Friendship Day

J.C. Hall, founder of Hallmark Cards, introduced the world to Friendship Day in 1919. As the father of the greeting card industry, Hall noted that noted that while we have special days to celebrate Mothers, Fathers and sweethearts, there was no special set aside for some of the most important people in our lives.

When the idea was brought to the Greeting Card Association, its members voted to observe Sunday, August 6, 1922, the first Sunday in the month as the first official Friendship Day, and for years after, indications pointed to Friendship Day being widely observed, sometimes even as often as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

In years following many other thought leaders followed suit: in 1935, the United States Congress proclaimed the first Sunday of August as National Friendship day. Several other countries adopted the tradition in the years following, and the United Nations General Assembly began observing International Friendship day in 2011. Today many countries in Asia and South America still celebrate Friendship day with gatherings, gifts and remembrances of all kinds.

There are as many ways to celebrate Friendship Day as there are friends. Here are a few ideas for affirming your besties, buds, and BFF’s on the big day:

• Take to social media and post tributes of your pals.
• Write a card or letter to a friend. List the things you love about them, share a favorite memory, or retell the history of your friendship.
• Call or skype a faraway friend and have a good old catch up.
• Send a message to your oldest friend, your newest friend, a childhood friend, and a friend with whom you’ve lost touch.
• Get together with the whole squad and toast to your fantastic bond – while making old-school friendship bracelets!

Friendship Day is celebrated the first Sunday of August each year. Here at the dates for the upcoming holidays:

• Sunday, August 5, 2018
• Sunday, August 4, 2019
• Sunday, August 2, 2020
• Sunday, August 1, 2021
• Sunday, August 7, 2022

Check out these vintage Hallmark cards…

…from the early days of the celebration (and Hallmark!)