This year I’m approaching my Mother’s Day gift guide a bit differently, as I’m on a journey towards minimalism. The general premise is to less focus on consumerism and more focus on the things (people) really important to you in life. I also like the idea of being more conscious about the material things that you bring into your home. You can Google the interwebs for a ton of blogs on various approaches to minimalism, and I love some of the ideas out there for gifts in the minimalist vein. These ideas include:
- Experiences – tickets to a play, concert, or the ballet, or a day at the spa
- Consumables – delicious dark chocolates, caramels, a nice bottle of wine or prosecco, or a jar of homemade jam
- The gift of time or skills – babysitting, yardwork, or handywork around the house, or a coffee date with friends
- Giving to a charitable cause – for the person who has it all, there are SO many wonderful causes locally, nationally, and internationally that could use a generous donation
I asked my fellow mommy friends what they were hoping for on this Mother’s Day, and spouses, listen up! The overwhelming, and I mean OVERWHELMING response was they want a day to be relieved of all mommy duties. They want peace and quiet and ALONE time. They don’t want to cut up grapes, wipe noses or butts, break up fights, bathe the children, or listen to whining. Spouses have this misconception that mothers want to spend the day with their children, but that is the rare exception! Unless she explicitly states that she would like to spend the day with the kids, please assume that she would rather not!
So here are some ideas for spouses and kids looking for some ideas to honor the amazing mom in their lives:
- A gift certificate to Olympus Spa. I haven’t yet been there myself, but I hear that it’s a great experience.
- Date with one of her girlfriends to the Theo Chocolate Factory tour for chocolate tasting
- Tickets to the ballet. Their last show for the season happens in early June.
- Family photojournalism session or family film session with yours truly 🙂
- For those that must buy something material, make sure it’s good. Reeeeally good. Like for example, maybe this…..
(Eric, that’s a Sony a7II) 😉
See last year’s Mother’s Day gift guide here. And the year before that here.
