Category: Connectivity

When we were kids, summer vacations always consisted of the family getting into a car and driving somewhere. We usually went to upstate New York. Because there were so many of us, I don’t think flying anywhere ever crossed our parents’ minds.

This summer, as more people are vaccinated, and regulations loosen somewhat around the country, families will be returning to the annual ritual of taking summer vacations.

Jim recently spoke with his friend Steve Squeri, the Chairman and CEO of American Express. Jim always enjoys the opportunity to catch up with Steve and hear his insights. Steve shared that he is seeing pent up customer demand expressing itself and that travel is coming back.

The travel site Tripit says road trips are the trend this summer, and to us that makes sense because families are still cognizant of keeping the kids safe from COVID, and car trips are a way to do that. According to a Tripit survey, 83% of respondents said they’d be ready for a road trip with a personal car by June.

We thought it would be fun to take a road trip down our memory lane, while also giving you some tips as you start to head out on the highway this summer toward your favorite destinations.

Planning the trip

As kids, we didn’t have much say about where we wanted to go; however, our parents understood that we liked returning to the cabin in upstate New York each year. Everyone knew what they were in for. We also had to take into consideration the fact that our parents’ friends would usually join us, and they had seven kids, and would stay in a cabin next door.

That made 12 children, and at some point, the parents allowed the older kids to bring a friend, so now we are up to 15-20 of us! Honestly, I don’t know how the mothers did it; however, the fathers figured out a way to partly avoid the mayhem. They would work during the week, and come up on the weekends, and get out just in time before their nerves started to fray.

Many of you are probably deciding where the family, and perhaps other family and friends, should all go this summer, particularly if you are all driving. And there are so many considerations to take into account.

The Washington Post accurately predicted that 2021 will be the “year of the road trip.” The article includes tips such as making sure COVID safety is still on your radar, having a destination in mind early – and being prepared to improvise in case your destination of choice is too crowded, planning longer stays ASAP, and packing with intention.

Keeping the family fed in the car

Back when the McCann family embarked on our trips to upstate New York, Mom always ensured that we had some snacks but nothing special stood out to us. Boy, do we wish Moose Munch was around in those days!

For your family car trip this year, our team offers some creative suggestions that will keep the kids, and the parents, well fed while on the road.

On “The Table,” Harry & David’s blog, we offer ideas about food to help bring the family closer together and provide a little variety outside of the standard fare. We offer fun ideas for summer road trip snack boxes.

Road trip snacks are different from normal snacks in that they need to be stored in an easily accessible container for travel. You also want the snacks to not be highly perishable, like milk, so that you don’t have to worry about it spoiling while sitting for a few hours in the car, especially if it’s hot out.

You could of course just throw all your snacks in a bag and call it a day, but we love grouping them into themed snack boxes for extra road trip fun. It’s an easy way to enjoy an assortment of different flavors. Plus, this way you won’t get bored from just eating a bag of chips.

You’ve arrived. Now what?

Many of you will do what the McCanns did and travel with friends or other family members, which allows all the kids to entertain themselves by playing together, and gives the adults the chance to catch-up, in between chasing after kids!

Sometimes family gatherings can get a little complicated – they did for the McCann crew — and while, admittedly, that can be part of their charm, there’s always the possibility of uncertain moments, and a lull in the proceedings. That’s why it’s a good idea to plan a few fun games that bring the family together and keep everyone entertained.

In our blog, we write about fun games to play at your next family reunion, which can easily be adapted for road trip vacation fun-time.

If 2020 was the year of the board game, we suspect the Summer of 2021 will be the Summer of the car game.

What are your favorite car games? Our community reflected fondly on the license plate game, name that tune and punch buggy. What’s your favorite car game?

The family is getting together, and that means engaging in fun activities, bonding over shared experiences, and making great memories that’ll last a lifetime.

Regardless of what you plan to do on your summer vacation, we wish you lots of fun, quality family time, and activities that provide life-long memories. There is no doubt that we, and the rest of our crew from those days in upstate New York at the small rental house, look back on those vacations with great fondness.

