Knowing what to get a green mom for Mother’s Day can be a tough call. In general most green moms believe in reduce, reduce, reduce, reuse whenever we can, and then when we HAVE to… recycle. The commercialization of Mother’s Day often means we get gift and get “crap we don’t need”. But if you take into consideration what a mom values, what a green mom values, and what type of gifts we would actually use… then you can come up with a few sure fire ideas.
1. Gift the Gift of Time – No fancy gift required just spend time together. Play a board game, watch a movie on Netfix, go for a walk and a picnic. The pace of life is so hurried nowadays that a leisurely day with family is always a gift.
2. Donate to a worthy cause in their name – The National Wildlife Organization offers symbolic adoptions so if your mom has a special place in her heart reserved for Bottlenose Dolphins or Northern Cardinals… you can adopt an animal for her and the money goes to conservation and education. Purchasing the gift is also a great learning opportunity for kids.
3. The Gift That Keeps on Giving – I know I am a broken record about season passes but they are just so awesome they have to be mentioned. A family membership to the local zoo, science center, or art museum would be a gift that mom can use with her family ALL YEAR LONG! A prepaid gym membership would be a great gift.
4. A Mother’s Helper – As a mom myself I can tell you that a gift certificate for a cleaning service would be heaven sent. A certificate for services rendered by family would be just as nice and cheaper too. I know my mom would love it as well. I would not put it past her to be reading this and be expecting it, LOL.
Other Mother’s Helpers might include a Learning Tower or Kinder Perch. This mom LOVES hers.
5. A Good Book – If the moms in your life like to read then you cant go wrong with a good book. Here is what rates high on my radar… you may get some ideas yourself:
Fiction: Sookie Stackhouse series. Other than the Twilight series I think these may be the only fiction books I own.
Wannabe Country Girls: MaryJane’s Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook & MaryJane’s Outpost
The Foodie: A Spoonful of Ginger
Outdoorsy Mama: The Down and Dirty Guide to Camping with Kids
Creative Mama: Handmade Home
6. Do Pretty Without Doing Flowers – Flowers die and most are grown and harvested in ways that make our planet very unhappy. Instead of flowers this mom would rather have a pretty vintage tablecloth and maybe a pot of live wheatgrass to sit on it. If you must give flowers find an obliging field of wildflowers to pick!
7. A Gift That Makes Mom’s Life Easier – When you find those rare products that truly make your life easier you can’t help but shout on the rooftops about them. For me that product is the Vita-Mix. For other moms it might be a juicer, a Kindle, an iPad, or a set of Pyrex dishes.
8. Give Reusables – Green moms love resuable products that will last and add value to their hectic lives. The company Reuseit has a great selection of products that qualify. They recently asked their fans on Facebook what moms consider as a must have reusable product. I answered a Diva Cup and Luna Panties but that may make some people uncomfortable to get or gift for Mother’s Day but you can’t go wrong with the products they offer at Reuseit.
What would be your perfect mother’s day gift?
I second the National Wildlife Organization. I would add that a gift of nature to one’s mom’s town can be a great green gift. For example, there’s a big push in my city to plant more trees. So maybe a tree planted in Mom’s name… :)
Mel at shareholidays.com
the entire day to myself!
I’d be thrilled with a helper for the day!
The perfect gift for me would be a week off from cooking any and all meals. But, if that’s not possible, then at least no cooking on Mother’s Day.
Oh yes, that would be nice!
Great post! I decided to make some beautiful cloth napkins for my mom this year – I will likely use vintage or second-hand fabrics, depending on what I can find. Reused AND reusable!!
I got myself (and family) a Crane (the bird not the heavy equipment) Foundation membership in our local public TV auction. It is a couple hour drive but will be a fun family outing and has a recipricol membership with a number of other zoos and aquariums. I am getting my mom an essential oil reed diffuser with a matching soap. She used to use those noxious synthetic plug ins and I have finally converted her to something safer (my sister had refused to eat there, so it’s good for family harmony!)
The gift of time sounds heavenly. I love focusing on the family on the actual Mother’s Day – finding an experience to enjoy together. We often go to the local rhododendron garden. Then getting a gift of alone time for some time in the futre would be so wonderful. :)