Grandparents Day: when it is, and ways to celebrate your grandparents

In the United States, National Grandparents Day is the first Sunday after Labor Day, in early September. It's a day to thank your grandparents and spend time with them, and nothing about it is fixed. The plans that work best fit the grandparent: a big family lunch for one, a slow walk for another, a job done side by side for a third.

An example: Nina was 29 when it hit her that she had never once marked Grandparents Day. Neither had her brother Sam, who is 32. Their grandmother Ruth still cooks Sunday lunch for anyone who turns up. Their grandfather Walt still keeps the porch steps in good repair and the tea far too strong. So one September Nina set a reminder on her phone, baked a lopsided lemon cake and drove over with Sam and a bunch of forget-me-nots. Ruth cried a little at the flowers. Walt said all this fuss was too much and ate two slices. By the evening the four of them were planning next year.

When is Grandparents Day?

Labor Day is the first Monday in September, and Grandparents Day comes six days later, on the Sunday. So it always lands somewhere between September 7 and September 13. In 2027 it falls on Sunday, September 12.

Other countries keep their own days. Italy, for one, honors its grandparents on October 2. In the US, National Sons Day follows on September 28. Grown grandchildren get two informal days near the end of that month, and Granddaughters Day and Grandsons Day has lines a grandparent can send.

How Grandparents Day started

The day began in West Virginia with a mother of fifteen who spent years working for older people, including those in nursing homes. She wanted families to honor their grandparents and to remember the older people nobody came to see. Her own state took up the idea first, in 1973. In 1978 President Carter signed the bill that made it a national day.

Grandparents Day has an official flower, the forget-me-not. It's a national observance rather than a federal holiday.

Is there a grandmother's day?

Not in the United States. Grandparents Day covers grandmothers and grandfathers together, which is why a search for a grandma's day or a grandpa's day ends on the same September Sunday. A few countries split the two. Poland honors grandmothers on January 21 and grandfathers the day after, and France has a grandmothers' day on the first Sunday in March. A call on her own country's date can mean a lot to a grandmother who grew up there.

Grandparents Day ideas for every kind of grandparent

Ruth wants the whole family at her table. Walt would rather fix something with you than hear a speech about himself. Grandparents differ as much as anyone else, and personality is part of what each one enjoys. Six of the 16 types show the range, and any grandparent can have any of them.

The curious one who wants something new

An Ideator grandparent gets restless with the same lunch every year. Take them somewhere they have never been, such as a new museum, a night market or a talk at the library. Show them the one phone trick they keep asking about, then let them teach you something back. Bring a question you know they will argue about for an hour.

The one who makes everyone feel at home

A Harmonizer grandparent shows love through comfort: the good chair, a full plate, a blanket over your knees before you ask. Celebrate on their ground. Cook their best family recipe with them and write it down while they talk you through it. Bring flowers for the table and stay for the slow hour after the food, when nobody needs to be anywhere.

The grandparent who lives for a full house

A Vitalizer grandparent lights up when every relative is in one room. Round up the cousins, aunts and uncles for a lunch, even a short one. Ask each person to bring a photo of a day spent with them and tell the story behind it. Raise a toast at the table. They will act embarrassed and enjoy every second of it.

The quiet one who notices everything

A Dreamer grandparent would pick one person over a crowd. Plan a drive somewhere beautiful, a walk by the water or an hour on the porch with old photos. Write them a letter about one moment with them you still remember clearly. They will read it more than once.

The keeper of family loyalty

A Guardian grandparent is fiercely loyal to family. Ask about their own parents and grandparents, and sketch the family tree together while they talk. Frame a photo of four generations. To a Guardian, arriving when you said you would and calling when you promised means more than any present.

The one who would rather do than talk

A Craftsman grandparent shows love with their hands, so spend the day working next to them. Plant bulbs in the garden, fix the porch light or wash the car together. Ask them to teach you how they sharpen a knife or patch a tire. A good tool or a bag of quality coffee will go down better than a sentimental card.

If your grandparents live far away, a video call with all the grandchildren at once, a box of their favorite snacks in the mail or a short voice message from each of you still counts.

What to write in a Grandparents Day card

Start with the name you really call them, whether that's Nana, Pop or a word only your family understands. If your family never quite settled on one, our list of grandma and grandpa names has plenty, sorted by the kind of grandparent they suit. Then pick a line and make it yours:

• "Thank you for the Sunday lunches, the advice I ignored and the advice I didn't."
• "So much of what is good in our family started at your kitchen table."
• "You taught me to drive in your old truck, and I still check my mirrors the way you showed me."
• "I'm lucky that two of my favorite people are also my grandparents."
• "Whatever I'm doing right these days, a good part of it came from you."
• "Happy Grandparents Day. This year lunch is on me."
• "Thank you for always picking up the phone, even when I only call to ask about soup."

A plain sentence about the summer you spent painting their fence will mean more to them than a perfect quote. When her birthday comes around, our happy birthday, Grandma wishes are sorted by the kind of grandma she is. If you'd still like a short line to start from, our grandparent quotes come from both sides of the family.

Being a grown grandchild changes things

Once grandchildren are adults, the bond slowly turns around. The grandparent who once handed out pocket money and bedtimes now asks your opinion on a new phone or a letter from the doctor. They visit your first flat and have views on your curtains. Some grown grandchildren end up closer to a grandparent than they ever were as kids. Others find that a grandparent they adored is now hard to talk to, and the weekly call keeps sliding to next week. Asking about the old sayings they grew up with is an easy way to get a quiet grandparent talking.

Distance and busy lives play a part, and so does who each person is. The roles everyone falls into at family gatherings are a big part of family dynamics, and they shape who calls whom and who gets left out. In Typeza, any two people share one of 16 relationship types, and a grandparent and grandchild are no exception. A grandmother and granddaughter of the same type, for example, form an Identity pair. They understand each other almost without words, and they also tend to put off the same hard conversations. Other pairs feel easy in a shared task and strained in a long talk, or the other way round. It helps to know which kind of pair you are before the next call.

See what you and your grandparents share

Start with the free family compatibility test. Afterward, send each grandparent the link that comes with your result. Every time one of them finishes, the two of you get a relationship type that shows what flows easily between you and what may need more patience.

Questions people ask

Is Grandparents Day a federal holiday?

No. The law only asks the President to proclaim it each year. Banks and offices keep their usual Sunday hours.

When did Grandparents Day start?

West Virginia marked it first, in 1973. The first national Grandparents Day was in 1979.

Does Grandparents Day have an apostrophe?

The official name in the United States is National Grandparents Day, without an apostrophe. You will also see Grandparents' Day, and both are understood.

What is the flower of Grandparents Day?

The forget-me-not. A small pot of them makes a simple gift.

How do adults celebrate Grandparents Day?

A visit, a shared meal, a call or a card with a real memory in it all work. Pick what your grandparent enjoys most. Some families invite a great aunt or great uncle too.

Sources

• Cornell Law School, "36 U.S. Code § 125, National Grandparents Day": the date and the official name without an apostrophe.
• Wikipedia, "Marian McQuade": her fifteen children, West Virginia in 1973 and the 1978 bill.
• Wikipedia, "Grandparents' Day": the forget-me-not and the dates in Italy, Poland and France.

Written by Virko Kask, founder of Typeza
Written with the help of AI tools.