We hope the same goes for you.

Have joyful and safe summer travels as you head out on the open road!

All the best,

Chris and Jim

Written by our Founder and CEO, our Celebrations Pulse Sunday Letters aim to engage with our community. From sharing stories to welcoming your ideas, we want to help you to express, connect, and celebrate the important people in your life.

We remember the first time we held our children, each one of them. When we clean our homes, we know one thing we will never throw out – the things our children and grandchildren made us or the cards they wrote.

Just recently Jim came across a bar of soap that his eldest granddaughter made for him eight years ago. It had been on his vanity for all that time. Jim recently re-gifted it to her and she got the biggest kick out of it that he still had it eight years later.

If we’re lucky enough to be near our kids today, we might again try squeezing into the Father’s Day T-shirts they made for us decades ago. Of course, we’ll be relieved that we can manage it despite the pounds we’ve put on since the shirts were new!

If we’re a little less lucky and our children are far away, we will wait for their calls. Those will be some of the best moments of the day.

Over the past year, many fathers have had the ability to spend more time with their families due to COVID safety measures. Some experts in family dynamics predict that the coronavirus pandemic may transform parenting roles.

Honoring our paternal figures today

If you can’t spend Father’s Day with your dad or the other paternal figures in your life, call them, send them a text, or write a card. You have the most important power – the power to influence how someone feels! Use it to make all the paternal figures in your life feel great today.

We’ve put together some resources to help you express your love and gratitude on Father’s Day, including a quiz and shopping guide to help pick the perfect gift based on your dad’s personality. We’ve also published an article on how best to show your love to all types of dads. And if you happen to be in the Pacific Northwest, we have several road trips you might enjoy taking with your dad.

We also created a hashtag, #MakeDadsDay, to make it easy to celebrate the paternal figures in your life with our community. Tell dad you’re thinking of him and share with us how you are celebrating your relationship.

Expanding the celebration

This is a day to be grateful for the fact that our culture is changing with respect to how much time fathers spend with their children. The change is accelerating.

Today, 17 percent of all stay-at-home parents are fathers, up from 10 percent in 1989, the first year for which reliable data is available. There’s also been a lot of reporting how stay-home orders during the pandemic have increased the amount of time fathers spend with their children – something dads welcome, by the way – and advice articles on how fathers can balance work and family life are proliferating.

Father-child relationships also can be seen outside the home. Today is also a day to honor the amazing courage and generosity of people who expand the bounds of what it means to be a family, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, which steps in when a mother or father can’t or won’t. Or think of the coaches, clergy people, teachers, and co-workers who helped you grow up. They might not be your dad, but they chipped in and helped raise you. Today is a great opportunity to thank them!

Extending the spirit of the day

It’s also worth remembering that, for some, this is a very challenging time. This day may be difficult for those who have lost their dad. For others, estranged from their children, this day may be difficult as research shows men aren’t as likely to reconcile with alienated kids. Today might be a good day for a visit. For many elderly fathers who remain isolated by the pandemic, a phone call could mean a lot.

This is a day for all paternal figures to know how much others love them. Let’s make that circle of affection a big one.

In honor of Father’s Day, here is a special message from the dads at 1-800-FLOWERS.

All the best,

Chris and Jim

Written by our Founder and CEO, our Celebrations Pulse Sunday Letters aim to engage with our community. From sharing stories to welcoming your ideas, we want to help you to express, connect, and celebrate the important people in your life.

We’re all familiar with the traditional notion of fatherhood: the sometimes-distant authority figure and breadwinner of the family.

But there were always men who had much richer relationships with their kids than that, with much more give and take.

And now there are indications that a new way of being a father is starting to take hold. According to the Pew Research Center, the typical dad spends nearly three times as much time on household tasks and childcare today as his counterpart did in 1965. Also, from 1989 to 2016, the percentage of fathers staying home to take care of the kids nearly doubled.

