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She’s the one who encouraged you to aim high and always do your best. She never failed to show up to support you at every play, recital, and sporting event you starred in. In the wake of every break-up, she was always there to listen. There are countless reasons why we will remember to honor our moms this Mother’s Day, which is being observed on May 12, 2024.

When it comes to showing your heartfelt appreciation, greeting cards are a top way to express your love and gratitude for mom. Other sentiments include colorful bouquets of flowers, special outings such as trips to the theater or spa days, gift cards, fashionable attire, and sparkling gems. 

After devoting herself to everyone else, Mom certainly earned this special day. Mother’s Day, which officially became a national holiday in 1914 (more on that later), also lures lots of families and friends to restaurants for group celebrations. According to Moms For America—a national movement that promotes freedom at home, in the community, and through voting—more than one-third of American adults make dinner or lunch reservations to celebrate their mothers. This makes this spring holiday the busiest day of the year for restaurants nationwide.

Every year, approximately 122 million phone calls are made on Mother’s Day, according to Town & Country. The mom-focused day also marks the third-highest sales holiday for snapping up flowers and plants. 

Let’s delve a little deeper into the origins of this holiday. 

The “her-story” of Mother’s Day in America

According to History.com, celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans. They held festivals in honor of mother goddesses, Rhea and Cybele. Rhea is renowned as the goddess of fertility, motherhood, and generation while Cybele is associated with motherhood, nature, fertility, and agriculture. She is regarded as the Great Mother of the Gods. Sounds like a pretty important role.

The Mother’s Day that we celebrate in the United States today traces its roots back to the time of the Civil War. Activist Anna Jarvis of West Virginia is credited as the founder of America’s Mother’s Day. 

It was Anna Jarvis’s mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis who initially expressed her hope to establish a holiday just for commemorating moms. Before the Civil War, she helped start “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs” to teach local women how to properly care for their children. The clubs became a unifying force in a region of the country that was still divided over the Civil War.

In 1868, Jarvis organized “Mothers’ Friendship Day,” which invited mothers to gather with former Union and Confederate soldiers to promote reconciliation. 

Holiday; it’s official

Following her mother’s death in 1905, Anna Jarvis conceived of Mother’s Day as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children. The first Mother’s Day was celebrated in 1908.

Philadelphia was where the celebration initially unfolded. After gaining financial backing from Philadelphia department store owner, John Wanamaker of Wanamaker’s, in May 1908, Anna Jarvis organized the first official Mother’s Day celebration at a Methodist church in Grafton, West Virginia. On that day, thousands of people also attended a Mother’s Day event at one of Wanamaker’s stores in Philadelphia.

History.com cited that following that success, Jarvis, who remained unmarried and never had children, resolved to see her holiday added to the national calendar. Making the argument that American holidays only recognized male achievements, she started a letter writing campaign to newspapers and politicians urging them to adopt a special day honoring motherhood. 

By 1912, many states, towns, and churches adopted Mother’s Day as an annual holiday. To promote her cause, Jarvis also established the Mother’s Day International Association. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed legislation declaring that the second Sunday in May be celebrated as Mother’s Day.

The commercialization craze

In these early years, gift giving was not intended to be part of the celebration. 

Jarvis originally conceived of Mother’s Day as a day of personal celebration for mothers and their families. History.com further cited that her version of the day involved donning a white carnation and visiting one’s mother or attending church services. Once Mother’s Day became a national holiday, florists, greeting card companies, and other companies began capitalizing on its popularity.

While Jarvis had initially worked with the floral industry to help elevate the Mother’s Day’s cause, by 1920 she had become unhappy with the commercialization. She denounced the transformation and urged people to stop purchasing flowers, cards, and candies for Mother’s Day.

She later resorted to an open campaign against Mother’s Day profiteers. Jarvis spoke out against confectioners, florists, and even charities. She also launched many lawsuits against groups that had used the name “Mother’s Day.” By the time of her death in 1948, Jarvis had disowned the holiday and lobbied the government to remove it from the American calendar.

Celebrating Mom in 2024

Regardless of Jarvis’s vision, every child knows the way to their mom’s heart. There are so many innovative ways to celebrate mom so be creative. Those who want to commemorate mom in a traditional manner are certainly welcome to do so. If she loves flowers, arrange for fresh blooms to be delivered monthly. Contact Athabold in Germantown, NY (214 Main St., Germantown, NY, athabold.com); Wonderland Florist in Rhinebeck, NY (199 Route 308, Rhinebeck, fsn.wonderlandflorist.com); Country Gardeners Florist in Millerton, NY (5 Railroad Plaza, Millerton, countrygardenersflorist.com), Roaring Oaks Florists in Lakeville, CT (349A Main St., Lakeville, roaringoaksflorist.com). 

