By Almanac
Plan ahead for Mother’s Day—which falls on Sunday, May 8. A day to honor mothers has existed for as long as, well, there have been mothers. How can we give extra recognition to moms, especially if we’re apart? The Almanac has 10 fun ideas for celebrating your Mom—who simply wants to spend time with you!
When Is Mother’s Day?
In 2022, Mother’s Day lands on Sunday, May 8! Mother’s Day celebrates motherhood and is a day to make an extra-special effort to recognize and appreciate mothers’ roles in our lives. Often this day is extended to generations of mothers—grandmothers, great-grandmothers, stepmothers—as well as to mother figures.
In the United States, Mother’s Day is celebrated annually on the second Sunday in May. Although Mother’s Day is a national holiday widely observed in the U.S., it is not a federal or public holiday (when businesses are closed).
The History of Mother’s Day
Festivals honoring mothers in ancient times were often tied to gods and goddesses. The Phrygians held a festival for Cybele, the Great Mother of the Gods. The Greeks and Romans also honored the mother figure of their gods. Even today, an important festival in India, Durga-puja, honors the goddess Durga.
During the Middle Ages, people would return to their home or “mother” church once a year during the middle of Lent. (Back then, children would often leave to work at the tender age of 10!) Historians theorize that it was the return to the “mother” church that led to the tradition of children getting the day off to visit their mother and family.
In 16th-century England, this celebration became “Mothering Sunday.” Children—mainly daughters who had gone to work as domestic servants—would be given the day off on the fourth Sunday of Lent to return to their mothers and home parish. The eldest son or daughter would bring a “mothering cake,” which would be cut and shared by the entire family. Family reunions were the order of the day, with sons and daughters assuming all household duties and preparing a special dinner in honor of their mother. Sometime during the day, the mother would attend special church services with her family.
Mothering Sunday was also known as Refreshment Sunday; the fasting rules were relaxed for that day. (Often, the gospel for the day was about Jesus feeding the crowd with loaves of bread.) The traditional cake, called a Simnel cake, is a fruit cake with two layers of almond paste. The cake was made with 11 balls of marzipan icing on top, representing the 11 disciples. (Judas is not included.) Traditionally, sugar violets would also be added.
In the United States, three women were most instrumental in establishing the tradition of Mother’s Day: Ann Reeves Jarvis, Julia Ward Howe, and Ann’s daughter, Anna M. Jarvis. Learn more about these three great women who fought for children’s welfare, health and peace.
10 Ways to Celebrate Mom This Year
This covers the big stuff, but here are 10 creative ways to reach out to mom to show her a little extra comfort, love, and recognition. After all, moms are always there for us!
1. Offer yard and garden services.
- If you’re local to your Mom, give her a “gift certificate” for your family’s yard and garden services. Help her by laying down mulch. Put the “certificate” in a flower pot with spring-planted bulbs which flower in summer.
- If you’re not local, how about a subscription to The Old Farmer’s Almanac Garden Planner? Any gardener would love it! And it’s an instant present without shipping!
2. Decorate your mom’s door or give flowers!
If you’re nearby, you can have fun decorating your mom’s front door with streamers, special signs, a wreath, and flowers! If you have kids, get them involved! Mom or grandma will love the surprise.
Of course, flowers and plants are always a delight. If you’re local, deliver plants to her porch in person. If you’re not local, there’s always delivery in most places (but order well enough ahead!).
- A rose bush or geranium plant is always welcome.
- Or, perhaps a dogwood or flowering shrub for her garden would be appreciated.
- Buying cut flowers? Look up their symbolic meaning first!
- Here’s another idea! Make a bouquet with the monthly birth flowers of each child.
3. Cook for Mom or set up a brunch date.
- Breakfast in bed is always a classic and appreciated! Something simple is fine for this, such as toast or a croissant with jam or fruit and a cup of coffee or tea. Or, if she’s not fond of eating in bed, how about preparing a sit-down brunch?
