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Monthly Spotlight: Father's Day

Fathers Day

Happy Father's Day with confetti around it and a soccer ball, necktie, video game controller, and a watch being tossed up one by one.

What is it?

Father’s Day, in the United States, holiday (third Sunday in June) to honour fathers. Credit for originating the holiday is generally given to Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, whose father, a Civil War veteran, raised her and her five siblings after their mother died in childbirth. She is said to have had the idea in 1909 while listening to a sermon on Mother’s Day, which at the time was becoming established as a holiday.

Although it was originally largely a religious holiday, Father’s Day has been commercialized with the sending of greeting cards and the giving of gifts. Some observe the custom of wearing a red rose to indicate that one’s father is living or a white rose to indicate that he is deceased. Other males—for example, grandfathers or uncles who have assumed parenting roles—are often also honoured on the day. Some Roman Catholics have continued to observe the feast day of St. Joseph, on March 19, as a tribute to fathers. -Britannica

Father's Day Fun

There are many things that people can do to bond with their father or a father-like figure. Can't think of any right now? Not to worry, check out some of these suggestions:

  • Have a pool day
  • Go to a baseball game
  • Play a sport, like pickleball or basketball
  • Grill a delicious meal
  • Go fishing or hiking
  • Car shows are also pretty popular
  • Go golfing, or even mini-golfing
  • Shop for a bunch of treats and then have a dessert tasting
  • Bargain hunting (I.e. shopping)
  • Have a camping trip
  • Is he out of town? Send a care package!
  • Look through old photos
  • Remember that any time spent together will be a good time

Gift Ideas

Maybe your father or father-figure is out of town, or you just like giving gifts for holidays such as this. Here are some ideas for Father's Day presents:

  • Book(s)
  • Nose/ear hair trimmer
  • A board or video game
  • Socks
  • Tools
  • Work gloves
  • Memorabilia from their favorite movie
  • Massage gun
  • Weather watcher/station
  • Beard trimmer
  • Slippers
  • Baseball cap with his favorite team/show/phrase
  • New shoes 

A dad reading the newspaper with his feet up, a baby on the ground next to him stands up and starts loosing balance. The dad reaches down in time to stop the baby from falling over with text then popping up with the phrase

Book Suggestions

Would you like some suggestions for some fatherly books?

Woodrow Wilson, seated posed on swing on porch, facing front, with his wife and three daughters.

Origins

The nation’s first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in the state of Washington. However, it was not until 1972—58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day official—that the day honoring fathers became a nationwide holiday in the United States. Father’s Day 2025 will occur on Sunday, June 15.

The campaign to celebrate the nation’s fathers did not meet with the same enthusiasm, perhaps because, as one florist explained, “fathers haven’t the same sentimental appeal that mothers have.”

On July 5, 1908, a West Virginia church sponsored the nation’s first event explicitly in honor of fathers, a Sunday sermon in memory of the 362 men who had died in the previous December’s explosions at the Fairmont Coal Company mines in Monongah, but it was a one-time commemoration and not an annual holiday.

In 1916, President Wilson honored the day by using telegraph signals to unfurl a flag in Spokane when he pressed a button in Washington, D.C. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge urged state governments to observe Father’s Day.

Today, the day honoring fathers is celebrated in the United States on the third Sunday of June.

In other countries–especially in Europe and Latin America–fathers are honored on St. Joseph’s Day, a traditional Catholic holiday that falls on March 19. -History