Husband Appreciation Day
Written by Aniketh Kumar on April 20, 2024
Every day they are out there, taking care of and helping out their families in a million different ways–both large and small. Things have changed over the years and a husband’s role has changed right along with it. Men take more responsibility for the household and children than in any previous generation!
What hasn’t changed is the appreciation that these amazing husbands deserve for all their tireless efforts. Husbands work hard and they deserve to be appreciated.
Husband Appreciation Day reminds everyone to take a little extra time each year to celebrate these wonderful men and everything they do as husbands.
History of Husband Appreciation Day
For as long as there have been wives, there have been husbands. These two companions have worked together to maintain their families and homes in a variety of roles and activities. Of course, the role of husbands in families has changed over the years, but they aren’t any less worthy of that appreciation due to those changes.
In the past, in many cultures, husbands were expected to be the breadwinners of the family, going out to work each day to bring in the money needed to support their families.
Looking back even further, even before there was a paycheck to be earned, the husband was the hunter of the hunter-gatherer set. That meant that bringing home the bacon was even more literal than it became when it merely referred to the money they earned to buy the bacon!
Now, anyone who lives in today’s world (which is basically everyone) knows that the reality of the single-earner family is less common in our day to day existence. Instead, it is often found that both partners work or, in some cases, it is the wife who works outside the home and brings home the paycheck. This is why the term ‘house-husband’ was developed for the stay at home male partner.
Truly, however, the most important role of a husband isn’t the money they bring in or even the work they do taking care of the home and the family. What is most important is the love and support they give to their partners! This emotional element is so much more important than anything else they do, and they are as tireless in this as in all other things.
Husband Appreciation Day was created as the perfect opportunity to acknowledge all of these things and more. Take some time to be creative about celebrating this day!
How to Celebrate Husband Appreciation Day
Enjoying and celebrating husbands is what this day is all about. Whether large parties or small gestures, the idea of the day is the tailor appreciation to the husband who is being celebrated.
Try out these or come up with other creative ideas for appreciation:
Give Him a Day Off
Some husbands might need to be encouraged to take a break every once in a while. Plan ahead and encourage him to take the day for himself. Try to make it so there is no annoying work to complete, no list of chores to do, and not even any diapers to change or young children to care for. Encourage him to hang out with his buddies, catch a movie, or watch a game.
Whatever he would enjoy, just let him run wild and free, doing anything his heart desires!
Learn Your Husband’s Love Language
Appreciating a spouse shouldn’t just happen on a couple of select days a year (birthday, anniversaries, etc.). True appreciation should be shown every day, all throughout the year!
One great way to show your husband how much you appreciate him is to learn what his Love Language is. A love language (made popular through the book by Gary Chapman) is the way that a person experiences love, whether by giving or receiving it.
It’s not necessarily just a male/female thing when part of a couple doesn’t feel loved! It might be a difference in the way love is given vs. the way it is received. Whether through quality time, physical touch, acts of service, words of affirmation or giving gifts, learning your spouse’s love language can truly change a relationship for the better.
While giving a hug (or doing the dishes, or saying “I love you”) might not mean much to one person, it can mean the world to someone else! Once a love language is understood, it’s much easier to show appreciation in ways that are meaningful to the one receiving it.
Join Him in His Favorite Activity
Even if it’s not your favorite thing to do most of the time, setting aside personal interests can mean a whole lot for Husband Appreciation Day! Whether he loves to hike, ski, bowl, golf or go on a brewery tour, take this day to do his favorite things with him. The time spent together will certainly be meaningful and lovely memories will be made!
Celebrate with Simple Gestures
There are a ton of ways to celebrate the man in your life, from a simple love note hidden in his lunchbox, briefcase or left somewhere else where he’ll find it throughout his day.
You can plan a special dinner by cooking his favorite meal or go out to a restaurant, whichever he would prefer). Or get him some special thing he’s been wanting but ultimately denying himself to make sure the family’s needs are met first.
Whatever you do, just be sure to let the man in your life know how much he means to you, and how much you value everything he does and is every day!