While it’s true, we have The Worldwide Web at our fingertips, and nearly anything can be ordered and delivered at any given time to any destination these days, let’s remember the value of thoughtful gifting. Think about it. Before emails and text messages, correspondence was sent via “snail mail”, handwritten. And like us, anytime something other than another bill or grocery flyer shows up in our mailbox we’re absolutely excited to be the recipient of such a treasured gift.
A handwritten card?! It’s a wonder people actually put pen to paper these days – as the post author sits here banging away on keys for you to read this. Irony.
So here it is. We decided to offer up our own personal favorite selections for what we do for the Moms in our lives to celebrate Mother’s Day. And no, it doesn’t matter if they have actual human kids or the four legged, veterinarian visiting kind – because we all know pets become “part of the family” with how they wiggle their way into our hearts – it all counts. No matter how you celebrate Mother’s Day – we have some pretty awesome suggestions from our team here at Allen Realty Group.
the team pick:
There are certain holidays where it’s standard for women to receive bouquets of flowers as gifts, and while they’re certainly beautiful to gaze upon… it usually makes all of US sniffle a bit. Why?
Glad you asked. Why give Mom a beautiful selection of flowers that she’s going to have to toss in the compost in a week, when you can instead gift her a plant… which she can enjoy for roughly the same amount of time (or longer!), cut back, plant in her garden (or a flower box) and enjoy year after year? Yeah. That’s our point!
As her collection grows, so do her memories… and we think that’s pretty sweet.
Some of our favorites to choose from are pictured to the left, not only because they’re hardy enough to withstand the brutal New England Winter temperatures… but they’re also the first flowers to herald the Spring season and welcome her in.
Even if we’re gifted the occasional late-season snow storm, or unseasonable cold snap after some beautiful temperate Spring days… these hardy little flowers will still blossom and put a smile on Mom’s face. Plus – in the case of the aforementioned snow storm, isn’t it just a breath of fresh air to peek over and see vibrant color such as this peeking up through the brilliant white of the snow?! They literally scream “I will surviiiiiive!!”
There are thousands of varieties of tulips and irises to choose from – with color combinations that will absolutely blow your mind. Pinks, reds, purples, whites, blues, oranges, browns, and everything in between… even velvety black! Hyacinths come in multiple colors, the most common being white, pink, blue/purple, and a smaller and “rounder” variety known as grape hyacinth also blooming in early spring (Catherine thinks they smell like grape soda!). Two of the earliest flowers to arrive are the instantly recognizable daffodil and crocus – also in various colors – daffy’s sporting various shades of yellow, white and orange hues, while crocus can be found with purple to yellow to white colors.
catherine’s picks:
Always the one on the hunt for and keeping one eye peeled for one-of-a-kind finds, she’s not one to pop by a “big box store” for a gift… unless it’s something like a candle or yearly planner. Or baby stuff.
In any case – Mom is likely to end up with some sort of never to be found again gift, local artisan handmade item, or found treasure from the beaches of the Maine shores.
Absolutely inheriting her voracious love of books from Mom, she trades and passes along great reads like socks… sometimes asking for them back, sometimes not, and all the times offering recommendations and opinions on the latest, greatest read. Between the two of them alone, they could likely open their own library… but that’s a story for another day!
These two also trade plants back and forth as well – and in fact, hitting up plant sales has become a sort of “family tradition”, now that the youngest sister moved back to the area. Catherine & Lia (said youngest) take their elder sister Amanda (mom to a precocious 9 year old boy) and their Mom, Jacci, to a Master Gardener Plant Sale each May as a Mother’s Day treat. They stock up on essentials like tomato, cucumber, bean, zucchini, and other garden staples, while also finding other unique local flora and fauna… like spice & elderberry bush (the very last one of 2021!)
Gardens are always growing on the “Gilmore Girls” properties, because there’s always more room for more plants! If you’re looking for some early spring bloomers, Catherine loves Andromeda, the first shrub to bloom in January, not fading until the tulips are out in full force. Consider finding this gorgeous ornamental shrub for your mom, too!
tiffany’s picks:
Definitely the free spirit of the troupe, Tiffany follows her heart and goes on adventures many of us would envy… but we of course admire it from snapshots she takes and shares.
She makes it extra special for Mom by taking pictures with Laurie on their excursions, and gifting them later on. How thoughtful is that?!
I mean it’s pretty simple to take pictures these days, with the advent of cell phones being literal cameras… and pretty decent ones at that. But who actually remembers to print them? The rest of us agree… we have to do better at printing our memories, because it brings a smile to our faces. And others too! Especially if it’s Mom we’re sharing it with! (no matter if she says “oh that’s a horrible picture of me!”, it’s still a memory she’s going to smile at having!). Tiffany has a knack for finding beautiful and unique frames and mounting everything from photos of recent adventures to long-lost family photos that bring back memories.
Brunch is a well known tradition for lots of folks as well, and while we agree it’s definitely a fun thing to do… we like to take it up a notch. Tiffany likes to take Mom to a special restaurant, one which holds a particularly fond memory, or where they’ve had an amazing meal that’s left them talking about it ever since putting fork to mouth. It’s definitely better than “winging it”, winding up in a crowded joint with every all the other families on Mother’s Day… But even if it is that spot, if it holds an extra-special memory for you than that’s all that matters!
Pro Tip – don’t forget the mimosas.
With all these great ideas for moms, what’s your favorite way of celebrating your mom on Mother’s Day? We’d love to hear!