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Father’s Day History – Dad’s Love T-Shirts as Gifts

The third Sunday in June of every year is set aside to honor fathers all across the United States, whether they’re new to fatherhood or already a Grandpa. It’s a day when the male head of the household gets to be ‘King for the Day’.

After church services, during which the state of fatherhood is often touched upon, Dad’s everywhere can expect to go home, be waited on hand and foot and treated to a special dinner… well, some fathers can. Others, especially raising children by themselves, celebrate in other ways, even if it’s just to stare at their children and smile. Father’s Day doesn’t have to mean fancy dinners or cards; it can also be recognized in a child’s smile or a tiny hand holding onto your little finger.

No one really knows who started the concept of Father’s Day; though some believe that it originated with a certain good woman from West Virginia who thought that setting aside a day to honor fathers was a good idea. At her request, a special Father’s Day service was conducted at her local church in 1908. Another young woman from Florida wrote to her state governor asking that he proclaim a Father’s Day. Regardless, it seems that a number of like minded women felt that fathers everywhere needed to be officially recognized for their parts in raising children, providing for the family and generally trying to keep order in households across the nation, to varying degrees of success. However, it is generally accepted that a woman in Spokane, Washington was the driving force behind such a declaration, after she petitioned her local minister to ask congregational members of her church to select one Sunday in June to remind churchgoers of the “appreciation owed to fathers.” Mainly remembering her own father and his sacrifices on her behalf, this woman asked that the day be celebrated on her late father’s birthday, hence the date. On that first Father’s Day, on June 19, 1910, local newspapers ran the story. During following years, neighboring communities also observed the day, but it wasn’t until 1924 that President Calvin Coolidge suggested that the day be recognized and honored throughout America.

On Father’s Day, fathers are gifted with t-shirts, ties, bathrobes, pipes and whatever else tickles the fancy of children offering their own idea of thanks for their Dad’s. School children make crafts geared to please, from homemade cards to clay ashtrays and table decorations. Older children often make a gift for Dad as well, whether it’s a crocheted pair of slippers or a knitted sweater, the gifts and mementoes always appreciated, even if they’re the wrong size, color or shape. Gifts of pipes and cigars have long been traditional throughout the history of Father’s Day, though these days, more health conscious fathers receive gift certificates to gyms and golf courses. But our favorite is a t-shirt that shows how much you love your dad or maybe a funny novelty shirt to make him laugh.

Father’s Day also allows fathers everywhere to reflect on their own task of providing examples and lessons for their children, and also to remember that they’re not in this business of raising children alone. Millions of fathers throughout America all face moments of self-doubt or uncertainty, but being a father never came with an instruction book. Every father raises his own children to the best of his ability, and mothers and children take this very special day to recognize that fact.

Father’s Day is a day when a Dad is given the freedom to while away his Sunday doing anything he pleases, even if that means sitting in the recliner watching television all day long. On this day, no one minds if Dad stays in his bathrobe or tinkers in the garage or stays out golfing from sunup to sundown. It’s Father’s Day.

Honoring the Fallen on Memorial Day – A History of Memorial Day & T-Shirts

T-Shirts have long been a tool for spreading awareness and a billboard for expressing ourselves. On Memorial Day many people choose to wear patriotic t-shirts and create personalized designs to help remember honoring the fallen soldiers. Remembering the men and women, soldiers and civilians, who have died while defending the United States has been a tradition in America since 1863, following the death of hundreds of thousands of soldiers during the War Between the States. Back then, the day of recognition was called Decoration Day, because flowers were placed on the graves of soldiers from both North and South. Started by women, some the wives of government representatives, others within local communities, the tradition became a yearly one.

The idea of recognizing a day to honor fallen soldiers is believed to have begun with a woman named Miss Emma Hunter of Pennsylvania, who appeared at her father’s tomb with flowers in 1864. There, she also met another woman bearing flowers to the grave of her son. The two women agreed to meet the same day the following year in order to again place flowers on their graves, and so Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, is credited with originating Memorial Day. Another legend tells of the creation of Memorial Day taking place as women from Columbus, Mississippi placed flowers upon the graves of both Confederate and Union soldiers in 1866.

In 1865, a suggestion was made to the Commander in Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic for citizens around the country to be able to have access to soldier’s graves on the last day of May for the purpose of “strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country.” Shortly thereafter, ceremonies were held at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, directly across the Potomac River from Washington D.C., where they continue to this day. Though Memorial Day was not officially designated a national holiday until the late 1870’s, observers from towns and cities across the United States observed, recognized and honored veterans of all wars the last day in May. In 1873, New York was the first state in America to officially declare May 30th a legal holiday.