Dr. George Everly, a member of our Connectivity Council, echoed that view as he observes what his son’s friends are experiencing as parents.

Over the past year, many fathers have had the ability to spend more time with their families due to COVID safety measures. Some experts in family dynamics predict that the coronavirus pandemic may transform parenting roles.

While there’s still a long way to go, there are promising signs

Dan Willingham, another member of our Connectivity Council, says there will be a lot to study in how family relationships may have changed during the pandemic.

There’s a lot of reporting that men still aren’t doing their fair share around the house, COVID or no COVID. The Wall Street Journal has even charted a “chore gap,” pointing out that women report spending more time cleaning, shopping and caring for dependents during the pandemic than men, often by hefty margins.

Still, let’s remember those Pew Research numbers and try to be optimistic.

One additional encouraging Pew finding: more than half of American fathers now say parenting, the work of being a father, is central to their identity, and even more feel they’re not spending enough time with their kids. Finally, nearly 70 percent of fathers feel that during the pandemic, they’ve grown closer to their children.

It seems that sometimes, that closeness seems to come with allowing more room for children to be themselves. Our friend Emmet Keefe told us recently, with a great deal of appreciation, about how his father, a pioneering transplant surgeon, made it clear to him that he wanted Emmet to follow his dreams, in his choice of work and in the rest of his life.

Now, Emmet’s taking his dad’s example with his own son.

Jim agrees with that approach. Chris and Jim also encourage the young people in their families to get at least a little experience in a service job such as waiting tables. He says it’s great training in learning about yourself and other people.

Inspirational relationships

It’s also good to know that there are plenty of people who had that closeness, long before social trends and pollsters started catching up. We’re inspired, for instance, by Dr. Everly, who describes planning and running his daughter’s wedding and her baby shower. Looking back, he remembers those days as opportunities.

Another story we’re excited to share is an exclusive interview with NBA great Dell Curry and his son, Philadelphia 76er Seth Curry. The bond between father and son is evident there.

Finally, there’s this fascinating story that explores the psychological changes that come with fatherhood.

We’ll be coming back to the practicalities of celebrations in a few days, but this seems a good place to point out Celebrating Fatherhood, a quiz, gift guide, and articles on how best to express your love to all types of dads. There are all kinds of dads, when #LoveMakesAFamily.

The Currys are exceptional. But the values they exemplify are shared by lots of people, including many who extend love and guidance to girls and boys, young men and women with whom they share no kinship ties whatever.

In some settings, like Little League, they’re coaches who know that despite all the clichés, there really is a lot to be learned on the playing field, starting with how to cope with adversity and failure, and how to get past those things as part of a team. In others, they’re people who try to fill the void left in a family when a father isn’t there. In some communities, they’re even barbers doubling as surrogate dads, ready to listen to a younger generation and to pass along their own experiences and beliefs.

In that spirit, Jim will always remember how much he received back when, as a very young man, he went to work at the St. John’s Residence for Boys, a residential home for boys ages 12-21. Many of the boys Jim lived and worked with were from very tough neighborhoods. What they all wanted was simple: clearly explained rules, stability, accountability and a rewards system.

It was very good training for being a father.

All the best,

Chris and Jim

Nobody doubts that the past year has shaken up work, school, families, and every other aspect of our lives. But, as we turn the corner on the pandemic, we’ve been thinking about how the upheaval has created opportunities set new baselines as everyone returns to normal – or the next version of normal.

Start with being together

Many of us, for example, have spent more time with our families than we did before the pandemic, and we have no plans to go back to the old normal. Consider the daily activity of cooking and eating together – and the value of doing them together as a family. According to the Guelph Family Health Study, half of the parents surveyed involve their kids in cooking more than they used to, and more than half now eat with their children regularly during the pandemic. There’s lots of research showing that’s good physically and psychologically for all of us, and especially for kids. Research also indicates sharing such family traditions with children gives them a stronger sense of their identities, making them more resilient and hopeful.

