10 Mother’s Day Ideas You DON’T Need To Buy To Make Her Feel Special

Another Mother’s Day is here and it’s especially challenging as the pandemic hasn’t really finished… the usual Mother’s Day ideas just won’t work. Of course you can buy her cakes and flowers and gifts like before, but everything might not be possible like pre-pandemic days. That does not mean you cannot celebrate this mother’s day and show your appreciation and love for her.

But here are some great Mother’s Day ideas for 2022

We are here to provide you with the best mother’s day ideas that will make for a great gift.

We have many options for you to choose from regardless of whether you stay with your mum or are living away from her. These are all unique Mother’s Day ideas that are affordable and some don’t require getting out of the house.

Here are 5 Mother’s Day ideas for if you stay away from your mom.

Make a short film for Mother’s Day 2022

This one is a great way of using your creativity. Make a short video album using photos and videos of your mother through different phases of her life and add some music she loves to it. You can go as creative you can, or keep it simple and sweet. Use video editing apps like inshot to edit your videos. You can also add little snippets of you and your siblings wishing her a happy Mother’s Day.

Another idea is to make an emotional video in letter style, talking about things you can’t say in a phone call. Like your favourite moments with your mom and all the times you missed her when you were away from her, all the times you realised little things that she contributed to your life. Make it deep, honest and heart to heart.

Teach her something/ give her a new experience

Is there something your mother has wanted to learn for a long time? Maybe to speak in English or learn to ride a scooty/ car, to make that Italian dish, learn to use computer, or get Instagram and Facebook savvy? These will make great Mother’s Day ideas. Or a Yoga class? Or something that she loves doing with her hands but hasn’t had time all her life to learn? Both offline and online classes are now available for most things, much of it also free via YouTube.

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Try to find out what will make her feel empowered and help her achieve it.

Image source: Dishant_S from Getty Images Free for Canva Pro

My mom loves being self reliant. The sense of pride on her face after paying electricity and phone bills online all by herself is priceless.

Virtual or homemade DIY Mother’s Day ideas

There is no better feeling than having a poem or song written to honour you. Write her a song or poem in a language she understands. It does not have to be Pulitzer worthy but your efforts will bring her immense joy.

Alternatively, if you are an artist, make her portrait. You can even write a short comic style story with doodles or animation.

Or send a video of you singing old songs that she likes. DIY cards or photo frames are a classic way to win your mother’s heart. There are like a million videos on YouTube for that.

If your mother is more into pop culture then you can even make some hilarious memes that are unique to your family.

Create memories

Our everyday lives are so fast paced, we hardly ever get time to truly, deeply understand someone. Talk to her about her life before her marriage, before you were born, her best and worst memories, what her grandparents were like, what challenges did she face and how she overcame them, did she have a cute love story that you don’t know about.

You might be surprised about how little you actually know her. For this one day don’t call her to complain about your life, your job, or your kids, but find out who your mother is as a person, not just a wife and a mother.

Mend that relationship

This one is a more ambitious of Mother’s Day ideas, but you get extra points for trying this.

It doesn’t matter if your mother is in her 30s or 80s or somewhere in between. An unfortunate part of growing up is drifting away or falling out from people you loved and cared about. People get busy in their lives and never get a chance to reconcile or get closure.

Recently, I saw my 85 year old nani in phone talking to her bhabi who is in her deathbed. I have never seen something so tragic and joyful at the same time. They live in different states, and haven’t met in 30 years. She later told me that hearing her bhabhi’s voice transported her to her younger days when she got all dolled up for her brother’s wedding.

It might be your mother’s former best friend or sibling or in-laws or anyone else. Most people have that one person who drifted away either because of fight, misunderstanding or life in general. They want to reconcile but sometimes life and ego becomes an obstacle. Try to mend that relationship for them or at least get them to talk to each other.

Image source: Tribhanga

If your mother is older, call someone she was close with before she got married, it can be a brother, sister, niece or nephew, or even a friend she lost touch with; someone they haven’t talked to in a long time. I know of a brother and sister duo that got separated during the Partition and never had any interaction again. The sister who remained in India spent her last days remembering her long lost brother.

And here are 5 Mother’s Day ideas for if you stay with your mom.

Treat her like a queen

While cooking for your mother and helping her in household chores is a classic Mother’s Day gift, it is 2022, and you should be doing that every day and not just on special occasions.

You can however make it more entertaining by adding fun and games like in Biggboss house, make her wear a paper crown and tell her that she is the queen of the house, she can order anything, and you have to comply. You can add bits from her favourite TV shows as well.

Try to make things fun and lively – but don’t forget to get up earlier to make her an amazing cup of tea or coffee, or her favourite breakfast, first thing in the morning.

Relive older memories

Take out those old photo albums and go through them with your mum. It could be her wedding album, the one which documents your childhood, or the childhood family trips. Going through older photos and older memories with someone is a beautiful way creating newer ones. It will ground you and remind you that better days are ahead.

Image source: Siri Stafford from Getty Images Signature Free for Canva Pro

Do things both of you will remember for a long time to come. Nothing is too small or insignificant. It might seem silly but it will make your mom and you laugh.

Have a movies night

I have always wanted to watch Piku with my parents. My mother is a primary caregiver of my nanaji and they fight just like in the movie. If you have something you want to watch with your mum, this is a great time.

Movies like Badhai Ho, Khichdi- the movie, Hera-Pheri are sure to make her laugh and have a good time. Just ensure you choose a movie according to her tastes not yours. Make snacks and have a great movies night without spending a penny.

At home pamper session

With all the running around the house that she does, she deserves to be pampered.

Give her a full body massage; trust me she will love it. Do a little bit of research and put some effort into the massage. My mom loves head massages and I guarantee yours will too.

Image source: pexels

You can also treat the massage time as a home spa, especially if you are a mother-daughter duo. Use some easy DIY face masks, pedicure, manicure etc and put on some background music and have a great spa night.

You can also go the extra step and give her a facial. There is a plethora of videos to guide you on YouTube.

Learning something from her is another great Mother’s day idea!

For a long time mothers have been underestimated on what they know, and how much knowledge they have on various topics.

Your mother has innumerable talents other than just cooking food. Learning any of these will be very valuable for you. Skills like budgeting, time-management, a particular subject she was good at in college/school, sewing, crocheting etc. Not only will this give you an activity to bond over but will also add a valuable skill under your belt.

If you are from a multi lingual family i.e. you parents are from different states with different native tongues, try to learn one of these during this quarantine lockdown time.

Mother’s Day is not a single day celebration; it’s an ongoing process of recognising your mother’s pain, trauma, unlimited free labour and working towards eliminating them. Don’t just clap for her but actively work towards making her life better.

This lockdown period is a golden opportunity to strengthen/ mend your relationship with your mom or anyone else you are living with, don’t let this time to go to waste.

Do you have some of your own, great mother’s day ideas? Share them with us.

Mother’s Day 2022: Let’s look at Mom as a human being, with a persona more than just the mother that takes care of you, of the home, or also a working mom who tries to walk the fine line of work-life balance. Let’s look at the woman she is, and celebrate her this Mother’s Day, whether she is with you or staying away from you. Let’s make Mother’s Day 2022 memorable for your mom, or if you are mom.

Image source: a still from the film Tribhanga

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