I think I have a pretty normal Mother when it comes to what she would like on Mother’s Day. Believe it or not, it’s not just about taking her out to an expensive restaurant or buying her an expensive gift. My Mother, and probably yours too, would love to have something meaningful! I have compiled ten unique and meaningful Mother’s Day gifts, based on what I think and know my Mother would not only love, but would cherish.
1. Photo Calendar. Why this gift? This is one of the best gifts of all for Mom on Mother’s Day, if you put the effort in. This means you personalize the calendar in every way possible. I made my Mother a photo calendar last year, and she still has it even though the dates are no longer useful. It meant something to her because I spent a great deal of time making it personal TO HER. For each month, the calendar had a large picture of a favorite memory of hers from the previous year. For instance, December had a picture of a family get-together from last Christmas. June had a picture of her garden. November had a picture of me because my birthday is in November. You get the idea. Each picture also had a unique quote underneath, that had meaning for my Mother. Then, for each month I would put details into the calendar days themselves. As an example, in November I put in that November 4th is my birthday, November 10th is her nephew’s birthday, and November 10th is also her brother’s birthday, etc. She also went on vacation that month so I even put in where she would be each day of her vacation. This took alot of work, compiling dates of everyone’s birthday, anniversary, or special upcoming event, but it was worth it in the end. There are a few different photo websites that allow you to make a photo calendar and have it sent to you. The one I used was imagestation.com by Sony. I was incredibly impressed with the calendar. Snapfish.com is another good website that allows you to create the photo calendar online. Although I haven’t used this service with them, I have been very pleased with the prints I have ordered.
2. Time Spending Coupons. Believe it or not, one of the best things you can do for your Mother is spend time with her. During the times of hectic schedules and busy lives, people seem to have less and less time to spend with family. When was the last time you visited your Mother? Have you seen her this year? Even if you’re one of the lucky to have enough time to see your Mother often, she still would like to see you more. Give her a book of say ten coupons worth two hours each, that she can cash in whenever she wants. Not only does she get to see you, but she also gets to pick the activity. This means that if she wants, she can have you come to her workout class with her or sit and look through old photos.
3. Make Her Something by Hand. If you make your Mother something personal, she will probably keep it forever. Whether or not she’s a packrat, hand-made gifts are on the “this one stays” list. My Mother might have eventually gotten ridden of a tshirt I bought her a few years back, but she still has the ceramic handprint I made her when I was five (an example.) It isn’t hard to make something for your Mother, but it does take time. And any gift that takes time is generally going to be one that is meaningful, at least to her. It doesn’t matter if you make her a pottery vase that leans to one side, or a house made of popsicle sticks that is crooked, or paint her a picture of a sunset that ends up looking like some paint on a page. She will treasure it, because it came from your heart.
4. On Mother’s Day, offer to make something with her. Do a project together. Make something that she will be able to keep and remember as a time the two of you shared. For instance, gather together the supplies to bake some cookies, and then make them with her on Mother’s Day (or another day that week.) Or, you could make a craft project like a woven basket or a painted picture. For some additional ideas, visit homespunheaven.com, craftown.com, craftbits.com and allcrafts.net. This gives Mom another chance to spend time with you!
5. Gift Unique to Your Mother. Find out more about your Mother, and find out something she would really want. One neat idea for this is to give her a gift based on her personality. Go to Gifts.com, and do a gift personality profile on your Mother. Then, once you find out her profile, you can search for gift ideas based on her personal profile. You are much more likely to find something unique and meaningful for your Mother the more you know about her wants and needs. If this website doesn’t help, try really getting to know your Mother (if you don’t already) to find out what she would really want. She may not like candles, but would love a new cardigan sweater.
6. Plant a Tree for Her. Go buy a tree at any lawn and garden shop, and plant it for her. Let her know it symbolizes the relationship that the two of you have, and that you want it to continue to grow. You can watch the tree grow together over the years, and she will always remember where the tree came from. Find out whether it would be more meaningful to plant it in her yard, yours, or in nature somewhere. You can buy trees online at www.arborday.com, the website for the National Arbor Day Foundation. This is a gift that will last for a long time. One thing to remember is pick a tree that is more likely to survive. I have found that some trees don’t have as great a chance of success as others. Pinetrees haven’t held much luck for me in my area.
Whatever you end up giving your Mother, think about what would be unique and meaningful. If you put time into the idea and really envision what your Mother would enjoy, chances are you will come up with a great gift idea that your Mother will hold close to her heart. Happy Mother’s Day!
