn’t until 1966 that President Lyndon B. Johnson issued a presidential proclamation designating the third Sunday in June as an official day to honor fathers. In 1972, President Nixon made it a national holiday by signing President Johnson’s proclamation into law.
As with all holidays, Father’s Day has become a big sales pitch- which is really, really sad. Just buying presents because we’re being told to misses the point. But we get sucked in, and if you decide to boycott a holiday like Father’s Day, you look like a jerk!
In our family, we dance in between. We are romantics and suckers for any opportunity to celebrate and mark a moment! But we are not big on exchanging gifts. Instead we just really enjoy each other like we do everyday, and just try to make holidays about being a family. If you want to do something special, send a nice card or make a thoughtful gesture, like offering to clean your dad’s house, or cook him a nice meal. If you feel you should give a gift, pick something eco conscious that your dad really needs.
Here are some more ideas for how you can celebrate a kind Father’s Day, plus how my family celebrated Mother’s Day:
The Earth’s precious resources provide an inspiring reason not to buy gifts. Go No Impact Man style! The less we buy, the better off we are. And if we do buy, let’s make those choices really Earth-friendly. A bonus is that you get to save money at the same time! Win-win. Be creative and heartfelt in what you give – it’s way more meaningful.
A great idea is to veganize something your father loves…his favorite desert, for example. This is good for all holidays and celebrations. Create something that is your loved ones’ favorite meal and just make it as yummy as you can in the direction of what they love.
Organic flowers are also great for older parents or for anyone who doesn’t need anything. Organic flowers can make you feel special. I feel bad that they die, but they are grown responsibly and no workers suffer (check out my Valentine’s Day blog for more info about organic flowers). I feel good suprising someone who may not expect flowers…so every once in a while, for the right person, flowers are lovely.
Check out last year’s post for some delish Father’s Day recipe ideas!
How do you plan to spend Father’s Day?
More kind holidays:
kind holidays: my father’s day gift guide
kind holidays: recipes to try this weekend
kind holidays: nine kinder sodas for memorial day weekend
mother’s day: english breakfast in bed and more goodies for mom!
