We celebrate the birth of new babies; we celebrate buying our first home; we celebrate the milestones of young children; we always celebrate our own. But lest we forget the generations who came before us, paving our way through the world with tender love and greatness.

Let’s talk about flowers and Grandparents’ Day, shall we? Forest of Flowers is here to give you the scoop on the best choices to show the past generations you care.

Grandparents Day is celebrated on the first Sunday after Labour Day. That means, for the year 2024, that’s Sunday, September 8.

Why Do We Celebrate Grandparents Day?

The old folks in our lives are a wealth of knowledge of both times past and times present, who offer us wisdom and guidance during times when we lack direction. Not only this, they inspire us to persevere, as many of them had to face times so challenging that we couldn’t possibly imagine what their experience was like. They love us. They nurture us. They want us to be happy - in turn, they deserve to be celebrated.

The Origins of Grandparents Day

Marian McQuare initially envisioned a national day that was entirely dedicated to honouring our grandparents. And in 1970, she launched a campaign that made her dream into a reality.

Throughout the 1970s, McQuade worked herself tooth and nail to raise awareness about the importance of our senior loved ones. Her efforts would eventually culminate in 1978 when President Jimmy Carter finally declared the first Sunday after Labour Day as National Grandparents Day!

Ever since that time, the president issues a yearly proclamation to help continue the tradition. Now, Canada and the like follow suit, offering admiration and declarations of love towards the senior loves of our families. The official flower of the holiday is the classic forget-me-not - otherwise known as scorpion grass. Tiny, delicate flowers that are usually blue represent a generation of people known for sacrifice and paving the way for future generations.

However, going and digging up a bunch of forget-me-nots may not be your idea of a fun way to spend Grandparents Day. Instead, let’s discuss some potential flowery gift ideas that you can offer (as well as some other ideas) to give to your elderly loved ones.

A Gift for Grandma and Grandpa- Personalizing Flowers

Flowers make some of the most perfect gifts for your grandparents. So, when you start thinking of what to give them this year, you should definitely consider a stunning floral arrangement they can enjoy for days to come!

As we’ve discussed in other blogs prior to this one, every flower has a special meaning - especially depending on the culture. When choosing the flowers for your grandparents’ arrangement, you can choose flowers that have a special meaning to you and your grandparents. Afterall, personalization is what makes floral arrangements so memorable.

By making the arrangement intentional, you have the ability to send a message of love and admiration for your grandparents.

The Traditional Flowers of Grandparents Day

• Lilies: A stunning flower that often symbolizes devotion, love, and purity, these sentiments go hand-in-hand when it comes to grandparents. Lilies will show them how deep your love is by being adorned to your floral display.
  • Wonderful In White contains Oriental Lilies, White Cremones, Alstroemerieas accented with Italian Ruscus and Myrtle
• Roses: A classic flower speaks not only with its beauty, but with an array of colours - making them an excellent addition to any arrangement. Pink symbolizes admiration and appreciation, while red has always represented love. By combining the two, you’re showing a deep level of love and appreciation.
  • Simply Beautiful - Red Roses, Soft Pink Carnations and Delicate White Daisies
• Additional flowers: Other flowers, such as gardenias, hydrangeas, amaryllis, and gerberas, add a stunning touch to any arrangement. These blooms symbolize qualities like perseverance, joy, elegance, and determination, making them a perfect choice to enhance your flower arrangement.
  • Simply Gerberas

Choosing a Bouquet for a Grandparent

Bouquets also make great gifts for grandparents - or, in a more somber case, a single grandparent who may have lost their other half. It’s a sad reality, but it happens, and that doesn’t mean you can’t send your beloved grandparent a gift for Grandparents Day.

• Purple flowers: Purple flowers are often associated with royalty, opulence, honor, and wealth, as well as mysticism and spirituality. Their rich symbolism makes them a popular choice for formal events, special occasions, and various celebrations - including grandparents day.

Purple and White Presentation Bouquet

• Pink flowers: Pink flowers are often regarded as a symbol of love, although they also mean happiness, gentleness, and femininity - making them a perfect gift for grandma, in particular.
  • Pink and White Presentation Style Bouquet
• Customized, hand-tied bouquet: If you aren’t sure entirely what you want to give your grandparent(s), consider letting the professionals make the decision for you. A professional florist can make you a stunning, hand-tied bouquet that can be customized based on flower availability and season.

Monthly Hand-Tied Bouquet Flower Subscription

Activities to Share on Grandparents Day

OK, so we have some ideas for flowers, but what do we actually DO on Grandparents Day? Well, the most important thing is to spend time together, even if you don’t do anything “special” per se. However, we still have some ideas for you to consider to make Grandparents Day the best one ever.

Make a Family Recipe

Whether it's you with your parents or you and your kids, you can all share a family recipe and spend a nice afternoon cooking. Maybe you want to make grandma’s family famous spaghetti and meatballs. Or maybe the grandkids can spend some time making grandpa’s favourite peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Either way, grandparents and co can share their own memories of making and sharing a delicious meal that can be passed down from generation to generation. Besides, what’s a celebration without food? Especially if you have migrant grandparents who brought their own traditional cuisine from overseas.

Make A Homemade Card

Perhaps one of the most thoughtful things you can do on Grandparents Day is present your loved ones with a homemade card, particularly if you have some creative kids to lend a hand. You can use glitter, paint, paper butterflies, markers, pencil crayons, stickers - anything to make the card extra special. Write a little poem or draw a little picture to really emphasize how much they are loved and cherished. It’s a great activity for you and the kids and will make an excellent accompaniment to your floral display.

Make A Scrapbook

Scrapbooking is an incredible activity that can be shared with the family, especially if you love making memories into tangible forms. Grandparents Day is the best time for several generations of the family to make a personalized scrapbook. Pick out your favourite photos and things that bring up fond memories with your grandparents to add to your personalized scrapbook. Then, everyone can work together to put the book together.

Share Memories and Tell Stories

Grandparents are often the ones who shared our earliest stories with us and their grandchildren. Whether it was times of war or a “back in my day” tale, you may have memories of black and white photos, hand-written recipes and notes, newspaper clippings and more. There’s nothing quite like taking a trip down memory lane.

One idea for celebrating Grandparents Day is to take a literal trip down memory lane. And, no, we don’t mean time machine style. Take a visit to meaningful locations, perhaps like your first family home or the local drive-in that you used to frequent together. Maybe you used to celebrate birthdays at the local lake, and now decide to commemorate it with a family picnic.

Or, if you have the extra funds, you could even take a family vacation to your favourite destination spot. What matters is you have happy memories associated with your family that you can all enjoy together.

Go for a Family Hike and Look at Nature

Hey, just because they’re older doesn’t mean your grandparents aren’t active! Nature walks aren’t just excellent exercise and a great way to let out a little energy - especially if you have young kids. It’s also a great way to learn more about nature and share in a meaningful moment.

Going for a walk or hike outdoors and checking out plants is a lot of fun, and it’s an opportunity to learn, too! You also get to take advantage of the remainder of the warm weather in early September. However, if you’re not up for a hike, you could even go for a light walk around a botanical garden or through grandma and grandpa's garden.

Give a Meaningful Keepsake

Gifts from the heart are cherished by everyone, including grandparents. They can celebrate by sharing something special with their grandkids, such as a photo from their first baseball game, a handmade quilt, or a piece of birthstone jewelry. The key is to choose a meaningful keepsake and share the story behind it.

Whether you choose to give the gift of a bouquet or floral arrangement, Forest of Flowers can help pair you with the perfect gift for Grandparents Day. Check out our website for more information on the best gifts to give grandma and grandpa this September.