56 THE QUEENS COURIER • MOTHER’S DAY • MAY 10, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
mother’s day
The secret to Mother’s Day gifting success
She nursed you through countless cases
of childhood sniffl es, taught you to tie
your shoes and make a mean omelet,
and she’s still your go-to source for good
advice and your favorite home-baked
cookies. Are you really going to just give
Mom a pair of socks and some fl owers
for Mother’s Day? You can do better
than that.
In the tradition of a current pop-culture
meme, here’s a “give this, not that”
list of Mother’s Day ideas:
Give: Your time. Last year, 44 percent
of mothers surveyed by online deal site
PriceGrabber said they wanted quality
time with their family for Mother’s Day.
Whether your family includes adult children
who live and work far from their
childhood home (and Mom) or a busy
family with young children, it can be
hard to fi nd time to spend with each
other on a regular basis. On Mother’s
Day, make a point of devoting the day
to Mom. Whatever you choose to do
together - dine out, visit a botanical garden
or just hang out at home - you’ll be
giving her the gift she wants most: time
with you.
Don’t give: Stuff . Th ere’s a diff erence
between a thoughtful gift that has
meaning to the recipient, and something
clearly bought out of desperation
just so the giver has something
to hand over on Mother’s Day. Moms
know the diff erence. Th ings like cowboy
boots, sunglasses and even designer
purses were among the items mothers
said they didn’t want in a survey by
Ebates. Don’t wait until the last minute
to buy something she may not want.
Put some thought into the gift a week or
two before the big day so you can be sure
you’re giving her something she really
wants, like a piece of unique jewelry,
her favorite bath products, or an attractive
scarf.
Give: A great meal out. It’s easy to
understand why dining out was on the
list of most-wanted gift s for mothers
in every geographic area surveyed by
Ebates. What could make Mom happier
than enjoying a great meal with her
family? Not having to cook it herself or
clean up aft erward! Taking Mom out for
meal is a time-honored Mother’s Day
tradition and restaurants can be busy on
the fi rst Sunday of May. In fact, Chris
Ciavarra, senior vice president of marketing
for Cracker Barrel Old Country
Store, reports that Mother’s Day is one
of the busiest days of the year for their
restaurant locations across the country.
When choosing a place to take Mom,
look for a place that will please her palate
with familiar fl avors, good food and the
kind of warm, comforting ambience she
creates in her own dining room or kitchen.
Family-style restaurants like Cracker
Barrel are a good choice for Mother’s
Day because there’s something on the
menu for everyone. Plus, when Mom’s
done with her meal, she can pick out the
perfect gift from the store’s collection of
nostalgic items.
Don’t give: Practical kitchen items. No
matter how much Mom says she wants
a new electric can opener or how much
she needs a new set of pots and pans,
don’t give these items on Mother’s Day.
Moms are more than just the sum of the
time they spend in the kitchen. If she
really needs and wants those things, why
not give them to her at some other time
of year, for no other reason than she’s a
great mother? Or, if you must give something
kitchen-related for Mother’s Day,
consider something that’s pretty and
fun, too, like decorative serve ware. Buy
from a store that off ers free gift wrapping
services - like Cracker Barrel - and it’s
even easier to give a good-looking gift .
Give: Gift cards. A gift card to her
favorite store was another popular selection
of moms surveyed by Ebates. But
don’t think giving her a gift card is all
you have to do. Research to fi nd just
the right card for her, and then off er to
accompany her on a shopping excursion
to her favorite store. Th at way, you’ll be
giving her two things she wants most - a
gift card and time spent with you.
Don’t give: Technology. Do you really
want to give Mom a smartphone that
will be obsolete by next Mother’s Day?
Or a tablet so complicated she’ll never
fi gure out how to use it on her own? If
your mother’s digitally inclined, chances
are she already has the tech she needs
and wants. And if she doesn’t, trying to
choose it for her can be like trying to pick
a pet for someone else - never a good idea.
Instead, keep gift items simple, personal
and nostalgic.
Courtesy of BPT
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