- If you’re not with mom in person, how about a virtual brunch date? We suggest these Champagne Mimosas. You can drop off the ingredients at her door if she’s local, or send the recipe in advance to everyone! Then Zoom with the entire family and raise a glass to mom!
- If your mom is local, drop off a casserole dinner. It’s great comfort food, and you can put it all together to drop off on her porch!
- Or, bake a cake! Traditionally, children in England always baked a cake for their Mother’s Day.
4. Give your mom a long phone call or put on a virtual talent show!
- Talk to her (or videochat) and make her laugh. Perhaps throw in some good “mom jokes.”
- Put on a talent show! It can be simple. Sing a song, show off some gymnastics, play an instrument.
5. Watch a movie or show together, side by side.
- If you’re all at home in one place, have a movie that night, complete with theater treats.
- If you’re in separate locations, watch the same movie on your computers at the same time. Or, start a marathon of your favorite TV series while indulging in a glass of wine or cup of tea.
(Did you know? Netflix also has a way to watch together online. If you and your mom have a Netflix account and Chrome installed on her laptop or desktop, you can watch a movie together! There is even a group chat function for commenting live during the movie from wherever you are in the world.)
6. Get creative: Make Mom a video, a music playlist, or a piece of art!
- Record a video from all of the children. They can each say “Happy Mother’s Day” and why they appreciate her. You can always use iMovie to splice videos together on your phone.
- Or, make a tape or a music playlist. You could gather calming songs for bedtime, such as the sound of the seas. Or, you could gather her very favorite songs from the era that she loves most. (If your mom has an iPhone, create a special iTunes playlist that will get emailed to her.)
- How about a special work of art for Mom? For example, paint the outside of a terra-cotta flower pot and fill it with garden seeds and a card. Or, make a beautiful photo frame with your family photo inside. You can find many ideas on Pinterest and elsewhere on the Web.
7. Get outside! Go for a stroll in the park or how about packing mom a picnic?
- Fresh air always lifts the spirit. Spring is a wonderful time to visit a park and look for all those lovely spring flowers.
- How about packing a simple picnic? If mom’s living nearby, drop off a picnic basket on her porch! If you’re living together, pack a cooler for a beautiful drive through the countryside.
8. Make a homemade gift!
You don’t need to go out to a store and buy a gift. Mothers love gifts from the heart.
Here are some fun craft projects—including gifts from the kitchen as well as DIY beauty products for a home spa basket!
- Make your own herbal vinegar
- Make your own fruit facial or scrub
- Make your own soap
- Make a lavender sachet
- Make rose potpourri
- Make strawberry jam
- Make blueberry-rhubarb Jam
- Make a pretty gift jar
If you wish to buy a gift online, how about jewelry with her child’s birthstone?
For example, if your birthday is in August, give your mother peridot stud earrings. She’ll always think of her dear child when she wears them. Look up birthstones by month if you’re not sure of your birthstone or its meaning. Many small online businesses offer free shipping. Etsy is also a great place to find unique jewelry and help support small businesses at the same time.
9. Travel virtually to a museum or garden!
Even if you’re not together, the wonders of technology make so much possible today. More and more museums are opening up their “walls” to offer virtual tours!
- Set up a Mother’s Day date for you and your mom to visit the Louvre in Paris! Or how about the Vatican in Rome? Or, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City?
- Would you rather take in the marvels of nature? How about a Nature Conservancy virtual field trip?
- Is mom a garden lover? The famous Holland tulip farm Keukenhof has created a virtual tulip tour! You could also visit Monet’s Gardens in France to see the waterlillies! Or, how about taking a virtual trip to Hawaii to see tropical flowers?
10. Make your own card.
- Don’t forget to send a card in advance! In our home, it’s a tradition to make a homemade card every year. Moms love homemade!
- Wondering what to write in the card? How about sharing a funny story or happy memory of you and your mom? It will make her smile!
