I don't think my family has ever been excited about one of my papers, but my whole extended family turned up to my thesis defense. Nearly overwhelming.
My PI has 2 walls covered in cork board in the hall outside our meeting room. Every paper we publish gets pinned there. It is the "Profesional" equivalent of getting your report card put on the fridge, we have a whole pinning ceremony and everything.
My partners papers are definitely on her parents fridge. They're obviously very proud of her work. It's adorable that they put her papers on the fridge. I love it
My dad found and read my entire master's degree on sound spatialisation. He has no clue or interest on the subject. He told me it was "good, but really technical."