Mother’s Day History and Gift Ideas

Thursday, May 7th, 2015

Mother’s Day is this Sunday, May 10! Celebrations of motherhood can be traced all the way back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of mother goddesses like Rhea and Cybele. The holiday became official in the United States in 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure declaring the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

Two American women inspired Mother’s day. One was Julia Ward Howe, who in 1870 wrote the “Mother’s Day Proclamation,” which asked mothers to unite in promoting world peace. The other was Ann Jarvis, as a way to honor her own mother, in 1908. Ms. Jarvis later denounced and protested against the holiday, as it had become too commercial for her liking.

If the mere sight of this blog post induced panic, we assume that you have yet to purchase your mom a gift! But there’s still time to find that perfect item or gesture that shows just how much she means to you. We did some online research and polled our office staff moms to come up with a list of things moms say they really want for Mother’s Day! And out of respect for Ms. Jarvis, we’ve also included some ideas along more sentimental, and less commercial, lines.

In no particular order:

A homemade craft, card, or letter

Spa gift certificate

A day without housework

Family photo session

Family time

Favorite perfume

Sleeping in and breakfast in bed

Designer handbag

Night out with girlfriends

Edible Arrangement

Phone call from children or family who live far away

A good book

According to the National Retail Federation’s 2015 Mother’s Day Spending Survey, Americans are expected to spend an average of $173 on mom this year (up 10 bucks from last year). But we think most moms would agree that it’s the thought that counts — so being thoughtful in some way, whether it costs money or not, is the key to making mom feel special this Sunday.

Check out these pictures of some of our Condorliving staff moms and their kids. And to all our staff and resident mothers – we hope you enjoy your day!