How did the celebration known as Father’s Day come to be observed?

“Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him Father!”
—Lydia M. Child

In 1909, while listening to a religious sermon on Mother’s Day, Sonora Louise Smart Dodd conceived the idea of a day honoring fathers. Her own father, William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran, had raised her and her five siblings after their mother’s death in childbirth in 1898, and Dodd esteemed him highly.

The very first Father’s Day, though not yet officially recognized, was celebrated on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Washington. The idea of a day celebrating fathers swept across the nation. In 1916, President Calvin Coolidge traveled to Spokane and spoke at a Father’s Day sermon as a token of his support. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Finally, in 1972—sixty-two years after the initial celebration—President Richard Nixon recognized Father’s Day as a permanent national observance.

Did you know in the past, it was customary to wear a red rose if your father was still alive, and a white rose if he had passed? In some countries, the tradition is still observed.

What are your plans this Father’s Day? Cooking him a delicious brunch doesn’t have to mean going to cooking school. Simple dishes, well prepared and seasoned with love, are a sure-fire hit. Need a gift? Men are notoriously hard to shop for, but you don’t need to reach for the nearest ugly tie, new wallet or bottle of aftershave. Surprise your father with a cool gift instead. You can also donate to a charity in your father’s name – what better gift could you give than the gift of helping someone who really needs it?

Whether your dad’s passion is golf or other sports, sailing, surfing, tennis, hunting, fishing or other hobbies; whether you want to tickle his funny bone or touch his heart, you’ll find greeting cards at Greeting Card Universe that will send an “I love you” on your father’s special day.