Mother's Day, 2022 and Past - What Do You Do (or Did)?

Mountain Cat

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While my mother passed on in 2001, I'm still interested in traditions and perhaps foods served at this particular Sunday in May.

I suspect it is not celebrated world-wide, but I'm not sure. Here in the USA it is sometimes called one of the "Hallmark Holidays" - as the Hallmark greeting card company made it semi-mandatory to send out cards for certain "new" holidays. Or to at least do something to celebrate.

Frequently, moms would be given breakfast in bed, or would be taken out to lunch somewhere. Here in the US, anyway.

While I lived at home, Dad would make her breakfast in bed (he likely continued to do so after we all left home). He didn't take her out to lunch, however (and nor did we). The thing is, with holidays like "Mother's Day" and "Valentines Day" and New Years Eve", restaurants know they're going to be overcrowded, and dummy down their menu selections and charge more. And the scene would get hectic fast. More into pushing people through, than into real service. Neither Mom nor Dad would be comfortable in such an environment. (If we did Mother's Day at a restaurant, you can be certain it was never on the ACTUAL date!)

Mother wasn't much of a breakfast eater. While she did get breakfast in bed, it was usually tea or coffee (black). Some years, buttered toast with some fruit like strawberries and/or melon.

Dad loved to cook - he'd make sure lunch and dinner were something she really loved. Whatever that would be, likely different every year.

We'd give her small gifts. When we were really young, Dad would buy the gifts and put our name on them.

When I was off at college, of course there were phone calls I made to her. When we were young, we skipped the Hallmark thing all together, and made our own cards with construction paper, pens and crayons. Usually they'd be several pages long with badly drawn cartoon figures and humorous vignettes.
 
We never did much of anything growing up, just another day.

When I grew up and moved away, I’d call home to wish her a happy day. I’d sometimes send a card, though I’d usually buy a card, sign it, address it, stamp it, put it in the car seat to post…and never post it. :laugh:

Several years ago, my brothers got the idea to do chores for her on that day, as she was getting older and having a harder time managing, but I never participated in that.

I’ll call on Sunday, that’ll be the extent of it.
 
Mother´s Day is celebrated worldwide, but on completely different dates.
In the US and Venezuela, for example, it´s the second Sunday in May.
In the UK, it´s the 4th Sunday in Lent.
In Thailand, it´s 12th August.
Mothers generally get pampered on Mother´s Day, and you can´t get into any restaurant unless you booked 6 months in advance!
 
While my mother passed on in 2001, I'm still interested in traditions and perhaps foods served at this particular Sunday in May.

Its on a different day here in the UK (April, I think?). When I was growing up I can't recall ever even knowing about it. Maybe its commercial popularity is a more recent thing in the UK? Its originally a religious thing and my family were anti-religion so that may explain it. As a mother I can safely say I've had no recognition whatever on that day. But that may be because I didn't mention it or recognise it myself when the kids were growing up. Does it bother me? Of course not! I'm not one for traditions. Its just another day to me.
 
My mother passed away in 2015. She lived in Florida so she got a card, phone call, or flowers.

My husband's mother lives 5 miles away. We are having her and FIL up for an early dinner this Sunday (around 4). I will give the house an intensive cleaning the day before, break out the nice plates and flatware, cook her a delicious meal including appetizers, fresh homemade bread, her favorite fried fish (walleye), salad, and dessert. My husband will get her flowers (probably an outdoor flowering plant). They will sit and talk at the kitchen counter, drink wine, and watch me cook, LOL. I will give her chocolates as well. And then she will thank us for a nice day, primarily praising my husband because I nagged him to call and invite her for several days in a row because he was procrastinating--she is a plan-ahead kind of person so I had him call her last week to do that (not like she would have anything else going on because he only has one brother who never calls her unless he wants something).

And then I will scrub the kitchen down because fried food often is messy to prepare.
 
We never did much of anything growing up, just another day.

When I grew up and moved away, I’d call home to wish her a happy day. I’d sometimes send a card, though I’d usually buy a card, sign it, address it, stamp it, put it in the car seat to post…and never post it. :laugh:

Several years ago, my brothers got the idea to do chores for her on that day, as she was getting older and having a harder time managing, but I never participated in that.

I’ll call on Sunday, that’ll be the extent of it.

Yeah, over the past 10-15 years, I went to Houston and cooked the family meal on Mother's Day.

CD
 
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