Mother’s Day takes on renewed meaning as we are all coming to terms with a new normal. As hard as social distancing is on a regular day, it may feel particularly weighted to people come May 10, when a customary hug—the start and end of most Mother’s Day celebrations—is out of the question.
While connection may be hard to come by and harder still to maintain right now, it’s not out of the question. With some creativity, we can still celebrate our mothers, despite distance restrictions and the closure of restaurants, parks, and other businesses. Flower shops still deliver, and there is always Zoom, but for those who are close with their mother and starting to feel the sting of social isolation set in, we have some suggestions on how to make the most out of your Mother’s Day calls and feel as connected as possible.
Make Sushi Together
Image courtesy of Tojo’s Restaurant.
Restaurants across Vancouver are adapting to the world of delivery, and some have even evolved to create at-home meal kits that provide a level of interactivity and engagement with small businesses that we hope will endure past the COVID-19 restrictions. So even if sushi isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other options out there. That said, it would be so much fun to have sushi-making kits sent to you and your mom, then hop on a Zoom call to prepare them together.
Tojo’s Restaurant, Yuwa, Coast, and Miku are all offering kits that include aburi at home, temaki sets, and hand rolls made with B.C. salmon, crab, ahi tuna, and tempura tiger prawns, complete with step-by-step instructions.
If the sushi turns out well, you and your mom have a wonderful meal to enjoy together. If it doesn’t, you still have something to laugh about.
Read a Book Together
I’m a firm believer that a book is always a good gift. Carefully considering a person’s interests and tastes as you select the perfect book for them makes a very thoughtful gift and gives you something to talk about once they’ve read it.
For Mother’s Day, either choose a favourite book of yours you think Mom will like, or buy two copies of one that’s new to both of you and start your own book club. It’s a gift that will keep giving long after Mother’s Day has passed.
Photo by Beth Jusino/Flickr Creative Commons.
Take a Class
Gifting experiences can be more meaningful than any object or bouquet of flowers, but since a spa day or champagne brunch isn’t an option this year (although you can have champagne brunches delivered to Mom), taking an online class—ballet, yoga, or art—is a great way to fill that gap and spend some time together virtually. Vancouver’s prestigious academy Goh Ballet, for instance, has started live streaming classes, and anyone can join. Simply sign up for your skill level and tune in.
Image courtesy of Goh Ballet.
Write a Letter
Letter writing is a lost art, but one that may be rediscovered in the coming months as people continue to stay at home and look for new forms of entertainment and connection with loved ones. Perhaps forgo the traditional store-bought card in favour of some nice stationery and a long letter. Look back at your favourite memories and write about what you plan to do together once this is all over.
Photo by Gene Han/Flickr Creative Commons.
Not only will a letter mean more than anything Hallmark could ever write, but it will become a token of this strange time we’re all living in and be something to look back on down the line.
Spa at Home
Moisturizers, hand creams, and other skin-care products are standby gifts for Mother’s Day, with companies like Caudalie offering special sets for the occasion. But why not take the beauty gift one step further and turn your homes into the spa you can’t make it to this year?
Order some decadent charcuterie and mimosas from the Lazy Gourmet, turn your bathroom into a eucalyptus steam shower, and read your books together over Zoom in a bathrobe with a face mask on. Overall, give your mother permission to take the day off. She’s at home anyway, so coach her on how to relax and then do the same yourself. An at-home spa is the ultimate combination of everything on this list and a stress-free way to spend time together.
Photo by Chris Goldberg/Flickr Creative Commons.
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