Posts Tagged ‘for mom’
Mother’s Day 2011: Mom by the Numbers
My mom kept me on track with my second-grade math. In 1978, we had a massive Amana Radarange microwave oven with manual dials to turn for the minutes. She would set two minutes on the Radarange to heat a cup of water. I had that long to finish a multiplication worksheet (sans calculator), so I could ace my math test in Mrs. Karrell’s class. She did this math ritual with me over and over. This Mother’s Day, consider the numbers behind our appreciation of Mom.
- According to 2008 U.S. Census figures, there are 85.4 million mothers in America.
- Mother’s Day ranks second among gift-giving holidays; Christmas is first.
- An estimated 83.1 percent of Americans will celebrate Mother’s Day 2011.
- Total 2011 U.S. spending on Mother’s Day is expected to reach $16.3 billion, up 11% from last year.
- Mother’s Day accounts for one quarter of holiday flower purchases.
- An estimated 75 million Americans will dine out for Mother’s Day today.
- Americans will send 139 million Mother’s Day cards, making it the the third-largest card-sending holiday. (Christmas and Valentine’s Day take the top spots.)
- Hallmark offers nearly 900 different greeting cards for Mother’s Day 2011.
- In 2010, Americans made 11.3 percent more calls on Mother’s Day than during the rest of the year.
I’m fortunate to have a great mom. It’s time to call to let her know and tell her about the charitable donation I made in her name to Meals for Moms.
Tags: dining, flowers, for her, for mom, giftology, greeting cards, mother's day, surveys
Looking for a last-minute Mother’s Day gift, and you can’t give it in person? Yeah, me too. I want either a Sunday home delivery or an email notification of a meaningful gift to Mom.
Last week, I tried ordering a pressed flower pendant necklace from Uncommon Goods. The flower jewelry I wanted was out of stock. I gave Edible Arrangements a shot, but the shops near me only have Monday delivery dates for their fruit bouquets. Flowers are a classic Mother’s Day gift, but I sent Mom a dozen irises in a vase for her birthday last month.
Amazon offers online gift cards
Next, I found a fashion tee website with a conscience called Project Iris. A portion of each purchase supports World Food Program USA, providing meals to mothers and children in developing countries. Great tees and a great cause that my mom supports — it sounds perfect. The problem: Project Iris online gift certificates take one to two business days to deliver. Not soon enough. I’ll note this one for a future present in Mom’s gift dossier.
In the end, I chose to give to the Meals for Moms campaign, a part of the Meals on Wheels charity. My mom volunteers at a local food bank. So I know she will appreciate a gift to a hunger relief charity that provides meals for home-bound mothers and grandmothers. I sent a Meals on Wheels e-card letting her know the gift will feed a dozen moms for a week.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Tags: charitable gifts, choosing gifts, clothing, flowers, food, for her, for mom, gift cards, jewelry, mother's day
Thanks, Mom! A celebration of motherhood, Mother’s Day in the U.S. occurs on the second Sunday in May. Browse these blog posts for Mother’s Day gift ideas.
- A Last-minute Mother’s Day Gift (5/7/2011)
- Mother’s Day 2009: The Gift of Kiva Microloan Gift Certificates (5/10/2009)
- Birthday Gifts, Martha Style (1/7/2009)
- 43 Last-second Online Gifts for Women (12/24/2008)
- Mother’s Day 2008 (5/11/2008)
- Flowers for my Mother-in-Law (on my Wife’s Birthday) (1/4/2008)
- Give the Gift of Charity (12/14/2007)
- Golden Tickets: Giving the Gift of a Concert (8/8/2007)
- Giving Flowers (7/14/2007)
- Giving Photo Books (7/13/2007)
- Giving the Gift of Food (5/19/2007)
Tags: for mom, gifts by occasion, mother's day
My parents made themselves easy to shop for this Christmas. At Thanksgiving, Mom encouraged us to make donations, not shopping mall runs. Both of my parents volunteer, helping people who are struggling in this tough economy. In fact, a recent American Red Cross survey found that 20 percent of Americans will reduce their charitable giving for the 2009 holidays. (American Red Cross fundraising is down an average of 25 percent this year.)
So if you’re still seeking last-minute holiday gifts, try what I did: JustGive.org. I found the right charity among 1.5 million organizations with a single search. I gave online and included a personal note. JustGive routes the donation in my parents’ names to their favorite charity and e-mails them my personal note. You decide whether you want to include the donation amount in the e-mail. (I did.) Ten minutes later, I’m done.
Not sure which charity to choose? JustGive created 12 giving collections that reflect the passions of many donors. Each collection features four charities working to advance the cause.
- Inspire Children and Change Their Lives
- Feed and Empower the Hungry
- Provide Mentors to Children
- Protect Animals and Prevent Cruelty
- Support Women of the World
- Create Peace for All
- Plant Trees
- Provide Shelter for Animals
- Create Homes and Jobs
- Save the Earth
- Respect our Elders
- Promote Human Rights
JustGive also offers the GiveNow Card, which allow the recipient to choose specific charities. Best of all, you can e-mail an GiveNow card right now. (While JustGive does offer gift cards via U.S. mail, the card won’t reach recipients in time for Christmas.)
I also added the suggested $5 donation to support the great work of JustGive: making charitable giving quick and simple.
Tags: charitable gifts, christmas, for dad, for mom, gift cards, gift ideas
It’s the busiest holiday of the year for phone calls: Mother’s Day. I called my mom to let her know I sent her a Kiva.org gift certificate via e-mail. Kiva — Swahili for unity — helps donors give microloans to needy persons around the world. The loans start at $25. Pooled together, the loans can fund someone like Flora, a Bolivian dairy farmer who wants to buy another cow to make and sell more cheese. These loans are real loans, not charitable gifts. Kiva microloans have a default rate (or non-repayment rate) of 1.8 percent based on $31 million in past loans.
My mom volunteers for many human concerns causes, so I knew she would appreciate a gift certificate that pays it forward for another mom looking support her family. I also made a donation to Kiva to cover the costs administering these microloans.
Tags: for mom, gift cards, gift ideas, gift sites, mother's day
