Posts Tagged ‘mother’s day’
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
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
It’s Christmas Eve, and you just can’t break away from the 24-hour “A Christmas Story”
The solution: a last-second e-gift card. I’ve compiled a list of 43 e-gift card sites to send online now, noting which e-gift cards allow for online and/or in-store shopping.
- Ale in the Mail Wine Club Gift Announcement (online only)
- Amazon.com Gift Card
(online only)
- Ann Taylor E-Gift Certificate (higher-end, polished clothing) or Ann Taylor LOFT E-Gift Certificate (more relaxed styles in an “upper moderate” price range). Online only for both.
- Bath & Body Works E-Gift Card (online only)
- BedandBreakfast.com Getaway E-mail Gift Card (select B&Bs only)
- Bloomingdale’s E-Gift Card (redeem online, from catalog and in stores)
- Blue Nile E-mail Gift Certificates (jewelry; online only)
- Coldwater Creek E-Gift Card (women’s apparel; redeem online, from catalog and in stores)
- Cooking.com E-mail Gift Certificate (online only)
- Clinique eGift Card (cosmetics and fragrances; redeem online or by phone — but not in stores)
- eBags E-mail Gift Certificate (purses, handbags, backpacks and luggage; online only)
- Gardener’s Supply Company E-Gift Card (online only)
- Kohls Department Store E-Gift Card (redeem online and in stores)
- Lady Foot Locker E-mail Gift Card (redeem online or by phone — but not in stores)
- Lands’ End E-Gift Card (apparel; redeem online and in stores)
- Lane Bryant E-Gift Card (plus-sized women’s apparel; redeem online and in stores)
- Lenox.com e-Gift Certificate (fine china, tableware and collectibles; online only)
- Liz Claiborne Online Gift Certificate (women’s apparel; online only)
- L.L. Bean E-mail Gift Card (redeem online, by phone, from catalog and in stores and outlets)
- Macy’s E-Gift Card (redeem online and in stores)
- Magazines.com E-Gift Card (annual magazine subscriptions; online only)
- Martha Stewart Crafts E-Gift Card (online only)
- Match.com Gift Subscription (online dating subscription; online only)
- NetFlix DVD Gift Subscription (online only)
- Nieman Marcus Virtual Card (redeem online, by phone and in stores)
- Nordstrom Virtual Gift Card (redeem online and in stores)
- PajamaGram Electronic Gift Certificates (online only)
- REI E-Gift Card (outdoor recreation gear and sporting goods; redeem online, by phone and in stores)
- Restaurant.com E-mail or Printed Gift Certificate (select restaurants only)
- Saks Fifth Avenue Virtual Gift Card (redeem online and in stores)
- Scrapbook.com Electronic Gift Certificate (online only)
- Sephora E-Gift Certificate (beauty products; online only)
- SpaFinder Gift Certificate with E-mail Announcement (select spas only)
- Stella Maternity E-mail Gift Certificate (online only)
- Talbots e-Gift Certificate (women’s apparel; redeem online, from catalog and in stores)
- Tea Forté E-mail Gift Certificate (gifts for tea lovers; online only)
- Uncommon Goods E-mail Gift Certificate (online only)
- Victoria’s Secret eGift Card (online only)
- Wine Enthusiast E-mail Gift Certificate (online only)
- World Market e-Gift Certificate (online only)
- Yankee Candle Gift Card (both e-mail and physical gift cards are sent)
- Zappos.com Electronic Gift Certificate (shoes; online only)
- Zazzle E-mail Gift Certificate (upload images and create custom T-shirts, mugs, posters and more; online only)
While some of these links above may apply to men, I also have a similar list for the guys: Better Than Tube Socks: 21 Last-minute Online Gifts for Guys.
Tags: bath+body, candles, christmas, clothing, for her, for mom, fragrance, gift cards, gift ideas, gift sites, jewelry, mother's day, movies, wine
