Posts Tagged ‘mother’s day’
Mother’s Day Gift Ideas
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.
- 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
As a child, Mother’s Day meant my older sister and younger brothers making slightly burnt pancakes for Mom’s breakfast. After her breakfast in waterbed, I impertinently asked my mom, “So when is Kid’s Day?”
Her answer was immediate: “Every day is Kid’s Day.”
Mom certainly deserves more than one day out of the year to officially honor her. And this year marks the 100th anniversary of the U.S. founding of Mother’s Day. Anna Jarvis organized the first Mother’s Day in Grafton, West Virginia on May 10, 1908.
Today, Mother’s Day is the third most popular holiday for gift-giving, following Christmas and Valentine’s Day. The National Retail Federation estimates that 84.2 percent of Americans celebrate Mother’s Day. Together we will spend $15.8 billion on gifts to thank Mom. And many of us will dine out for brunch or dinner. According to the National Restaurant Association, Mother’s Day is the most popular day of the year for dining, with 38 percent of us celebrating Mom with a restaurant meal.
This year, I joined the 66.9 percent who gave flowers to Mom. I choose an arrangement of irises in purple, yellow, blue and white from ProFlowers.com. And my wife is making a brunch for her parents this morning.
Thanks, Mom!
Tags: dining, flowers, for her, for mom, gift ideas, giftology, mother's day
I love trivia. As a kid, I got two copies of Trivial Pursuit
Did you know…
- …that in 2006, U.S. gift givers spent approximately $300 billion buying presents? That’s about 10 percent of the $3 trillion consumer market in the U.S.
- …that the National Retail Federation estimates that shoppers bought $24.8 billion in gift cards for 2006, a 34 percent increase over 2005?
- …that 189 million roses were produced for Valentine’s Day 2006?
- …that approximately 5 million Americans celebrate birthdays each week? An average of 700,000 birthdays take place daily.
- …that June is no longer the most popular month for weddings? August ranks first (10.2 percent), followed by June (9.9 percent).
- …that Mother’s Day is the number two American holiday for gift giving (after Christmas)? Nearly 68 percent give flowers. Also, Mother’s Day is the most popular day of the year to dine out.
- …that Father’s Day was not officially recognized until 1972, when President Richard Nixon signed the holiday into law? The Census Bureau estimates there are 64.3 million fathers in the U.S.
Tags: birthday, christmas, dining, father's day, flowers, for mom, gift cards, mother's day, trivia, valentine's day, wedding