Make conscious decisions

Many of our friends have shared other activities they plan to continue after the pandemic. During the first episode of Breakfast at Wolferman’s Bakery, our friend CeCe Olisa spoke eloquently about an anchor in her life: daily journal writing. For her, it’s a very rigorous process that starts at 5 a.m. She writes three pages a day, every day!

Another friend, Emmet B. Keeffe III, makes it a daily practice to go for a one-hour walk at midday each day, without any distractions such as podcasts or music or phone calls, never deciding in advance what he’ll think about but leaving plenty of room to ponder. Emmet, who is is operating partner at the private equity and venture capital firm Insight Partners and founder of Insight IGNITE, says he gets most of his best ideas during that time and writes them down to explore when he’s done.

He blends randomness and intention in other ways. One of Emmet’s life rules is to tell as many people as he can about his greatest ambitions and fondest dreams, with the underlying rule that if people don’t laugh aloud at what he tells them, he’s thinking too small.

Emmet always thinks that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness, and we agree.

“I know people are uncomfortable asking for help, because my phone doesn’t ring very often with people asking me for help,” he says. “Whenever somebody does call me asking for help, I put everything down and I just pounce on it, because I know how important that is. But I think broadly, people think it’s a sign of weakness. It’s actually a sign of strength.”

Emmet loves auto racing and so his dream was to win a Formula 1 title. “I have not yet won the Formula 1 championship. We ended up in a different series, but, you know, close enough,” he says, smiling.

Close enough is right. Emmet is part owner of Campos Racing, a Spanish team that holds a number of championships in Formula 3 and Formula E, the racing circuit for super-advanced electric cars.

Another of his ambitions, which he shared with us and others, is to build a $1 billion company.

“And on the business side, you know, we haven’t yet gotten to $1 billion in revenue, but we built a very substantial business,” Emmet continues. And that’s one of the other, I think, principles of goal setting.

Find ways to enjoy yourself and relax

While Emmet concentrates on the workplace, another friend, Mike Meldman, takes what you might call an equally focused approach to fun. That’s right, fun. Mike, the founder and CEO of Discovery Land Company, a very successful real estate company, has taken up the calling of helping super-achievers relax a little bit and figure out how to enjoy themselves.

As dissimilar as their approaches are in some ways, Mike, Emmet, and CeCe actually have something in common: conscious decision-making about what they want out of life and deliberate thought about how they want to achieve it.

Why people are talking about this now

After a year in which so many people have lost so much, everyone is looking back at their lives before and during the pandemic to decide what the new normal will look like. As we reflect, it’s important to have a plan and make conscious decisions on moving forward. In fact, Harvard’s medical school is promoting the discipline of “mindfulness,” or the practice of intentionally paying attention to the moment without judgment. Also, the National Institutes of Health has published research on the benefits of meditation, and Entrepreneur recently ran an article titled “Finding Joy in the Art of Doing Nothing”.

We hope this has provided some fodder for you as you think about living deliberately and the importance of setting goals. And don’t forget to ask for help along the way.

All the best,

Jim and Chris

As we move into summer, many parents will have to address the practical consequences of more than a year of disruptions for their kids.

Certainly, for many, yet another adjustment will be nothing new. Several members of our community have shared that they never expected their responsibilities as parents to include full-time teaching or having to explain to their children how giving a loved one a hug might make them or their loved ones sick.

Now, with the end of the school year (such as it’s been), it’s a good idea to assess the state of children’s academic progress, their emotional health, and their needs.

Advice from an accomplished psychologist

We recently spoke about those issues with our friend Dan Willingham, a professor at the University of Virginia and specialist in child psychology. He also serves on our Connectivity Council.

Regarding school, he acknowledges that there are people that believe that this has been a “lost year” academically. But he cautions against assuming that your child is behind, because there’s a lot of variation from school to school and kid to kid. He suggests getting in touch with next year’s teacher or the school’s academic coordinator to get a sense of where your child stands and what he or she will need to know when classes resume.

