Father’s Day is coming, which means families everywhere are preparing to ask the most difficult seasonal question known to humankind:
What do you get for the guy who claims he doesn’t want anything?
This is not helpful, Dad.
Of course, “nothing” rarely means nothing. It usually means he doesn’t want anyone making a huge fuss, spending too much money, or buying him another gadget that requires an app, a firmware update, and three hours of emotional patience.
So before we get to the part where you panic-buy something vaguely grill-adjacent, let’s talk about how Father’s Day became a thing in the first place.
A Daughter Had the Idea
The story of Father’s Day traces back to Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington.
After hearing a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909, she wondered why fathers didn’t have a day of their own. Her father, William Jackson Smart, was a Civil War veteran and widower who raised six children, which is impressive under any circumstances and especially impressive before the invention of grocery delivery, group texts, and noise-canceling headphones.
Dodd believed fathers deserved recognition too, so she started pushing for a dedicated holiday.
The first Father’s Day celebration took place in Spokane in 1910. It was local, heartfelt, and probably involved fewer novelty aprons than we have today.
The Holiday Took Its Sweet Time
Father’s Day didn’t become official overnight.
Mother’s Day was recognized nationally in 1914, but Father’s Day spent decades trying to convince the country that dads were also worth putting on the calendar. There were proclamations, campaigns, supporters, skeptics, and probably at least one person arguing that dads already had enough attention because they controlled the thermostat.
Eventually, the holiday gained momentum. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued a proclamation recognizing the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. In 1972, President Richard Nixon made it a permanent national holiday.
That is a very long waiting period for a holiday honoring people who already think five minutes is too long to leave the garage light on.
Then Came the Stuff
Once Father’s Day became more familiar, the gift industry did what the gift industry does.
It looked at dads and apparently decided they were interested in four things: ties, tools, golf, and meat.
To be fair, this was not completely wrong.
Still, the holiday developed a certain reputation. Mother’s Day got flowers, brunch, heartfelt cards, and emotional television commercials. Father’s Day got a rack of barbecue accessories and a card involving bodily functions.
Not exactly a balanced portfolio.
The Point Is Paying Attention
At its best, Father’s Day doesn’t involve searching high and low for the most dad-coded object in the store.
It’s about giving a little appreciation to the fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers, uncles, mentors, and father figures who have shown up in ways large and small. The people who gave rides, offered advice, fixed things, carried boxes, checked the weather, stood over the grill, told the same story again, and somehow always knew the “better way” to load the car.
Some of them are sentimental. Some would rather eat a live battery than admit it.
Either way, they like knowing someone thought of them.
🚨 SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT 🚨
If you really want to let Dad know, “You’re my guy,” then you’ll present him with our Guy Food Gift Basket. Oh yeah! This Dad-pleaser features dipping pretzels, mustard, beer cheese, sausage, nuts, cookies, and salsa.
Father’s Day is June 21st, so get those orders in!
About BasketWorks
BasketWorks is a woman-owned gift basket company located in the north suburbs of Chicago (specifically Northbrook, IL) since 1997. We are proud to offer a variety of gifts and gift baskets appropriate for all occasions. Each of our packages is built to order, allowing for customization at no additional cost to our clients. Contact us today!
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