Navy personnel and families created small boats made of flowers and set them afloat at ports on both American coasts to that the tides would carry the flowers out to sea in the hopes that they would eventually find those who had been buried or lost at sea. Towns everywhere celebrate the day with red, white and blue streamers, parades, speeches and events designed to commemorate the sacrifices and loyalty of soldiers, both men and women, who have lost their lives in the continued pursuit of freedom and democracy. Flags, normally raised in front of all government and school buildings, are also raised in front of homes. Cemeteries around the country are decorated with thousands of little flags placed at the headstones of veterans. Military ceremonies performed throughout the country offer cannon and gun salutes to those who have given their all for their country. The playing of Taps in cemetery ceremonies around the nation brings tears to thousands of eyes every year, while white crosses decorated with red poppies or carnations remind all Americans that freedom is neither free nor to be taken for granted.

Schools around the country celebrate Memorial Day with crafts and classroom assignments that ensure that soldier’s contributions to freedom never be forgotten, and many veterans visit classrooms and auditoriums around the country, telling of their experiences during various battles and wars. The Pledge of Allegiance became a daily requirement for American children in schools around the country, serving as a reminder of what it means to be a citizen of one of the greatest countries in the world.

Memorial Day is one of America’s most honored holidays, when all military personnel are recognized and appreciated for their sacrifices and dedication to preserving the ideals of freedom and democracy not only within the United States of America, but around the globe. Honor our soldiers and the people you care about on memorial day with a t-shirt. Some ideas for t-shirts on Memorial day might be a simple flag of the United States or maybe a yellow ribbon with the name of a solider. If you have other ideas for a memorial day t-shirt please let us know.

History of Father’s Day – T-Shirts have become a Popular Gift Idea for Dad

T-Shirts as gifts have become a big part of Father’s Day so we thought it was appropriate to provide a short history of this special day.

Mrs. Bruce John Dodd of Spokane, Washington spent a Sunday during May of 1909 in church listening to one of the first sermons directed specifically at the celebration of motherhood. She was so taken by the sentiments that she began efforts to generate support for a similar day honoring fatherhood. Her efforts are often credited with the beginning of Father’s Day celebrations in the United States.

Many countries of Roman Catholic leaning celebrate fatherhood on the Feast of Saint Joseph, the day set aside within the church to honor Joseph, the father of Jesus. Obviously, this makes sense considering that during biblical times it was rare for a man to accept, love and nurture a child who was biologically not his own.

For the United States, a secular celebration seemed more appropriate and the idea for the June came from Mrs. Dodd’s suggestion of June 5. The day is actually celebrated on the third Sunday in June, however because organization efforts were not completed in time to hold the national celebration on that suggested date. The first organized celebration happened in her hometown of Spokane in 1910, just one year later than the beginning celebrations for Mother’s Day.

The passing of a bill in support of a national celebration of fatherhood did not occur until many years later however, and gender bias may have been the reason that it took until 1972 for Father’s Day to be declared a national holiday. Traditionally, the Congress was made up of exclusively men and therefore they believed that passing a holiday with the specific intention of honoring men might appear to be a conflict of interest. Therefore, it was not until Richard Nixon’s administration that the day became nationally recognized.

When Mrs. Dodd began her efforts, it was partially because her own father had raised six children without their mother. As a young adult of 27, she had grown to realize the determination, dedication and sacrifice that her father demonstrated in order to present his children with opportunities and love.

Father’s are considered the root and support for society, and their role in guiding their children towards success and virtue is very important to the development of society. Therefore, the establishment of Father’s Day is very important in that it serves to recognize the role of a father within a family and within society as a whole.

Father’s Day is celebrated widely throughout the world, where children of all ages take time to recognize their father’s love and influence and to celebrate fathers in general. Most celebrations include a special dinner and gifts. Naturally, the holiday has become more commercialized than it was ever intended at the beginning.

Because the role and attitude of fathers throughout the world varies tremendously, there is no one specific gift that is given more than others. Of course, the cliché gift of a tie still appears occasionally. Unlike Mother’s Day, where flowers and chocolate are hot sellers, retailers have had to become more creative in their marketing efforts in order to cover all types of dads. Popular gift items do include sports equipment, steak dinners, free car washes by the little ones and of course the t-shirt. The t-shirt has become such a popular gift is that it is easy to create a custom t-shirt that has just the right message for your dad. Father’s Day t-shirts can tell how much you love your father or if you dare you can give him a funny shirt that pokes fun of him. But what is most important is that people everywhere are taking time out of their busy lives to pay attention to their own father and his role in their life.