Dr. Willingham also points out that learning extends far beyond the academics. While there’s been a lot of talk about the loss of classroom experience, he notes it’s important to pay attention to other aspects of the maturation process.

Specifically, he thinks it’s a good idea right now to pay heed to kids’ emotional and social development. He says some children might regress which means they either want to stick to Zoom calls and texts or want to leap back into pre-lockdown activities that might seem young for their age but where they knew how to act.

They may need reassurance, too. Dan suggests a little more flexibility on agreeing to drive kids to social activities. He says parents also should pay more attention to the misunderstandings between children and their friends – and perhaps show a greater readiness to jump in to resolve conflict.

Finally, he points out that time often feels like it slows down over the summer, and everyone should be thinking about how to fill those months. A good rule is that every day we should include something for the mind, something for the body, and something for the family.

One activity that we like to do, that Dan says could be beneficial to children, is work with children to “predict the future.” Think about what the next several months might look like and anticipate the future with the information available and discuss how you navigate things together.

Counting on our Connectivity Council

Dr. Chloe Carmichael has discussed with us the lessons children learn while cooking with their parents and how they can be applied to life. Those lessons include preparation, patience, and how hard work pays off with great (and tasty) results.

We are also spending time talking to Dr. George Everly, a professor in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He’s the author of more than 20 books on stress, disaster, and human resilience.

Stay tuned for additional insights from these remarkable folks over the next several weeks. We would love to hear what has changed for you in terms of your role as a parent.

A dialogue on parenthood

We began exploring the impact of COVID on kids and that’s remained a focus. We hope you will find the discussion helpful as we enter the next phase.

We’re looking forward to working together to create a rich and meaningful dialogue on parenthood. We’ve heard from parents who report positive changes from the lockdowns, such as spending more time with their children. Those parents had more time to take walks around the neighborhood, play games, and discover new hobbies with their children. In other words, they forged new connections that are not only worth continuing, but also celebrating.

But as we give our children and families the attention they deserve, this also is a time to consider and discuss the meaning of Memorial Day, both to our families and to the community. It’s a chance to reflect as families on how much so many have given in war, and an opportunity to ponder commitment to our democratic society in lots of contexts – in terms of military service, yes, but also in terms of what those people who served were standing up for, and how we and our kids can honor them by doing our part, too.

All the best,

Chris and Jim

Our company’s mission has always been to help people express themselves and connect with the important people in their lives. In recent months, we’ve been trying to engage with our customers more fully, beyond just business transactions.

During the pandemic, we’ve found that we’re uniquely positioned to expand on our mission and have focused a lot of attention on building initiatives to help you engage with each other and our family of brands. And our plans in that regard have accelerated. The pandemic made what might have occurred over five years happen in just one.

Through our increased engagement, including through this weekly letter, the people we once may have called customers – you – are now members of our community.

And with that comes our strong desire to serve that community and connect with you in ways you find interesting, beneficial, and even fun. So as part of that effort, over the last year we have been building virtual programs to engage with you, and we are delighted with your response. Some of the events we hosted for you included:

Cultivating Gratitude and Staying Connected

Putting Love on the Table

Love Makes a Family Event

We’ve also hosted programs featuring food and entertaining, ranging from breakfast chats to building charcuterie boards for brunch and beyond.

We recently learned that millions of you have joined our events over the last six months. Being a resource to you has always been our top priority, and the response to our virtual events is far greater than we ever could have dreamed when our first flower shop opened 45 years ago.

We have two exciting upcoming events that we would love to tell you about.

Celebrations Book Club by Cheryl’s Cookies

We’ve heard from our community that many of you belong to book clubs. They’re a great excuse to enjoy good fun, have good conversation (and maybe even sip a little wine).

We are thrilled to announce that New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner, will be joining the NEW Celebrations Book Club℠ by Cheryl’s Cookies®. The event, produced by Long Island LitFest, will feature a FREE virtual conversation about her new book THAT SUMMER. It’s a timely and deliciously twisty novel of intrigue, secrets, and the transformative power of female friendship.

