Mother’s Day is a great time to recognize our moms, the women who have made a significant contribution to our lives.
Whether your family traditions for celebrating are elaborate or low-key, here are some tips for helping you have a great time on this special day.
1. Ask your mom for ideas on what she’d like for Mother’s Day. Flowers, chocolates, and jewelry are popular with many moms, if you find yourself running out of time.
2. Consider electronic items, if your mom’s techie. Your mom might like an iPad, Kindle, digital camera, or digital photo frame.
3. Find the right gift basket. Fruit, flowers, gardening items, gourmet food, coffee, tea, chocolates, cookies, wine and cheese, and pasta are among the many choices. You can also create a gift basket yourself to include many of your mom’s favorite items.
4. Avoid appliances such as toasters and vacuum cleaners. See "Gifts Mom Doesn’t Want on Mother’s Day" for other no-nos, such as cleaning supplies and body/bath gift sets.
5. Give a service, such as a spa gift certificate, massage, or a home cleaning service for a day.
6. Take your mom out to lunch or dinner at a nice restaurant, if you’re lucky and live close by.
7. Buy a gift card for your mom’s favorite store. Be sure to package it attractively and include a well-written card.
8. Check your mom’s bookshelves to see what kind of books she likes, if she enjoys reading. See AARP The Magazine and Publishers Weekly’s Books for Grown Ups for ideas, if your mom’s a baby boomer.
9. Think green when shopping for your mom’s present. Some ideas are locally grown flowers or jewelry made by a local craftsperson. See "Green Mother’s Day Gifts" for more ideas.
10. Avoid scam artists. Some set up shop to sell low-quality goods, then leave town. This happened to my daughter on Valentine’s Day. She bought roses, which deteriorated quickly. When she went back to complain, the sellers had vanished. Be wary of Mother’s Day e-mail message. Moms shouldn’t open any attachments or click on hyperlinks, especially if the message was sent by an unknown person. Scammers can disguise emails to make them appear as though they’re from legitimate e-card sites. It’s best to verify the sender.
I hope you and your mom have a happy Mother’s Day.
Hi Rita,
I like your creative list for Mother’s Day gift ideas. Baby Boomers are so often both moms, in some cases grandmothers, and daughters. I posted a tip relating this to dating and included a gentle reminder to all the guys that Mother’s Day is this weekend. Lightly giggling, don’t you find it can just about all of sudden appear as an occasion and we had not even realized it. I like the illustration you used, also. It shows the kids creativity and how the gift giving isn’t all about consumerism and money. It’s about the giving and expressions of love, isn’t it?
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April Braswell
Boomer Dating Expert
Giving your mother a breakfast in bed with a bouquet of flowers on the side will surely bring her a smile. Do all the chores too! 😀
Thanks for your comments. Mother’s Day is such a great day to say I love you to your mom.
Rita
Great tips, but tip number one “Ask your mom for ideas” is a good idea for me, you’ll go wrong and surely she’ll gonna love it.
With Mother’s Day just around the corner, we thought we’d give you a head start on your quest for the perfect gift for mom. Your Mother’s Day gifts should demonstrate thoughtfulness and creativity, but without being showy or overly expensive. The ideal gift is something that you know she’ll like, but that she wouldn’t have thought to buy for herself.
This happened to my daughter on Valentine’s Day. She bought roses, which deteriorated quickly.