What do moms really want on Mother’s Day? The holiday is fast-approaching in the US, and it’s time to finalize plans for making the mothers in your life feel your love on their special day.
How best to do that, when there are thousands of gift options? Let’s start with some known facts.
Our friends at Statista report that in the UK, 29% of moms said that the best gift for Mother’s Day is a thoughtful card, 15% said flowers, and 12% said “a nice lunch out.” The Netherlands was not much different – 33% said flowers and 27% said a nice card. When asked what they’d most like to do on their special day, 47% of the UK moms said they want to spend time with their children, and 35% said that a day out with the family would be perfect.
Aww. Moms are so easy! They don’t ask for much, just some time with their loved ones, some posies, and a thoughtful card, and they’re happy.
But you can take those simple desires and create a truly wonderful and luxurious gift with a little thought and forward planning. After all, you’re going to spend money anyway, so why not go for the gold? (In the US last year, consumers spent $21.4 billion on Mother’s Day gifts).
If you decide to go big this year, here are some ideas from the Dandelion Chandelier team (many of whom are mothers themselves) for how to have a memorable Mother’s Day this year.
Flowers. You should certainly fete the moms in your life with fresh blooms, since so many of them express a desire for that. In addition to a lovely spring bouquet, here are some other fragrance- and floral-inspired gift ideas that are even more luxurious:
–A gorgeous designer bag with a floral print – Gucci and Fendi are both on fire right now with stunning handbags and backpacks
–A crystal or sterling silver vase – Tiffany’s and Baccarat have classically elegant ones
–A day trip – or a weekend trip – to one of the most beautiful gardens in the world
–A painting of flowers so that she will think of her special day whenever she sees it – 1stdibs is offering a Louis Valtat painting called Fleurs en Vase Bleu, 1942 for $74,500
–A lovely floral fragrance – Byredo’s Casablanca Lily Extrait de Parfum – Black Plum & Wild Gardenia – is $550 for 30ml
–A luxury scented candle or diffuser in her favorite floral scent – we love Antica Farmacista’s new elegant crystal diffusers – the Peonia, Gardenia & Rosa for $198 is the epitome of spring
–Have your favorite high-end florist deliver a custom arrangement to her home every month for the next year – make sure the florist knows her home décor color scheme and her personal preferences, and she’ll have something wonderful to look at and enjoy all year long
–A piece of jewelry in the shape of her favorite flower – earrings, a necklace, a brooch, a watch – any or all of those would be wonderful gifts; we vote for Van Cleef & Arpel’s charming Frivole pendant with yellow gold and diamonds – $12,400
A thoughtful card. In addition to writing your own card, which is a MUST, here are ways to make the idea of a card even more luxurious and lasting:
–Get her favorite athlete, author or celebrity to write a note to mom on a jersey, a Playbill, or a copy of a book; if she’s a sports fan and you’re not best friends with her favorite star, Steiner Sports can make this happen for you
–For a truly unique keepsake, get her siblings, parents, kids and friends to contribute hand-written recipes for a customized cookbook – in this age of digital, analog recipes are even more special
–Give her the gift of personalized stationary on heavy card stock – or really special blank note cards – so that she can write her own notes to the people in her life on over-the-top beautiful paper; Smythson of Bond Street, the British manufacturer of luxury stationery, is the perfect source for this
–Add a luxurious pen, so that the entire experience of writing a note becomes a pleasure for her – the Montblanc UNICEF Meisterstuck features the first characters learned by children around the world, with the nib carrying the UNICEF emblem – $1, 695
–Write mom a poem – or find one that she hasn’t read before – and share it with her
–You could also write her a song (which is a poem set to music, after all), or create a Spotify playlist for her with special songs that mean something important to the two of you
A day out with the family. Think hard about what the mom in your life really enjoys doing, and then find a creative way for the two of you to experience it together. This might mean:
–Enjoying a tasting menu at a world-class restaurant, where you can spend two or three hours enjoying the creations from the kitchen and reminiscing (Eleven Madison Park would be a fine place to do this)
–Great tickets to a Broadway show, a baseball game, or a concert
–Taking lessons together in something that mom has always wanted to learn – there are wonderful cooking classes, art classes, scuba-diving classes and more, and learning something together is a terrific way to spend the day
—Exercising together – go for a hike, or a run, or play tennis, or go for a swim – think of the multi-tasking you’ll both be doing – cardio and family bonding all in one! Better still, take mom to a luxury destination spa with you. If a truly grand gesture is in order, you could purchase her favorite destination spa for her – that’s what one doting husband did for his wife one year (she now owns The Golden Door in San Diego).
–If you and mom have the time and means, you could fly with her to: her birthplace; her favorite place in the world; or a place she’s always wanted to go. Bring other family members along if you can, and it’ll be the trip of a lifetime. A great way to present this gift? Inside a new luxury suitcase for mom. You could add in a luxurious cashmere shawl to keep her cozy on the plane ride.
—Volunteer together – we know lots of moms and grandmothers – especially right now – who would love to enlist the entire family in doing something together that will uplift their local communities. What better way to honor them than to roll up your sleeves and get involved? You can also make a contribution to her favorite cause in her name when the day is completed. If you’re kicking it billionaire style, you could go ahead and name a building after her, the way Bill Gates did for his mom on a science building at Harvard.
Ultimately, of course, the most luxurious gift we can give the moms in our lives is something truly from the heart, no matter how small. On behalf of moms everywhere, I do want to point out that spoiling moms rotten one day a year is totally allowed! But anything you give us with sincerity is going to be just fine. And remember: having (or having had) a great mom in your life is one of the most precious luxuries of all.
Great gifting ideas for Mom 😉