Happy Father's day Dads!

Happy Father's day to all you Dad's out there, a day to sit and relax while your kids wait on you hand and foot, right?! And for the kids out there, you're planning on spoiling your Dad rotten today, correct?! If you were stuck for ideas, hopefully you saw the feature in the Phonebox magazine this month of a few gift inspirations, and if you've been maybe a little less organised and have yet to treat your Dad, why not have a look in the mag now (online here or see the pic below)

Father's day has been around for a while now, and was created in order to complement Mother's day and celebrate fathers and male parenting. The day began in 1930 and was started by Sondra Dodd, an individual who was inspired to suggest a day of commending and remembering Fathers after hearing a Mother's day sermon, and having experienced her own Father's, hard work, a Civil war veteran who raised six children alone. While many kids out there spend the day wishing there was a sons or daughters day, the hope is that they actually take time to remember and thank their father's for their hard work, or the person who they see as their Father figure, be that a grandparent, uncle, step Father etc. 

Whatever you do today, and whoever you chose to spend it with, we hope you have a happy Father's day :)

Happy Mothers day!

We at the Phonebox would like to wish all Mothers out there a very happy Mothers Day! Whatever you may be doing today, we hope that you feel valued and appreciated for all that you do every day!

Mothers day is celebrated across the world on different days, and is all about showing respect and acknowledging the hard work mothers do each day, and remembering those mothers who are no longer with us.

Mothers day is an opportunity which it would be nice to continue throughout the year, of showing appreciation to those who care for and gave birth to us, or for those who have played mother-like roles in our lives.

Mothering Sunday in the Christian church was originally (as early as the 16th century) where people returned to their mother church for a service on the fourth Sunday of Lent. As children would also be returning to their 'mother church' with their parents, they would often pick flowers for their mothers. Eventually, the tradition evolved into the modern, secular Mothering Sunday where children traditionally give cards and gifts to their mothers.

Whatever you do today, have a great Sunday!

What's next?!...

Post Valentines day, what’s the next occasion our shops will be trying to sell us? Easter eggs will be in the stores within the next few days, if not already, and then there’s Mothers day, for which cards have already been seen on the shelves. They’re obviously nice things to be advertising, but why oh why do they feel the need to pounce on us so early?! It feels like the day of one event, the next is being advertised. It's like the classic 'back to school' adverts, which are always up in the shops before the school holidays have even started, making all children seeing it feel like their holiday is over before it's even begun!

Past vs. Present: Has Valentines Day lost its appeal?

Valentines day has been around for centuries, so I've taken a look at the history behind it, finding out where on earth the idea started! 

Stories about the origins of the day go back to around AD 250, with tales of ‘Saint Valentine’, of which there is little known. We know that he was a holy priest in Rome, and was executed on the 14th February, which was how Valentines day came about. The actual idea of sending Valentines Day cards seems to have begun in around 1400. The oldest known valentine in existence was from Charles, Duke of Orleans, written to his wife in 1415, whilst he was imprisoned in the Tower of London; possibly not the happiest of messages, but romantic nonetheless.