A Tie is Better Than

Fathers Day was started in 1909 with Sonora Dodd who wanted a special day to honor her father. Her mother died giving birth to their 6th child and her father had continued to raise the children and run the family farm in rural Washington. In 1966 it was made official and the 3rd Sunday of June was Fathers Day from then on.

Obviously Sonora's father was very deserving of the honor but Sonora admitted that she campaigned for the Holiday in part for equality and fairness to Dads since Mothers Day was already being celebrated. Mothers Day has consistently been the best retail sales day of the year second only to Christmas. Fathers Day doesn't even come in third place for gift giving so it seems that the #1 Fathers Day Gift would be...a gift! Any gift - just remember Dad too!

Does Fathers Day take a back seat to Mothers Day in your family? If he does receive a gift is he handed a new power tool and a handy man to-do list? Or do the kids call him collect and say "Happy Fathers Day"? FamilyEducation.com conducted a poll last year asking how father day is celebrated in your home. with almost 2000 votes tabulated, barely 60% honored Dad with cards, gifts and dinner.

Just as Moms appreciate homemade macaroni necklaces, Dads enjoy homemade gifts of love and service as well. My father still has the ceramic horse head bookends I made for him in 2nd grade. Stumped for what to get your Dad? Here are some suggestions where the whole family can be involved in the activity making and creating a homemade gift that would make any Dad feel special!

Honor Dad by showcasing items that were important in his life while at the same time displaying genealogy the younger generation can learn about. Preserve military medals and ribbons, service club pins, coins, baseball cards or other memorabilia your Dad enjoyed collecting in an acid free shadow box.

Extended family can each bring a different kind of pie, let dad be the judge by sampling them all and awarding prizes!

Assign each family member part of the gift like: new floor mats, hanging scent for the rear view mirror, carpet and upholstery cleaner, new tape or cd, new drink holder and soda refill coupon, pre-paid credit for 1 month of gasoline, wax and buffing mitts, etc. After Dad opens his gifts, the whole family can get involved in cleaning and detailing the car inside and out. You could also change the oil, re-fill the windshield washer and break fluid too!

Rent a cabin in the mountains for a family retreat, only this time Dad doesn't have to pack the car, hunt for firewood, lug the dutchovens, bait the hooks or untangle the fishing lines! Have each child prepared to tell a campfire story about Dad as they roast him a marshmallow!

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