At Remitly, we’re all about helping you celebrate the best things in life. In cultures across the world, grandparents play an important role in our families and society at large. Grandparents Day is a time to honor their love, wisdom, and legacy.
In this article, we’ll explore the purpose of Grandparents Day and provide fun ideas for celebrating the day with your family, whether in-person or virtually. We’ll also provide suggestions for honoring grandparents who have passed.
What is Grandparents Day?
Grandparents Day is a special day to honor and appreciate grandparents. You can think of Grandparents Day as similar to Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. Grandparents Day is a non-federal holiday, meaning schools and businesses remain open.
In the United States, this holiday is celebrated in September, on the first Sunday after Labor Day. By celebrating this holiday annually on a weekend, it ensures that grandparents and their grandchildren will be out of school and work so they can spend quality time together.
Typically, Grandparents Day is a day when grandparents are honored by their grandchildren. This means that it’s grandchildren’s time to shine—whether that means planning a fun activity or just showing up with a big hug and a heartfelt card to make the day special.
Why Grandparents Day matters
Grandparents are some of the oldest members of our families and communities. Their contributions helped shape the world we live in. Grandparents Day is a way to celebrate them and their legacies, both as individuals and as generations.
Family connections
Grandparents Day is an opportunity to strengthen family connections and honor family traditions. As there is no specific way to celebrate Grandparents Day, it’s a holiday that provides an outlet for your family to express themselves in a way that makes sense for you.
This might mean sharing a cultural meal, enjoying old-time music or movies, or breaking out that quirky backyard game that has become tradition. Regardless of how you choose to celebrate Grandparents Day, it’s a moment for your family to gather and create new memories together while also reflecting on cherished ones from years past.
History
In celebrating Grandparents Day, you’ll be honoring the wisdom, history, and love passed between generations. Keeping the bond between generations strong helps family history to coalesce and turn into legacy.
Bridging the gap
In America, a country mainly populated by the children of immigrants, family culture has greatly shifted in the span of a few generations. Many US citizens have grandparents who were born in foreign countries or raised with completely different cultural norms.
Grandparents Day is a holiday that creates time to reflect on these changes and bridge the gap between older generations and the youngest ones. Even if there is no true cultural gap between the living generations in your family, Grandparents Day is a time to explore the generational gap itself by asking questions and opening an intergenerational dialogue.
Celebrating in person
If you’re lucky enough to have living grandparents who live in your area, celebrating in person is the best way to honor Grandparents Day. Here are some ideas to make the holiday special for your grandparents.
Get together
If you asked any grandparent what they would like as a gift, chances are they’d simply request time with their family. Spend the day with your grandparents and family to celebrate Grandparents Day. You could host a family meal, take a group walk or hike, or compete to see who’s the new champ at that favorite family card game or board game.
Learn
Spend time learning from your grandparents. Ask them questions about what their life was like and what lessons they’ve learned over the years. Record these conversations digitally as audio or video files, or write down or journal about the information they shared with you.
Create
Make something for your grandparent that they’ll love. A handmade gift or a handwritten letter expressing your love and appreciation for your grandparent will be a keepsake that they can cherish.
Celebrating from afar
Oftentimes, physical distance keeps us from our grandparents. If you’re not able to spend Grandparents Day with your loved ones in person, consider these ideas for making the day special from far away.
Connect digitally
If you can’t spend time face-to-face with your grandparents, the next best thing is connecting digitally. A video call or phone call will make your grandparents’ day.
If needed, spend time with your grandparents to guide them on how to use the technology needed for you to keep in touch with them. Next time you’re together in person, run a test call or video call to make sure your digital connection works seamlessly.
Use good ol’ snail mail
While getting techy is certainly convenient, snail mail shows a whole lot of heart. Head to your closest post office to drop a handwritten note, care package, or gift in the mail. It will arrive at their home address in a few days and be the best surprise! Make sure that you send it about a week in advance for long distances and about 3 to 4 days in advance for closer destinations so that it arrives on time for the holiday.
Collaborate
If you have siblings or cousins, work together to create a special gift for your grandparents. This could be a photo album, memory box, audio file, or slideshow with sweet messages and silly videos. For a grandparent, seeing their grandchildren collaborate to make the day special will be a wonderful part of the gift!
Honoring grandparents who have passed
If one or more of your grandparents have already passed away, Grandparents Day provides an opportunity for you to honor their memory.
You might consider lighting a candle or saying a prayer for your grandparent, especially if they were religious. If you have younger cousins or even a next generation of family members, you can spend time sharing stories and anecdotes about your grandparent so that their memory lives on—even with younger family members who may not have had the opportunity to get to know them. If your grandparent had a cause that was close to their heart, you might consider volunteering or making a donation in their name.
Big love, small gestures
At the end of the day, Grandparents Day is less about gifts and more about gratitude. You don’t have to spend a lot of money—or even any money at all—to make your grandparents feel special, honored, and loved.
However you decide to celebrate, take a moment to honor the roots that shaped your story—and if you can, give your grandparents a call or a hug this year.
FAQs:
Is Grandparents Day an official holiday?
In the United States, Grandparents Day is not a federal holiday. However, it is a designated day to highlight the connection between grandchildren and their grandparents.
What if I didn’t grow up close to my grandparents?
Grandparents Day can still be meaningful, even if you didn’t have a close relationship with your grandparents. You might consider celebrating other senior citizens with whom you share a special bond—whether it’s a former teacher, neighbor, or community member. Take the opportunity to honor someone who has imparted love, wisdom, and tradition in your life in a meaningful way. Chosen family is family as well!
Are there similar holidays in other cultures?
Although there is no worldwide recognized Grandparents Day, plenty of cultures have a special day to celebrate grandparents. The date of Grandparents Day depends on the country where you are celebrating.