There are so many great Mother’s Day gift options out there. Despite these endless choices, many people rely on old favorites like flowers and chocolates to express their love to their mom. This is a woman who stayed up all night with you, cleaned your bodily fluids off the floor, and put up with years of your teenage angst, the least you could do is spring for a real gift instead of drooping tulips.
Cut flowers generally last between four days and two weeks in a vase, and typically cost upwards of $45 for a nice bouquet. They’re lovely to look at, but any other gift that only lasts two weeks before you have to throw it away would be considered a total waste of money. This year, spring for a more unique gift that your mom will actually appreciate.
1. A hand-written recipe plate
Cookware is a staple Mother’s Day gift, but it doesn’t need to be boring. This Mother’s Day, you can DIY or commission a hand-written recipe plate. This adorable serving plate is the perfect showcase for a hand-written family recipe.
You can order a customized tray or plate off Etsy, but it will usually take around three to four weeks for delivery. However, it’s a great option if you’re working off a photograph.
If you want to DIY it, you can use a Sharpie to write out a favorite family recipe on a plain-colored tray or plate, then pop it in an oven that’s preheated to 350 degrees. Leave it in the oven for 30 minutes, then take it out carefully and let it sit for 24 hours before gifting.
2. Classic white sneakers
Who doesn’t love a classic white sneaker? They look incredible with a sundress, pair of jeans, or shorts. Gift a pair of white sneakers to your mom this Mother’s Day by checking her shoe size in advance and shopping online.
These Superga sneakers are a classic, and only cost $64 from Zappos. If your mom is super stylish, opt for a pair of the new Nike Air Force 1 Jester XX, which provide a bit more lift and are made from sleeker, higher-quality material than Nike’s basic offerings.
With shoes this nice, she’ll be dying to wear white after Labor Day.
3. A new collection of garden tools
Mother’s Day is usually around the time that most people in the northern hemisphere start digging in their gardens and planting for the coming summer. If your mom is an avid gardener or just an enthusiastic amateur, get her a brand-new collection of garden tools to jump-start the summer season.
These tools are made of stainless steel and ash, so they’re functional while still being beautiful to look at. The set comes in a beautiful wooden box and offers any gardener everything they need to get started. In addition to the tools themselves, there are plant labels, gloves, a notebook, and pruning shears.
4. A Masterclass gift card
If you find your mom impossible to buy for, let her pick her own gift this year by giving her access to Masterclass. Masterclass curates courses from renowned experts like Gordon Ramsay, Serena Williams, Spike Lee, and Annie Leibovitz, and offers them for a fee on their website.
If you want to give access to Masterclass, you can choose between gifting a certain number of courses or giving your mom an All-Access Pass. The cost for one year is $180. Masterclass has excellent reviews and the videos are really well-produced, so it feels like the instructor is right in your home.
5. A new hairdryer
If your mom is anything like ours, she’s had the same ancient hair dryer since 1996. Even if your mom doesn’t use it every single day, a hairdryer is still a nice tool to have. A modern, sleek hair dryer that gets the job done in half the time as the older models is even better!
Dyson, who is known primarily for their vacuums, offers an expensive model, but with such incredible features that the price tag won’t seem so daunting. This model is light but has a powerful motor and comes with several different parts that all attach quickly using magnets. The smoothing nozzle, styling concentrator, and diffuser all work using the motor’s three unique speeds to provide uber-fast drying with less static and frizz.
6. A beautiful Bluetooth speaker
A Bluetooth speaker is a great gift because it lets your mom take her tunes anywhere, she wants. There are great wired models for your home, but a portable Bluetooth speaker — especially if it’s one of these models — gives you tunes on the go for hours at a time. You can take it to the beach or out into the garden, or just use it to boost your wired speakers at home if you’re having a party. Unlike the Bluetooth speakers of old, these offer both great sound and a longer Bluetooth range than ever before.
7. Fruit sugars from Salt Traders
If your mom is an avid cook or baker, get her some unique ingredients this Mother’s Day by shopping at Salt Traders, a cool online shop that offers a huge variety of custom-made seasonings. The company is run by a former recipe tester who opened an online store to sell her unique sugar and salt creations. She offers plenty of unique salts from places like France and Iceland, pungent peppercorns, and sweet, delicate fruit sugars.
These sugars are hand-crafted with organic cane sugar and fruit. As such, they are a great way to add a subtle fruit flavor to different dishes. If your mom is more salty than sweet, the company also offers curry sugar, espresso sugar, and a huge variety of flavored salts.
8. Aztec Secret Clay Mask
So many people swear by this Aztec Secret Clay Mask that it’s become one of Amazon’s cult favorites. At only $10.95 for a one-pound jar, this mask offers a whole host of benefits for blocked pores, acne, dry skin, dried-out hair, and more. Made of dry clay, it’s mixed with either apple cider vinegar or water to form a thick paste, then spread wherever it’s needed.
If your mom is open to new beauty trends, a jar of this plus a bottle of apple cider vinegar makes a great gift.
Mother’s Day should be about honoring your mom. This year skip the tired bouquet of flowers and get her something that she’ll really enjoy. It doesn’t have to be expensive — it just needs to be thoughtful and given with love.