What is Grandparents Day and How to Celebrate it?

Grandparents are responsible for bringing much joy and happiness to the lives of their families. But, it is easy to take these elders from granted. Luckily, there is a Grandparents Day. It is a holiday where you can finally shower Grandma and Grandpa with love and appreciation.

What is Grandparents Day?

National Grandparents Day is a US holiday celebrated on the first Sunday after Labor Day. The holiday was created by a stay-at-home mom named Marian McQuade (who obviously thought that you weren’t already stressed enough celebrating Mother’s Day and Father’s Day). The goal of Grandparents Day was to make old folks feel special. And honestly, your grandparents deserve it. They were the ones who slipped you peppermints when mom said no candy before dinner. They gave you money for that ridiculous business startup idea that failed miserably. They also let you move in temporarily following the failed business idea when your parents finally put their foot down and said, “Jesus, Dan, this is the tenth time you’ve done this stupid crap, and we’re just not fixing your problems anymore. Grow up!” Damn, grandparents are awesome.

To celebrate this wonderful holiday, here are a few suggestions to show Grandma some gratitude for all the sweaters she knitted just for you.

Grandparents just want to have fun.

They spend $100 billion each year on entertainment.

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Your grandparents used to party hard. They drank booze, smoked cigarettes, and engaged in the occasional heavy petting session. You might find this hard to believe, but they were cool at some point. So, throw them a party. Give your grandparents a chance to get all wild and crazy again. You might be surprised at the things you can learn from the old geezers. A party is an opportunity for them to tell stories about the good old days.

There’s nothing like seeing a younger, hipper version of Grandma and Grandpa. Those old photos all have a story behind them that your grandparents will enjoy telling. Take the grandparental unit on a trip to the local crafts store (because you know how much old folks love that), and get materials for a scrapbook. Then, get together with family and go nuts with the glitter. Having a nice place other than a moldy old shoebox to store those treasured memories will help preserve them for generations to come. It will also give you an excuse to finally scrapbook. No more shame. No more shame.

Many of our grandparents were immigrants who travelled thousands of miles to reach America, seeking a better life. They hold the knowledge of many traditions that the family may no longer observe. Use Grandparents Day as a chance to learn more about your heritage. If possible, take your family elders on a trip back to the motherland. You and your family will bond closer together as you see a foreign nation through a familiar set of eyes.

• 60% live close to their grandchildren
• 46% wish they could live even closer
• 70% see the kids at least once a week
• 66% travel with their grandkids
• 81% have their grandkids for part or all of their summer vacation
• 55% play video games with their grandchildren

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Your grandparents are the reason you and your parents exist. So, why not show them how much you care with a simple phone call. They’re easy people to please. Just the sound of your husky voice telling them happy grandparents day will make them extremely happy. Or better yet, stop by for a visit wearing one of those grandma's handmade sweaters. Sure, it’s sweltering outside right now, but old people are always cold. Your Grandma will just think you’re smart enough to dress warmly. When she sees you sweating profusely, she’ll just assume that you’re sick and make you homemade chicken noodle soup. And, that makes it totally worth it.