 In the true spirit of honoring our mothers on Sunday, May 10, you could do something simple, thoughtful, and every bit as impressive as something store-bought and pricey. Here are a couple of suggestions.
Surprise Mom with a homemade cake. OK, so this is not a new idea, but here's why it's all the more special: The idea of "Mothering Sunday" actually made its debut back in 16th-century England, when grown kids would visit Mom with a special "mothering cake" in hand, and then give her the night off from cooking by taking over the kitchen to whip up dinner. If you’re not into baking, I bet Mom would like a bakery confection just as well.
Bring her a bouquet of white carnations. Flash forward to 1905 when after years of active campaigning, the "mother" of Mother's Day, Anna M. Jarvis, delighted in seeing then President Woodrow Wilson legalize the second Sunday of every May a legal holiday. White carnations, the favorite of Jarvis's own mother, became symbolic of the day, cleaning out florists across the country. Even men sported a single, perky carnation as a boutonniere.
Gather friends for brunch. By the time Mother's Day became a national holiday, Anna Jarvis had lost her own mom. To keep her mother's memory, she would ask a few special friends to join her for church and lunch afterwards. The idea of taking Mom to church caught on. And the idea really hits home to me because I lost my mother this year, too. And though I'm a mom myself, and am showered with cards and flowers by my husband and son, I still would like to bring my mother into our family celebration. So I'm planning a post-church brunch around some of my mom's favorite recipes, including the yummy chocolate cake she always made for special occasions when I was growing up.
Hit the movies. And, if none of these ideas seem quite right, or if your relationship wasn't all that cozy, you can always rent "Grey Gardens" (the 1975 Maysles brothers documentary or the 2009 movie version with Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore), and count yourself lucky that co-dependency isn't for you!
By Sue Perry |
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