Mother's Day 2010
14 ideas for unusual presents for Mother's Day that don't involve chocolates or flowers!
You see it every year – usually on the day before Mother’s Day or even on the day itself – as hundreds of people queue up to buy the obligatory box of chocolates or bunch of flowers.
The idea that this is all they want every year seems to get stronger every year. But what mums really want on Mother’s Day is to be given time off from their labours and their responsibilities, or simply to be spend time with their family. After all, that’s where the whole thing started (see below). So we’ve put together 14 ideas (as this year Mother's Day falls on March 14) for gifts. They may seem off-beat but are more in keeping with what we think Mother’s Day should be about (although we aren’t saying you shouldn’t give chocolate and flowers as well). 1 Tell her she’s going to the dogs But in the nicest possible way.
The whole family will enjoy a trip to Blunsdon Stadium, where greyhound racing takes place every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evening. And they will enjoy it even more if you make mum a celebrity. You can name a race after her, have a message printed in the programme and get her to present a trophy.
A day at a spa, which can include pampering sessions such as facial, Indian head massage and ‘treatments’ such as Reiki, is the least that hardworking mums deserve.
Choose from a range of venues in the Swindon area, including those below. Remember, though, that she won’t want to go on her own, and you may need to fork out for a friend of her choice to go along too (or get together with her friend's family to buy a joint present). Better still, make it a mother and daughter day.
> De Vere Hotel (which also offers a Mother’s Day carvery) > Tailor Made Beauty > The Treatment Rooms
Photography has become so easy and so commonplace in the digital age that we’ve forgotten how heartwarming it can be to receive a professionally produced photograph of our loved ones.
She probably doesn’t own a picture of all her children or grandchildren together, so why not organise for one to be taken and framed for Mum?
Better still, book a session – perhaps as a surprise – which she can also attend, and be pictured surrounded by her family.
4 Travel in style
Limousines – especially the stretched versions – are often used to treat teenagers or hired for young ladies’ shopping trips and nights out. But what about hiring one for Mum? Remember that mums want to spend Mother’s Day with their families, and there will be plenty of room for them on board. If nothing else, she’ll love the look of joy on the faces of young children or grandchildren who come along for the ride.
A treat for mums with young children or young grandchildren – not to mention those who are just young at heart - is a visit to Roves Farm. On Mother’s Day, mums get in free with another paying adult or child. It's a nice way of spending time together, especially at this time of year - and don’t you dare leave without treating Mum to a cream tea in the granary tearoom.
Treating Mum to a Mother’s Day meal at a nice restaurant will go down very well, but if you want something just a little bit different, try the Swindon & Cricklade Railway.
They are offering special Mother’s Day meals on board one of their trains. Meanwhile, the Wyvern Theatre has a special package including a meal and a tour of the theatre – perfect for theatre-loving mums, and also something the whole family can enjoy together. You could even stay for the show in the evening (the adults-only Circus of Horrors, but don’t expect it to be about chocolates and flowers).
> Swindon & Cricklade Railway > Wyvern Theatre Mother’s Day meal and tour 7 Turn her into a day tripper
This is another present that you can hardly expect her to enjoy alone, so sort out another seat for a friend (or even yourself).
Barnes Coaches have plenty of trips for you to choose from – or you could buy her a voucher so she can choose for herself.
All mums worth their salt like a good romantic or weepy film, so get yourself down to the DVD shop and choose one (or two or more) you know she’ll like. But don’t think that’s the present sorted. Giving her time to watch it, by getting the kids out of the way, taking over the chores for the day or waiting on her will turn a fairly simple present into something much more special.
9 Adopt an animal
This is just the thing for animal-loving mums who’ve got everything. You can adopt all kinds of animals at Cotswold Wildlife Park, from meerkats to crocodiles. Adopters receive a picture and certificate, newsletters and more, including the satisfaction of actively supporting the park’s conservation and breeding programmes. They also receive free admission tickets for her – so provide the transport and arrange for all the family so she can get even more out of her gift.
Gardening mums love anything to do with plants and flowers, but for something a bit different, name a rose after her.
Mum will get a personalised (and certificated) box of seeds for a unique rose that is registered in her name. It’s up to her to grow it, but you can be sure this will be a present that will not only be enjoyed all year (or at least all summer), but will span numerous future Mother’s Days.
Especially if it's choclolate!
A personalised present that somebody has gone to a lot of trouble to make can’t fail to bring a smile to her face and maybe even a tear to her eye. And, of course, she’ll enjoy sharing it with all the family.
Here’s a great way to round up the family for a great day out together. Cotswold Boat Hire have a range of comfortable motorboats for hire at their Lechlade base, which will guarantee that this Mother’s Day will be one to remember – whether you do your messing about on the river on the big day itself or save it for a potentially warmer day.
We think of Champagne as something you save for special occasions, but it’s also just the thing to tell somebody you think they are special. So buy Mum a bottle of bubbly for Mother’s Day – and make sure you crack it open on the day itself. To make it even more special, check out Magnum Wines in Wood Street, Swindon, where you can buy personalised bottles.
Some of the most appreciated Mother’s Day gestures include doing Mum’s chores for her – so here's an idea for one that will not only win you brownie points but also get you out of having to do it yourself! Why not have her car professionally valeted? You can choose from a range of car-pampering treatments at ALT Valeting, or simply go for the whole works.
Hence, the ideal opportunity to take mum away from preparing the roast potatoes and clearing up while everyone else relaxes on the sofa.
Get all the family together and take her out for, that's what we say.
And flowers
yes, we know what we said!.....
Mother’s Day origins
Did you know?.....
Although it has become a day when mums all over the world receive chocolates, flowers and pot plants, there is more to Mother’s Day than meets the eye. We may think of it as a somewhat commercialised day, but its origins are not only historical but really quite charming. It grew out of a special day off that was traditionally given to Victorian domestic servants every year.
Many families had at least one person in service, and athough they were of both sexes, many were girls or young women who were boarding at their place of work and therefore potentially living far from home.
This Mothering Sunday – to give it its proper title in Europe – echoed a religious festival dating back centuries, when people would return, once a year, to their ‘mother church’.
Although Victorians daughters returning home probably brought a gift home, it’s the concept of spending time with Mum which was the principle on which the day was built, and the gift is really only a bonus. |
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