Did you know that Mother’s Day is a worldwide holiday that begin in 1908? It finally became an official holiday in the United States in 1914. This will be my fourth Mother’s Day, and I can honestly say it’s becoming my favorite holiday. I think it’s because I’ve finally figured out how to really celebrate being a mom in low key but meaningful ways.
1) Giving myself the gift of time. As moms we tend to put everyone else first. My first Mother’s Day I remember wanting to just relax and take a break, so I just took the Saturday before off for a few hours. Since then I always make sure to take time to plan a few activities so I can ‘check out’. Among my favorite ways to celebrate are getting a manicure/pedicure or massage, reading a book (or more realistically a magazine) while enjoying an iced coffee at the beach, getting a good workout in, or even just kicking everyone out of the house and taking a long hot shower and nap!
2) Speaking of treating yourself, the month before Mother’s Day I like to sit down and check my stash of gift cards to help me plan my “Me Time”. My family is great about giving me gift certificates for massages and nail treatments because they know how much I love these services. Sadly, I’m terrible at using them. I usually feel too guilty to use them, especially now that my son is old enough to know that weekends mean family fun time.
3) Have you ever noticed that Mother’s Day is all about the brunch? I love a good brunch as much as the next person, but I prefer to do dinner the night before, with just my husband. It allows me to enjoy a hot meal I don’t have to plan, cook or clean up after. This also allows us to celebrate with our moms on Sunday, and no one’s feelings get hurt.
4) Last year I asked my husband to start a new tradition I saw on a friend’s feed on Facebook. Rather than buying a Mother’s Day card every year that I will stick in a box, similar to all the Christmas and birthday cards, I went to Michael’s and bought a black spiral notebook and some fun stickers to decorate with (check mine out at the top of this post). I am really looking forward to seeing what my son comes up with this year and in the future.
What are your Mother’s Day favorites? Any traditions you are looking forward to this weekend?