Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day Gifts That Are Not From Hallmark
According to Statista.com, Americans will spend 28 billion dollars on Mother’s Day this year. Of course every penny is deserved and then some. But if you haven’t acquired the perfect gift for Mom, I have a little good news, I have found some fantastic last minute suggestions. These ideas are mostly inspired by searching for my mom’s gift. My mom is 86. She is done with collecting stuff. So I’ve been searching for non-stuff gifts. You might find something you like here too.
Does your mom like to walk or hike? Maybe she dreams of being a pilgrim on the Camino de Santiego then, check out https://caminoforgood.com With Camino for Good, your mom’s pilgrimage can start at her front door and continue virtually for 485 miles climbing over the Pyrenees. When she logs her steps on to the handy Camino app, she will be rewarded with the views of the corresponding sight on the actual trail. Best of all, 75% of net profits go to support the small family run Albergues who have been out of business for over a year now due to Covid. For $60, you and your Mom can be a part of shoring up these hostiles who are the life blood of the famous pilgrim path.
So maybe Mom is Francophile? Or loves historic churches? Or has a thing for gargoyles? How about honoring Mom by adopting Foras, one of the grotesques (what an unfortunate name) at Notre Dame? The Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris are raising funds to help cover the cost of rebuilding the cathedral after the devastating fire in 2019. Click on https://restorenotredame.org/gallery , pick your favorite gargoyle or 17th century painting, then donate to repair and restore your mother’s piece of Notre-Dame. By the way, as there were some pop-ups that fraudulently raised money in the wake of Notre-Dame’s fire, I checked out this group. They have a gold rating with GuideStar and were raising money for the reconstruction before the fire.
Is your mom a reluctant story teller? StoryWorth can get her writing those memories and turn it into a keepsake. For a one-time fee of $99, StoryWorth will email your mother a question each week. It may be something like “What was it like learning to drive?” or “Who did you go to the prom with?” Her answer will be sent to you (and anyone else you choose) each week. At the end of the year the answers will be bound into a book and mailed to your mother. You may purchase additional books too. Try https://welcome.storyworth.com/mom to hold on to those stories.
Would your mom like a few more birds and bees? How about giving Mom a springtime planting and native flora? You can find lots of places (local and online) to buy beautiful plants, but if you choose native plants that attract pollinators, your mother will be gifted with more birds and bees all summer long! https://www.izelplants.com helps you pick the best plants by location for a healthy yard. In full disclosure, I haven’t used this website yet, but it’s been recommended by a very in-the-know green friend.
When Anna Jarvis, the Mother of Mother’s Day, campaigned in the early 1900s for an official national holiday recognizing mothers, she never imagined the day would become commercialized. Later in life, so frustrated by the profiteering, she lobbied to have the day removed from the national calendars, obviously to no avail. But, I think Anna would approve of this list. Happy Mother’s Day!