You will be able to engage directly with the author over the one-hour event talk.

Be sure to read the book in advance and feel free to send us a question for the author ahead of time.

When you sign up for this event you will receive a FREE sampler box of 6 Chery’s Cookies to enjoy while you participate in the conversation! *

We’re thrilled to launch our new Book Club and hope you will join us for more installments later this year.

Breakfast at Wolferman’s Bakery

Join us for our next episode of Breakfast at Wolferman’s Bakery on May 25. It’ll include inspiring conversation about new beginnings and offer tips on entertaining in the warmer days ahead.

Our guest Pati Jinich knows a thing or two about fresh starts, having changed careers from a political analyst to chef, cookbook author, and host of her own TV show, Pati’s Mexican Table.

Floral Lifestyle Expert (and our sister) Julie Mulligan is a pro at bringing beauty to the table and will show us how to design a gorgeous brunch setting using fresh herbs and florals. Julie has been working in the business with us since the beginning, and we’re excited for her to show you a thing or two about what she’s learned. The episode will be hosted by Francesco Bilotto, whom you may recognize from our Valentine’s Day roundtable.

Both women will share their stories and provide helpful tips for making life changes, all while we talk about creating unforgettable get-togethers this summer.

Thank you for being part of our community. We are excited about what we have started – and we are just beginning!

We hope you enjoy these upcoming events.

See you there,

Chris and Jim

Written by our founder and CEO, our Celebration Pulse letters aim to engage with our community. From sharing stories to welcoming your ideas, we want to help you express, connect, and celebrate the important people in your life.

It’s Mother’s Day weekend! Today is your chance to show your mother how much she means to you. It’s also an opportunity to share your gratitude with all the people who have nurtured you both in small and significant ways. Birth mothers and anyone who plays a motherly role – all of them – deserve our thanks.

Moms’ many roles

We’ve been struck by the many roles mothers play, as reflected in the photographs and notes people shared using our #MomRunsTheWorld hashtag.

One community member, Craig, told us how his mother, a high school teacher, quit work to homeschool him and make sure he got the academic help he needed. After graduation, his mother went right back to work in the classroom, sharing the same kind of commitment with other children.

Troy, another community member, described his mom’s varied careers, from U.S. Marine, to mailwoman, to electrician, to funeral director, and how he graduated from college with honors while working full time. Yet another community member says candidly that his mother isn’t very sentimental. But, he says, she’s the kind of person he can count on to tell him the truth. She’s the kind of person who will sit up all night in an emergency room with a loved one if necessary. She’s honest and strong.

No limits on love

Our #NoLimitsOnLove page also has great video tributes that speak of mothers’ endless patience and unconditional acceptance.

What came through with all the stories we received is how devoted these women are to their families, and what central roles they play in keeping those families vital.

Consider what mom really wants

With all the increasing demands on parents, and moms, in the last year it’s an especially good year to think hard about what the women who nurture you actually want. We have some tips and tools on how to express gratitude.

Our team member Nicole DiGiose created a “What Kind of Mom Do You Have?” questionnaire, which might help you decide how to best express yourself.

We know some of you will want to make breakfast for mom. We can help with recipes for crepes or French toast. Sometimes a simple card says a lot. Here are some patterns to print out and color in.

In addition to all the excitement of Mother’s Day, it’s good to remember that every day is a good day to honor and celebrate all the mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers, and surrogate mothers who support us.

One more thought: For some people, this may be a lonely day. Across the country, some have organized campaigns to send elderly mothers in care facilities, who might be alone today, little remembrances. That seems like a good idea for every day of the year, but maybe especially today.

And remember, many of us have mothers who are not birth moms. These are the aunts, teachers, sisters and neighbors who have played a critical role in our lives. Here are a few stories from our community.

Today we are thankful for all the moms in our lives and we wish all you the best as you celebrate and remember the moms who have influenced you throughout the years.

All the best,

Chris and Jim