Fathers Day: Gift Ideas, Shopping & History

Father's Day 2008 is June 15th. The idea of Father’s Day was conceived by Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Washington, while she listened to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart, a widowed Civil War veteran who was left to raise his six children on a farm. A day in June was chosen for the first Father’s Day celebration—June 19, 1910, proclaimed by Spokane’s mayor because it was the month of William Smart’s birth. The first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued in 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson designated the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Father’s Day has been celebrated annually since 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed the public law that made it permanent.

Father’s Day Business Facts - Retail Shopping

Shop For Pop

Retailers everywhere are gearing up for the only American holiday in which wacky ‘World’s Greatest Dad’ neckties, golf clubs, and barbeque sets complete with ‘King of the Grill’ aprons, prove to be thoughtful gifts. In spite of higher gas prices, spending on Father’s Day this year is anticipated to reach nearly $10 billion. When it comes to spending on gifts for Dad, the average person is expected to spend $98, compared to the $140 spent earlier in the year for Mom.  A record number of consumers plan to make that Father’s Day purchase of clothing and sporting goods online.

Most dads can expect at least a greeting card, with almost 70 percent of consumers expected to purchase at least one card for Father’s Day. Two other noticeable favorites for Dad this year are gift cards (29.9%), and special meals or outings (42.7%). Other popular categories include clothing (37.1%), electronics or computer-related accessories (15%), home improvement or gardening tools (12.4%), sporting goods or leisure items (13.9%), and tools or appliances (13.5 %).  Father’s Day marks the beginning of the summer barbecuing season. 

Men We Buy For

Half of us are shopping for dads and step dads and our personal list of ‘men to buy for’ also includes husbands, sons, grandfathers, brothers, and others.

GIFT LIST (Source: Bigresearch )

Online Impact    

Apparel, books, CDs, sporting goods, gifts cards, and consumer electronics gift purchases are often Internet enabled, as reflected in the upward online shopping trend for Father’s Day.  Nearly 19 percent of the $10 billion in Father’s Day expenditures will be spent online, continuing an upward online holiday shopping trend. 

Father’s Day Food & Fun Facts

Neckties lead this list of Father’s Day gifts.

Father's Day is the fifth most popular card-sending holiday, with an estimated $100 million in card sales. Husbands, grandfathers, uncles, sons and sons-in-law are honored as well as father.

66.3 million
Estimated number of fathers across the nation today.

The word "Dad" dates back to the sixteenth century, or possibly even earlier? It may have originated with the Welsh word "Tad" (meaning father), which later mutated to Dad. The word "Father" is derived from the Old English "Foeder".

The world's oldest living man, Methuselah, lived to be 969 years old. (Genesis 5:27)

Some famous fathers include Brad Pitt, Albert Einstein, Michael Jordan, David Beckham, Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King, Jr.

• More reverse-charge (collect) telephone calls are made on Father's Day than on any other day.

Books About Fathers And Fathers Day

Books For Children:

• A Perfect Father’s Day, by Even Bunting and Illustrated by Susan Meddaugh
• Biscuit Loves Father’s Day by Alyssa Satin Capucilli and Illustrated by Pat Schories
• Father’s Day by Anne Rockwell and Lizzy Rockwell

Resources Center Sources Include: US Census Bureau, Wikipedia.com, Fathersdaycelebration.com, Better Homes and Gardening