I love my mom! I think she's the greatest. The older I get, the more I appreciate her & value the model she was for me. Not of perfection, but of gracious living. Every year, I struggle to come up with a suitable Mother's Day present for her, especially since she and I have lived at least 1,400 miles apart for my entire adult life. When I was younger, it was a mad scramble to find a great card in enough time to mail it so it would reach her by the Saturday before Mother's Day. Now I'm older, wiser, and have a little more money to spare so I've gotten some ideas together I'll pass along to you. The onset of the internet has made things SOOOO much easier. My favorite things come from there:
1. Flowers. I know it's the old standby and a little cliched, but my mom genuinely loves flowers and plants. FTD and Hallmark are very reliable sources of flowers & they let you choose delivery places and dates so you can tailor it to her specifics. I don't always send fresh flowers, I like to change it up and sometimes send plants she can plant in her garden and enjoy all year. If there is a particularly good local florest in her area that she prefers, you can call them directly and order a delivery for her.
2. Gift baskets. There are endless kinds of gift baskets to choose from. You can choose from bath items, candy, chocolate, coffees, teas, gourmet foods, etc, etc. These can also be purchased online and billed to you, but shipped directly to her on the date you choose. Again, FTD, Hallmark, Harry & David, Hickory Farms, Gevalia Coffees are just a few of the hundreds to choose from.
3. Gift certificates. Many national chain stores will allow you to purchase gift certificates online and send them directly to her. Choose her favorite department store or restaurant. Is she remodeling her home? Send a gift certificate to her from Lowe's or Home Depot. You can call her favorite spa or salon & have them prepare a gift certificate for a manicure, pedicure or massage in her name. You don't have to be there in person.
4. Reading materials. Buy a gift subscription to her favorite magazine, or a book by her favorite author. Here again, these items can be purchased online from your home, but sent directly to her. With these things, you must plan ahead unless you want to drop a bundle on shipping overnight or second day.
5. Tickets. Concerts, theater, sporting events, you name it and the tickets can be purchased online and sent to her. It's harder to have these things sent to her directly, but if you allow enough time, they can be sent to you, then you can put them in a card & send on to her.
6. Phone call. You CANNOT go wrong by calling your mom on Mother's Day. If your mom doesn't have a lot of money, call her, then send her a calling card so she can call you for free another time. Or give her the gift of continuing to call her regularly throughout the year. Believe it or not, parents get lonely after all their kids are gone.
Whatever gift you decide to give to your mom this year, express love & appreciation. It's a hard job to raise kids. Most of our moms did the best job they could - even when they messed up. Remember that and say, "I love you, mom".
