Ballard Blossom Blog

Grandparents Day is a national holiday or observance, celebrated each year on the first Sunday after Labor Day. This year it takes place on Sunday September 12.  Contrary to popular misconception, Grandparents Day was not invented by greeting card companies, florists, restaurants, or any other business interest.  Serene Comfort by Ballard Blossom - Seattle WA Instead, the origin of Grandparents Day can be traced back to 1956 when a mother from West Virginia named Marian McQuade helped organize a community celebration for people over 80 years of age. In doing so, she realized how many elderly care facility residents had been forgotten by their families.  She envisioned a holiday that would not only bring attention to the elderly population but would also honor all grandparents by celebrating the connections between generations. Her work paid off and in 1973 West Virginia became the first state to set aside a special day to celebrate grandparents. Three years later – in 197...

Everyone deserves a break after surviving the first three quarters of 2020 and we cannot think of better way to celebrate than donning our fanciest mask and enjoying Sweetest Day on Saturday, October 17 . If you are unfamiliar with Sweetest Day, you’re missing out one on of the best reasons we can think of to celebrate right now. Unlike holidays such as Christmas or Valentine's Day, Sweetest Day does not have a religious affiliation. It actually stemmed from a clever candy company employee named Herbert Kingston who promoted a holiday called Candy Day as a chance to bring happiness to those in society who were often forgotten. He enlisted the help of several friends, and together they distributed over 20,000 boxes of candy to "newsboys, orphans, old folks, and the poor" in Cleveland, Ohio. The Sweetest Day in the Year Committee was assisted in the distribution of candy by some of the biggest movie stars of the day including Theda Bara and Ann Pennington. The ide...