3 Unusual Mother's Day Gifts

The National Retail Federation says the expenditure on Mother's Day celebrations could touch USD 21.4 billion! That's a lot of money and when combined with facts about Mother's Day, it would astound quite a few. In fact Anna Jarvis the founder was actually lobbying for a stopping the celebration as it had ended up as a commercial celebration rather than a sentimental one. 

By Sam Pullara (Flickr) [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Mothers appreciate the simpler things in life and really enjoy those gifts which have some personal effort going into it. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Bed in breakfast
2. Lots of sleep
3. Boring chores all taken care off

Most mothers would love these especially the second one if there are younger kids involved. Here are 3 unusual mother's day gifts:

1. Get a gift subscription:
After reading this article it seems to be a great idea to buy a subscription for a virtual pet game, as a mother's day gift. Easy to buy, a game that can be enjoyed at leisure by both mother and child, simple to play and most importantly a gift subscription that can be enjoyed long after Mother's Day celebrations are over. 

2. Buy a set of pots with organic vegetables
Caring for plants which are already grown is fairly simple and something a busy mother can do. Alternatively you could get her a desert terrarium which actually requires minimal care. Beautiful to look, alive and something that will last a long time. 

3. Doing an activity together
Mothers like spending time with their kids when they are not in charge. Then they can enjoy them without the responsibility of caring for their needs which can get tiring on an everyday basis. When kids are young mothers like to spend time by themselves. That's a treat, but as they grow older they enjoy spending time with the kids! So kids can pick an activity which their mother might enjoy with them. 

On a simpler scale kids could surprise their mum with breakfast in bed and more importantly with a cleaned up room - without her asking them to! Now that would definitely be a memorable Mother's Day gift!

Happy Mother's Day. 

Facts about Mother's Day That Might Surprise You

Mother's Day advertisements have been bombarding us for a while. Kids are busy picking out cards and gifts. Grownups are finalizing gifts for their mothers. Tables are being booked for a meal. Plans are afoot.

Different Generation, Same Feeling by Mateus Lunardi Dutra

Though Mother's Day comes around every year on 14th May, most of us know very little about it. Here are some facts that might surprise you:

1. Although Mother's Day is celebrated in many parts of the world, it's not always on 14th May. The UK celebrates it three weeks before Easter Sunday, calling it Mothering Sunday and it's usually in the second half of March or early April.

2. Many ancient religions have celebrated Mother Goddesses since time immemorial. Some celebrations were so wild that they were banned by authorities.

3. As Christianity spread, in early 16th century the church encouraged the people to honor Mary, mother of Jesus. Over time this included real mothers.

4. The American Mother's Day has it's own history, completely dissociated from religion. Julia Ward Howe a poet and activist was very distraught over the carnage during the Civil War. She wrote a Mother's Day proclamation and wanted July 4th's celebration to be dedicated to mothers on both sides who lost their sons. This did start on June 2nd, but eventually died out after about a decade.

5. Anna Jarvis wanted to honor her mother's memory. As her mother had taught for 20 years at Sunday School. Anna Jarvis persuaded the superintendent of the church to have a Mother's Day celebration in 1908. In 1914 Woodrow Wilson made it a national observance, after successful petitioning by Anna.

Over the years Anna Jarvis was completely disillusioned by the commercialization of this observance. Ironically, she campaigned to stop this celebration until the end of her life, but failed!

Mother's Day is all about acknowledging the person who contributes so much to a child's upbringing. Well, don't forget to talk to your mother on Sunday. The gifts can wait.