September 12 every year is observed as the National Grandparents’ Day in the United States. As the name suggests, the day celebrates the beautiful bond between grandparents and grandchildren and is meant to raise sensitivity towards the senior family members. Grandparents offer unconditional love and spoil their children with goodies and yummy sweets all life. This day is our chance to express gratitude to them for their love by wishing them and giving gifts. 

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Here’s are a few ideas to celebrate Grandparents Day this year.

1- Make handmade greeting cards and gifts as a token of love and gratitude.

2- Cook their favourite delicacy for them and surprise them by organising a family day.

3- Get a full-body medical examination for them because health comes first.

4- Take them shopping/ movie/concert.

History of Grandparents Day

Traditionally, National Grandparents Day is observed on the first Sunday after Labor Day, in the US and Canada.

 The day was initiated at the grassroots level by West Virginian Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade and her husband L. McQuade. They had 15 children, 43 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. After being married for over 60 years.

Mrs McQuade wanted a day for Grandparents that can go on to become a family day and thus, she encouraged US Senate to proclaim a special day for grandparents in 1978.

Fun facts about Grandparents Day

1- In the US, grandparents are called grandma and grandpa. In Italy, it is called Nonna and Nonno, in Germany Oma and Opa while in Latin America and Spain, the traditional names for grandparents are Abuela and Abuelo.

2- Well-known personalities like Oprah Winfrey, Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, actor Jack Nicholson, singer Willie Nelson, Carol Burnett, and poet Maya Angelou were all raised by their grandparents.

3- More than 2 million grandparents in the US are acting as the head of household.

4- Today, grandparents have a median age of 48 with more than half the grandparents in the United States are baby boomers and about 10% have tattoos.