Mother's day ideas

Mother's day is celebrated around the world on different dates across the year. For instance in the UK, Mother's Day is celebrated on 27 March this year, whereas in the Caribbean and the United States it falls on 8 May. 

Similar to other dates in the calendar, which celebrate family members each year, like Father's Day, Grandparents Day, and Sibling Day, its a wonderful day to show gratitude to our family members, remembering the roles they have played in our lives and showing them just how much they mean to us.

Celebrating Mother's Day is not just about celebrating your birth mother as sadly for some this is not possible, but it's also a day to celebrate the women in your lives who have nurtured you like a mum - this could be a grandparent, a sister, a friend or an aunt. 

It's also a day to celebrate the amazing mothers that you know. For example, you may have a friend that has recently become a mother and use Mother's Day as a day to celebrate them and let them know they're doing a great job. Parenting is a rewarding job, but also has it's difficult moments, so it can mean a lot when someone recognises what a great job you're doing as a parent.

Overall, Mother's Day is just a fantastic opportunity to express love, similar to other times of the year like Valentine's Day, Galentine's Day, or Christmas.

In the United Kingdom, during the Middle Ages, people who had moved away from where they grew up would come back to visit their home, 'mother' churches, and their mothers, on the fourth Sunday of Lent. This came to be known as Mothering Sunday in the UK and is different from the Mother's Day celebrated in the US.

In the United States, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. Ann Reeves Jarvi is recognised as the mother who inspired Mother's Day. The idea for Mother's Day started after her daughter, Anna Marie Jarvis, held a memorial service for her in May of 1907 and then campaigned for Mother's Day to be a recognised holiday in the United States.

If you're lacking ideas on what to cook, then check out some Caribbean-inspired recipes. All relatively easy to do, even for a beginner and with all the ingredients and instructions that you'll need.

You could book a luxury spa day and get out of the house for the afternoon, but if you don't have the budget or prefer to stay in, you could also create something special at home for your mum.

Treat her to some beautifully scented bath salts and body butters for a relaxing bath. Add in her favourite face mask for even more of a treat. Help her to create the spa-like ambience with some colourful candles, and make a relaxing playlist with her favourite music to transform your mum's home into a peaceful haven.

One of the best things I ever did was to interview my grandparents. It was such a wonderful opportunity to get to know about their life before they had their children and grandchildren. These are moments I can now treasure forever. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to share these conversations that I had with my Mum and my Granddad with the Museum of London, so now others can enjoy them too and learn more about the experience of the Windrush Generation. If you would like to listen to them, you can on the Museum of London's website as part of their acquisition of some of the garments from my Windrush Collection.

Use Mother's Day as a day to make it all about your mum. Find out more about where she grew up and what life before you was like. You may be surprised of the new things you learn about your mum. Record it too, so you can listen back and share it with future generations to come. If you are lucky enough to still have your grandparents around, you can include them and the rest of the family in the conversations too.

Going through old photos can often help get the conversations started - every photo has a story to tell and you could put together everything you learn about your family in a book or video to look back on later.

The main purpose of this Mother's Day idea is to spend quality time with your mum. Take pictures to help remember and cherish these new happy memories you create.

A trip to the Caribbean may be out of your budget but that doesn't mean you can't bring a taste of the Caribbean to your mum! Check out these easy homemade tropical chocolate bars you can surprise your mum with.

I chose to make these chocolate bars with coconut pieces, banana chips, dried mango pieces and other delicious toppings but you could easily change these to your mum's favourite flavours. 

If you're also looking for a special Mother's Day gift, look below for some of our favourite ideas. If you're not sure what to choose, you could also send her a gift card so she can decide for herself.

Sources and Further Reading:

1. Mothers Day: When is it celebrated and where did it come from? Read more