Monday, June 9, 2008

A Single Dad's Devotion Inspired Father's Day


Gourmet goodies packaged in a wagon is one of the many gift baskets The Bountiful Basket can make to please Dad on Fathers' Day

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) – It’s tough being a single parent today, but one’s dad’s success in this role helped in creating this special day for all fathers.

Several websites credit Sonora Smart Dodd, a young mother in Spokane, Washington with organizing the first Father’s Day celebration. Her father, William Jackson Smart, had raised Mrs. Dodd and her five siblings after her mother died giving birth to the couple’s sixth child.

As Mrs. Dodd sat listening to a Mothers’ Day sermon in 1909, she thought of how her father had been both mother and father to her family. She set about to establish a new holiday recognizing the important roles fathers play in their children’s lives.

The next year, her church held the first Father’s Day celebration. By 1926, the word had spread and people were celebrating Father’s Day across the country.

For dads in 2008, a great way to say “thanks for all you do” is to order him a customized gift container from The Bountiful Basket in Highland. This company can take orders from anywhere in the world through its website, www.thebountifulbasket.com

“Whatever a dad is interested in, we can make a basket or other gift to help him enjoy his hobby more thoroughly,” owner Marilyn Taylor said. “And we have other baskets that just say thanks for being a good dad.”

Taylor and her team have come up with some new ideas just in time for this year’s holiday, which falls on June 15. One sure to be a hit with most dads is her “Father’s Day Toolbox.”

“It’s a good-sized orange and black toolbox filled with tools and snacks,” Taylor said.

For a new dad, who probably won’t have quite so much time to play with tools, there is the Daddy’s Diaper Dootie Tool Belt. Instead of tools, this gift package is filled with diapers and other baby products, and for dad, rubber gloves, safety goggles and a clothes pin for the nose.

If tools aren’t your dad’s favorite things to play with, and his little ones are past the diaper stage, The Bountiful Basket can design a gift with his interests in mind.

The company has several examples displayed on its website for sports fans, especially for those dads who like golf. New baskets are in the works for baseball fans, NASCAR and Harley-Davidson enthusiasts. There are also gift baskets for movie and music lovers.

And what dad wouldn’t love a little pampering? The Bountiful Basket has a line of bath products, Bountiful Spa Therapy, that have been a hit with both men and women, due to its universally appealing unisex scent. The company will gladly make a gift basket featuring the products men love.

The Bountiful Basket has more than 250 different baskets to choose from, ranging from $10 to $500. These are grouped by themes, such as holidays, corporate, children’s and teenagers’ baskets, college students’ designs, and gifts with different varieties of products within.

But, if none of those designs are exactly what you’re looking for, The Bountiful Basket can custom-make the perfect gift that you will be proud to give and will fit within your budget.

For more information, go to their website, www.thebountifulbasket.com or call Taylor at (909) 425-2203 for help with your selection.