Hello mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters,
friends and relatives. What do you get when you cross respectful
recognition with a retail extravaganza? The answer: Mother’s Day
Gifts in 2016.
It all began as a special but simple one-day salute. The whole point of it was remembering and recognizing mothers and motherhood. It still holds true. And surely there will be plenty of signs of it with families on Sunday, May 8, 2016 when the holiday is observed in the U.S.
Yes, Mom’s special day in the spotlight has stayed the same over the years. Yet in many ways it has also had some big time expansion. One only has to look at today’s booming Mother’s Day Gifts market for all the proof you need.
Bigger would be a far cry from better in the eyes of Anna Jarvis. She is the Appalachian homemaker and unofficial “Mother of Mother’s Day” in the United States. This woman would surely be wiping away tears over what the current market for Mother’s Day Gifts looks like today.
You see, Anna Jarvis’ vision for Mother’s Day was about building empathy. It was not about building an empire.
Years of community efforts by Anna in honoring her mother, named Ann Jarvis, were eventually given the highest reward. In 1914, the mission went mainstream. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill officially recognizing Mother’s Day as a national holiday.
At first, many Americans spent this sacred Second Sunday in May going to church services. Then families shared more good times together. Writing heartfelt letters to Moms expressing love and thanks was how the families started this tribute. But all across the USA, new chapters for Mother’s Day were quickly being written soon after the national holiday was born.
It all seemed innocent. Loving sons and daughters, spouses, siblings, parents and friends, really bought into the idea in more ways than one. It was something personal to them, not commercial. They wanted to honor and support this annual tribute for the Moms they loved. They wanted to express their gratitude and appreciation for these extraordinary women, and show them how much they cared. They gladly spent money to do it. It seemed well worth it. They felt it was the least they could do.
By the 1920’s, the actions of buying and giving Mother’s Day Gifts had wrapped itself around the United States. The commercialization of the holiday quickly became a tradition. It was embraced with the power of love much like the special hugs from Mom can have.
No doubt there were some pretty smart people who saw the business opportunities of creating a demand, a commercial market where they could profit from selling Mother’s Day Gifts. But there is also no doubt these savvy Americans were buyers, too. Somewhere along the line in their personal lives, they too had to have been touched by a Mother’s Love.
Good people like you, who are well-intended children, husbands, parents, siblings, and friends, don’t care to argue over whether or not Mother’s Day is commercial. It’s similar to Christmas. You don’t boycott it. You buy into it or give into it, right?
The truth is you buy Mother’s Day Gifts because it’s something you want to do. Sure, you know your Mom more or less expects something. She’d surely be hurt or embarrassed if you didn’t or forgot.
But in the end, you choose to do it. This is because you care. You know your Mother’s Day Gifts will make your Mom feel happy. She’ll feel valued and proud and lucky. And guess what? She’ll love you back..and some. So who’s really “The Lucky One” here? And when you think about it…one day on the calendar just for her doesn’t seem so much taking into account all she’s done for you.
Being at the heart of an annual Mother’s Day celebration is a real-life magical moment every Mom hopes to receive. It’s much like every girl and boy dreams of Christmas.
When you were a child, your mom played the role of Santa’s helper. This helped you to feel special, loved and happy. Now giving gifts to help her enjoy a Happy Mother’s Day is a chance for you to experience the magic of returning the favor to her.
It all began as a special but simple one-day salute. The whole point of it was remembering and recognizing mothers and motherhood. It still holds true. And surely there will be plenty of signs of it with families on Sunday, May 8, 2016 when the holiday is observed in the U.S.
Yes, Mom’s special day in the spotlight has stayed the same over the years. Yet in many ways it has also had some big time expansion. One only has to look at today’s booming Mother’s Day Gifts market for all the proof you need.
Bigger would be a far cry from better in the eyes of Anna Jarvis. She is the Appalachian homemaker and unofficial “Mother of Mother’s Day” in the United States. This woman would surely be wiping away tears over what the current market for Mother’s Day Gifts looks like today.
You see, Anna Jarvis’ vision for Mother’s Day was about building empathy. It was not about building an empire.
Years of community efforts by Anna in honoring her mother, named Ann Jarvis, were eventually given the highest reward. In 1914, the mission went mainstream. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill officially recognizing Mother’s Day as a national holiday.
At first, many Americans spent this sacred Second Sunday in May going to church services. Then families shared more good times together. Writing heartfelt letters to Moms expressing love and thanks was how the families started this tribute. But all across the USA, new chapters for Mother’s Day were quickly being written soon after the national holiday was born.
It all seemed innocent. Loving sons and daughters, spouses, siblings, parents and friends, really bought into the idea in more ways than one. It was something personal to them, not commercial. They wanted to honor and support this annual tribute for the Moms they loved. They wanted to express their gratitude and appreciation for these extraordinary women, and show them how much they cared. They gladly spent money to do it. It seemed well worth it. They felt it was the least they could do.
By the 1920’s, the actions of buying and giving Mother’s Day Gifts had wrapped itself around the United States. The commercialization of the holiday quickly became a tradition. It was embraced with the power of love much like the special hugs from Mom can have.
No doubt there were some pretty smart people who saw the business opportunities of creating a demand, a commercial market where they could profit from selling Mother’s Day Gifts. But there is also no doubt these savvy Americans were buyers, too. Somewhere along the line in their personal lives, they too had to have been touched by a Mother’s Love.
Good people like you, who are well-intended children, husbands, parents, siblings, and friends, don’t care to argue over whether or not Mother’s Day is commercial. It’s similar to Christmas. You don’t boycott it. You buy into it or give into it, right?
The truth is you buy Mother’s Day Gifts because it’s something you want to do. Sure, you know your Mom more or less expects something. She’d surely be hurt or embarrassed if you didn’t or forgot.
But in the end, you choose to do it. This is because you care. You know your Mother’s Day Gifts will make your Mom feel happy. She’ll feel valued and proud and lucky. And guess what? She’ll love you back..and some. So who’s really “The Lucky One” here? And when you think about it…one day on the calendar just for her doesn’t seem so much taking into account all she’s done for you.
Being at the heart of an annual Mother’s Day celebration is a real-life magical moment every Mom hopes to receive. It’s much like every girl and boy dreams of Christmas.
When you were a child, your mom played the role of Santa’s helper. This helped you to feel special, loved and happy. Now giving gifts to help her enjoy a Happy Mother’s Day is a chance for you to experience the magic of returning the favor to her.
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