If mom is yearning for some serenity—and what mom isn’t? gift her a membership to a yoga or Pilates studio or present her with a gift card. There’s Masha’s Fitness Studio in Millerton, NY (36 Main St., Millerton, mashasfitnessstudio.com); Greenhouse Yoga in Great Barrington, MA (47 Railroad St, Ste. 4, Great Barrington, greenhouseyogaberkshires.com); Rhinebeck Yoga Studio in Rhinebeck, NY (6400 Montgomery St. Rhinebeck, 3^rd fl., rhinebeckyogacenter.com); or Danica Center in Sharon, CT (101 Gay St. Sharon, CT, https://danicacenter.com/).

For adventurous moms, book a weekend glamping at Gatherwild Ranch in Germantown, NY (331 Roundtop Rd., Germantown, gatherwild.com). It boasts eight curated spaces, which share a newly renovated bathhouse embellished with Moroccan artisan tiled showers. Cook her dinner in the shared outdoor kitchen with a rooftop deck, grill at your private site, or take her out to dinner in nearby Hudson. There are plenty of good eateries to choose from. For moms who stay from May 8 to 23, Gatherwild will include complimentary saunas and flower bouquets. 

Movie buff? Bring mom to Amenia, NY’s Four Brothers Drive-in, which shows movies 7 days per week, rain or shine. Live music entertains crowds on weekends. Also, on site are camping, and glamping at Hotel Caravana—one of the most unique airstream hotels in the world (according to Lonely Planet’s top airstreams in the world content). Four Brothers also features a chic outside patio for dining and has a menu of elevated fare. There’s also a playground, open field for enjoying time with the kids or pets, a fire pit, and electric car charging stations. (Four Brothers Drive-In, 4957 NY-22, Amenia, NY playeatdrink.com).

If she adores fragrances and wants to create her own candle as a token of her day out, book a reservation for Poured Candle Bar in Hudson, NY. After crafting her own customized scent, she can take her own candle home. (711 Warren St., Hudson, NY, pouredcandlebar.com).

If mom enjoys various types of wine, arrange a tasting at Tousey Winery in Germantown, NY. On the premises, there’s a café that serves charcuterie boards, fresh salads, and flatbreads. Gift her a subscription to the wine club, which will bring award-winning, hand-crafted wines straight to her door. (1774 US-9, Germantown, NY, touseywinery.com).

Serenity now! Send her to a day of pampering at a stylish spa. At Mirbeau Inn & Spa in Rhinebeck, NY (46 W Market St., Rhinebeck, rhinebeck.mirbeau.com), she can lounge or nap in the Resting Area, or take in the Himalayan Salt Sauna, Eucalyptus infused steam room, or heated spa whirlpool with private bar in the Aqua Terrace. The spa offers complimentary exercise classes including yoga, Tai Chi, Pilates, and strength training and features a fully equipped fitness studio for her personal wellness. 

If mom likes to get lost in good book, grant her a gift card to Oblong Books, which boasts locations in Millerton, NY (26 Main St., Millerton, oblongbooks.com) and Rhinebeck, NY (6422 Montgomery St., Rhinebeck, oblongbooks.com).

Intimate and Innovative

For those who yearn to be less traditional and stray from the commercialization, there are lots of other ideas that are less costly and offer more intimate ways to celebrate. 

One mom weighed in on the ways that she would like to celebrate the holiday. “I don’t really do anything extra special on Mother’s Day aside from getting extra hugs from my kids. That’s enough to make my day,” said Julia—a mother of three in Millbrook, NY. 

If mom enjoys the outdoors, invite her on a stroll at Poets’ Walk Park in Red Hook, NY (776 River Rd., Red Hook, scenichudson.org/explore-the-valley/scenic-hudson-parks/poets-walk-park) or the Ferncliff Orange Trail in Rhinebeck’s Ferncliff Forest (68 Mt. Rutsen Rd., Rhinebeck, NY, alltrails.com/trail/us/new-york/ferncliff-orange-trail). Make it extra special by packing a picnic with provisions from Adams Fairacre Farms, which has locations in Kingston, Poughkeepsie, Wappinger, and other Hudson Valley towns (visit adamsfarms.com for locations).

If she enjoys spending quality time bonding with her children and is a baking enthusiast, spend a few hours baking together. If she knits for hours on end, join her for a knitting circle. There are countless ways to honor mom, so think about what suits her style and start planning. 

…. Or you can just simply send a handwritten note the way Jarvis intended. Feel free to create your own or visit Rhinebeck’s Paper Trail (6423 Montgomery St #2, Rhinebeck, NY, papertrailrhinebeck.com) for elegant, artistic greeting cards that will surely delight mom. In Millerton, browse the greeting card offerings at demitasse in Millerton, NY (32 Main St., Millerton, demitasseny.com). However, you decide to celebrate, have a Happy Mother’s Day.