The revelation that it is Mother’s Day this Sunday seemed to come out of nowhere to a number of young professionals this year. Perhaps this may even be the first you are hearing of it. Either way, we have some Mother’s Day quick fixes she is guaranteed to love. Sure Mother’s Day can include gifts, but they don’t have to come in the form of typical items like jewellery, framed photos or chocolate. This weekend is going to be gorgeous, after all – you don’t want to spend it frantically scavenging your local mall. If your mom lives out of town, you missed this boat long ago anyway.
If your mom lives in the same city…
If your mom lives in the same city (or within reasonable driving distance) take the day to do something fun and interactive together and incorporate this into your gift…
One YP we spoke to is spending the weekend with his brothers building a new deck for their mom. Yes, this is incredibly ambitious, but think smaller scale. If your mom still has work to do on her garden, bring over a selection of flowers, seeds and plants and spend the day planting together. Or take the occasion to weed the patio, trim the bushes or mow the lawn. It may be special to plant a flower that grows annually or even a tree that will last for years.
Purchase a package of yoga passes, the first class of which is on Mother’s Day. This will give you something fun to do together during the day, free from ridiculous waits for tables at brunch. Even if your mom is a beginner, a “yoga starter kit” takes one visit to Lululemon to buy a mat, maybe a cute water bottle or some gear and a yoga pass at a local studio.
Another interactive activity is to cook a fun dinner together. One year we made a massive seafood feast, complete with lobster, oysters (on the BBQ), scallops and grilled vegetables for our mom. A tex-mex taco feast (complete with margaritas) is also always in good fun.
If your mom lives out of town…
Well, we must say, your options are slightly limited at this 11th hour. You probably can’t get anything ordered and shipped at this point. Here is what you can do….
Find a photographer who lives where she does, contact him or her right NOW and see if they can email an electronic gift certificate for a future family photo session. Not only will this tell her that that you plan to visit sometime in the near future for the occasion, moms love family photos, especially when it’s your idea.
Put together a slideshow with music and pictures of the two of you and your family and include the link in an electronic card. Follow up with a phone call to make sure she received it.
One of the most well received cards was on the occasion of our mother’s 50th birthday, when we (in the tiniest writing we could) filled a card with 50 favourite memories of her. Yes, this did take some time, but even narrowing it down to ten favourites and sending it in the form of an e-greeting card or email will score you major points and make up for the fact that you haven’t visited in months.