June 17, 2016
Introduction: In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega searches old newspapers to learn about how our ancestors celebrated Father’s Day. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen.”
What are you doing for dad this Father’s Day? Will you buy him a gift? Take him out to his favorite restaurant? Or perhaps you’ll let the world know how much you love and appreciate him. Historical newspapers provide great ideas for your Father’s Day celebration, and give a glimpse how our ancestors celebrated this special day in the past.
His Favorite Meal
What is your dad’s favorite meal? Do you have a Father’s Day food tradition? Does Father’s Day at your home mean dinner at a restaurant, a family BBQ, or breakfast in bed?
It wasn’t uncommon in the past to find a restaurant‘s menu printed in the newspaper right before a special occasion like Father’s Day. The following Father’s Day menus were just as appetizing in our grandfather’s time as they are today. This 1938 Ohio newspaper advertisement for the Father’s Day Sunday Dinner includes Swiss Steak with mushroom, potatoes, vegetables, salad, roll, desert and a beverage for only 50 cents.
If dad isn’t a steak and potatoes guy he might like the meal choices offered in this 1939 menu at the Hotel West Lake. This menu advertises a lobster dinner for only $1.25! According to a currency calculator that price would equal $22.11 today, still a great deal for lobster!
If dad would rather eat in, two Father’s Day menus are offered up in this 1940 newspaper article. For this home-cooked menu you could choose to serve dad either Broiled Porterhouse Steak or Filet Mignon. Either choice sounds great for a dinner honoring dad.
The Perfect Gift
What is the perfect gift for dad? The traditional tie wouldn’t work for my dad since he rarely wears one. So in my family we need to be a little more creative. The following 1939 newspaper article gives some great advice that is as appropriate today as it was 77 years ago:
To make Father’s Day gifts just perfect, make a little confidential study of dad’s likes and dislikes. If dad has his favorite shops for buying particular articles, get acquainted with them, learn what salesmen wait on him.
The article goes on to point out that:
The gift that is bound to please dad most is the sort of thing he never has felt he could afford, because there always were so many things his family needed first. Well, on Father’s Day, dad comes first and the gift of gifts is the things he’s long liked to own, but never got around to buying because someone else needed a coat, a bicycle, fraternity dues or books for a new term of school.
I think even some of us moms can relate to that sentiment!
Tell Everyone Whom You Adore
There are all kinds of ways to tell dad how much you care. You can buy him a greeting card, write a letter, or take a selfie with him to post on Facebook.
According to Hallmark, who has been selling Father’s Day cards since 1920, Father’s Day is the fourth-largest card-sending holiday. 50% of Father’s Day cards are purchased for dads and almost 20% are purchased for husbands.*
It’s rare to get a sneak peek at greeting cards from previous generations without having access to the actual card. This 1949 newspaper article provides a look at some novelty cards that your dad or grandfather may have received.
One card’s poem proclaims:
When I started wishing things for you
I simply couldn’t stop,
So this card’s so full of wishes
That it’s just about to POP!
Another:
Now fathers are neglected guys,
Which everybody knows;
By day they slave – and then by night
They hear the family woes.
…Yes, fathers take an awful lot
And get so little praise,
And that’s why there should be for you
A year of father’s days!
Another:
You’re a splendid mixture of all that’s swell.
You’re mild, you’re smooth and sweet as well.
And I hope your days are fully packed
With lots of joy – and that’s a fact.
Greeting cards are personal declarations; however, some people like to be more public with their admiration for their dad. Newspapers are one way kids have honored their dads with public proclamations of affection, like this 1981 example where the sentiments “I Love You!” Daddy and Grandfather pepper the page.
Some of these personal ads are endearing, others humorous, such as these examples.
What are you doing this Father’s Day? We’d love to hear about your traditions in the comments below.
To all the dads out there and their families: Happy Father’s Day!
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* Father’s Day. Hallmark Corporate. http://corporate.hallmark.com/Holiday/Fathers-Day
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