National Wife Appreciation Day, celebrated on the third Sunday of September (September 20), gives those of us (men, women, trans, fluid, etc.) who are lucky enough to have wives an extra chance to show them how much they mean to us. Our wives keep us grounded and centered. They inspire us to work hard, play hard, and to always have something to bring to the table to show that we’re improving ourselves. Wives ask us to take out the trash and empty the dishwasher and change the oil (stereotypical but true), which is good with us because those things need to get done anyway, and we like the idea of our ladies having that extra fifteen minutes or half-hour to just be in their space. These women that we’re bound to, body and soul, are so many things to so many people: their spouses, naturally — but also the kids (if they have them), the in-laws (which they almost certainly have), and, if we’re right about how generally awesome they are, everyone they interact with on a daily basis, in ways large and small. And of course, this holiday is especially important for wives who may feel left out on Mother’s Day.
The historical research on National Wife Appreciation Day is scant indeed, but 2006 is accepted as the first year the holiday officially “went on the books.” That is, it isn’t yet recognized as a U.S. government holiday, but rather, in 2006 it became widely acknowledged and celebrated by couples country and worldwide.
We don’t know what specifically about 2006 caused the “spark that lit the fire.” However, that happened to be the year former Beatle Paul McCartney separated from his wife Heather Mills, a fact that may be notable because the legal rift was opened between them only three days after Mother’s Day that spring. Could the songsmith have bungled his wife’s expectations as a mom so badly that she wanted to live apart, only 72 hours after whatever blow-up happened? And if so, could McCartney have used his juggernaut-like influence in pop culture to help engineer a second chance that same fall, by getting the right eyes on the right proposals for a Wife Appreciation Day?
Well, even if our theoretical rationale is correct, the holiday has ironically turned out to be a gift to everyone but McCartney and Mills, as the couple’s divorce was finalized in 2008. We see it all as a cautionary tale: never miss an opportunity to be demonstrative with your affections, to your whole family, yes, but on National Wife Appreciation Day, to her, your one-and-only.
