Father’s Day, though first celebrated on June 19th, 1910 in the state of Washington, it wasn’t until 1972 (58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day official) that Father’s Day became a nationwide holiday here in the United States.

Did you know that Mother’s Day (which has its origins in the peace and reconciliation campaigns of the post Civil War era) served as an inspiration for the creation of Father’s Day? While the origins of Mather’s Day was met with enthusiasm, the creation of Father’s Day didn’t rally up as much enthusiasm. However, around 1909 a Spokane, WA lady by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd, one of six children raised by a widower, did (successfully) all that she could to drum up support to establish an equivalent honoring male parents, just like Mother’s Day. The first Father’s Day was celebrated in 1910.

However, many men seemed to disdain this holiday – seeing it as a way to domesticate manliness and promote commercialism. In the 1920s and 1930s there was a movement to do away with Mother’s Day and Father’s Day – only to replace them with Parents’ Day. However, during the Great Depression, struggling retailers doubled down on their attempts to commercialize Father’s Day even more.

During World War II, it soon became a holiday promoted as a way to honor American troops and support the war effort. In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed a proclamation making Father’s Day a federal holiday at last and is celebrated on the 3rd Sunday of June.

What do you do to honor the Father in your life (whether he is a biological, step, or adoptive dad or a spiritual father or any father like mentor that helped play a role in your life)?

In the coming months I plan to post about some creative ideas for celebrating a variety of special occasions, such as Father’s Day. Stay tuned, but until then, happy Father’s Day!