National Grandparents Day is next Sunday, September 11. Some may think this is just another “Hallmark”, 1-800Flowers, or See’s Candy holiday. I assure you, it is not.
The concept of Grandparents Day began when Marian McQuade initiated a campaign to set aside a special day just to recognize grandparents. Her primary motivation was to champion the cause of elderly people living alone or in nursing homes. She also hoped to persuade grandchildren to tap into the wisdom and legacy their grandparents could provide. President Jimmy Carter, in 1978, proclaimed that National Grandparents Day would be celebrated each year on the first Sunday after Labor Day. September was chosen to signify the “autumn” years of life.
While Mother’s Day and Father’s Day have apostrophes, Grandparents Day does not. McQuade did not envision the holiday as “belonging” to grandparents. It was conceived as a day of celebration involving the whole family, a day to connect the generations. Not only is it a day to honor grandparents, it is also a day for grandparents themselves to instill their loving legacy to the generations that follow them.
As you are planning your family get-togethers with grandparents for next Sunday, consider incorporating one or more of these activities. The result may be new additions to your family legacy drawer.
Go through photo albums – Spend the afternoon going through old photo albums with grandparents. Ask about any stories that may accompany the pictures. Make sure pictures are documented with names, dates, events, etc. Grandparents will love the process of reminiscing the past and you can be certain that family history is preserved for your family legacy drawer.
Share heirlooms and their stories – Have grandparents show you some of the family heirlooms. Take pictures of the heirloom and document the location and stories behind these family treasures. Better yet, make a video of the grandparent showing the heirloom and sharing the story.
Create a family tree – Start with a basic family tree listing the names and birthdates of kids, parents, and grandparents. Then branch out with information grandparents can provide on aunts, uncles, cousins etc. You may want to do some research together on some of the genealogy websites like Ancestry.com or familysearch.org. Document your findings and preserve this information in your family legacy drawer for future generations.
Videotape grandparents life story – Have grandparents share their personal history, childhood memories, interests and activities, favorite family stories and videotape it. What a great addition this would be to the family legacy drawer!
Remember that Grandparents Day is a celebration of all generations and the special relationships between them. How are you going to celebrate Grandparents Day?
