Whether you consider her your arch rival or close confidant, Lady Goliath or a mother hen, when Mother’s Day shows up on your calendar, you know it’s a day you can’t miss. The mother-in-law is also a mother: you owe your spouse! See it as a great day to mend fences and strengthen ties.
Good, now to work! Deciding to give him a gift was the easy part; Choosing the perfect one is a whole different ball game – a true test of your genius. Since she is likely to be a fairly regular presence in your life, you should choose a gift that will surprise her with your thoughtfulness, sensitivity, and generosity. High task? Not precisely.
here are some win mother’s day gifts for your mother in law.
1. Make her feel like a million bucks!
…and don’t skimp on costs either. Consider it an investment in a vital human relationship! For the record, old age isn’t exactly the best thing that can happen to the skin on your face, hands and feet, and well, pretty much the rest of it. So treat the mother-in-law to some unique beauty products, all attractively packaged in a gift basket. Add plenty of rich, nourishing lotions and creams. Or why not book her into a spa for a day of decadent luxury, complete with massages, facials, pedicures and manicures?
2. Elegant jewelry
Elegant jewelry would go really well with those gray hairs, right? Unless you are an aberration and in fact actively advocate and support the bohemian look, most women your age prefer the classic chic look with pearls. Choose a single or double strand pearl necklace in white or muted pink and add matching pearl earrings to complete the look. If you’re feeling nicer to her (and have the cash), then there’s nothing quite like a pair of diamond earrings.
3. A photo collage
Take the mother-in-law back in time and make her teary-eyed with this unique gift. Assemble a collage of childhood photos of her son in various stages of growth up to her wedding day (apply smartly in her line of sight, too!). Print the collage on a quilt, or create memorable individual ones for a pillowcase or even a teapot cover. You can also create a montage of these photos and mount and frame them attractively.
4. Personalized gifts: you choose!
Instead of putting any gift in your hands, take some time to personalize it. It can be a card or a cookie, but a personalized gift tells her “you are special.” And there are few women who do not succumb to this tug at the heart. Forget the typical store-bought card this year. Make a handmade Mother’s Day card instead. If you’re an easel wizard, paint a sketch in water, with a sentimental verse written inside the card. Or show your streak of generosity by placing an old photograph of mother and son (her husband hers) on the cover of the card.
5. Gift basket
Show her you’re in tune with her likes and dislikes by creating a wonderful gift basket that has a little bit of everything that makes her world go round. Paperbacks by your favorite author, CDs by your favorite singer, a DVD set of your all-time favorite movies, what else? Umm, maybe a slab of her favorite chocolate. Let a carefully chosen Mother’s Day card and a bouquet of your favorite flowers add the finishing touch.
6. Pamper your palate!
Chances are, you learned how to bake your husband’s favorite apple pie under his expert tutelage. And if you were a newbie to cooking when you got married, you probably have him to thank for helping you deal with sinking cakes and routinely burning pans. Mother’s Day is the ideal day to exercise your culinary muscles and show her that you were a perfect student. Treat her to a Mother’s Day brunch and prepare to lip-smack her favorite dishes.
7. Spend time together
In the hectic pace of modern life, what is always in short supply is time. That visit is always postponed until next week, that phone call will materialize as soon as this project is delivered, and the list of tasks that are put on the back burner keeps growing. If her spouse is her only child and she lives alone, she is probably a lonely woman who craves human companionship. He spends this day with her and catch up on all the gossip. He takes the mother-in-law shopping and surprise her with the gift you had planned for her. When was the last time you watched a movie together? Give him a movie he wants to see followed by a fabulous lunch. My darling husband is going to be very pleased: his two favorite girls are coming together in a big way.
Mom or mother-in-law, after all, both are mothers. Make this Mother’s Day really special for your mother-in-law. And sow the seeds for a stronger relationship with her husband. Happy Mother’s Day!