We’re going to go with “it’s the thought that counts” here, because we understand that a last minute Mother’s Day gift doesn’t mean you love her any less. Hey, we’re so busy looking for cool gifts for moms here, sometimes we get behind on our own Mother’s Day shopping ourselves (ahem). So here are just a few of our favorite last minute Mother’s Day gift ideas that you can still have shipped, make yourself, or pick up in a local shop. Hope one is just perfect for the cool mom in your life.
Gourmet Food Gifts
Most gourmet food gifts are delivered with overnight or two-day delivery to keep them fresh, which is great news for procrastinators! We fell in love with the heart chocolates from Norman Love recently (seen above) and today is the last day to order!
Harry and David also has a huge selection of gourmet Mother’s Day gifts, and the overnight shipping is free! Plus, lots of them are discounted right now from cute cookies to a whole brunch gift box. Or you can always hit a local shop where Mom lives, and have her favorite nibbles delivered fresh.
Another option: Grab a gift card for her favorite local restaurant so the two (or three or four or eight) of you can go together one night. It’s also a nice way to support the local merchants.
An Experience Gift
As long as we’re talking local restaurants, think what else you can do together: movie tickets, theater or ballet tickets, a pottery class, a ballgame, a museum or zoo membership, glassblowing lessons, yoga coupons, a special event in your hometown. The gift of your time is always appreciated. Or check out a bigger deal gift from Cloud 9 Living, above, or Excitations. NASCAR driving lessons, anyone?
A Monthly Gift Subscription
There’s something thrilling about knowing that a gift is still to come…and will keep coming. If you haven’t ordered yet, just jot a note about it or maybe print an image off the website and pop it in a card. Done!
Olive Box (above) sends out beautiful paper goods or themed lifestyle collections each month.
Gourmet Spotting makes wonderful artisanal tasting boxes. I ordered them for my foodie father for Christmas and he’s a huge fan. Plus every tasting box shipped means they donate a meal to charity and moms will love that.
And we have ten more ideas for the best subscription box gifts on this post, from coffee and gourmet gifts, to t-shirts, to an entire box just for nerds. For real. (Geeky moms need love too, you know!) Our associate editor Delilah highly recommends the Bergamot perfume subscription which is so perfect for scent-loving moms, grandmas, mother-in-laws and anyone else mother-ish in your life.
A DIY Crafty Gift
We included 10 of our favorite ideas for DIY handmade Mother’s Day gifts from the kids in our 2014 Mother’s Day gift guide this year, from simple printables to crafts that will take more than a few minutes (like this fun glitter handprint via HelloBee). Either way, we know this is always one of our own mainstays–moms love handmade. Always. And yes, you can make them last minute; just leave time to dry!
If you’re handy with clay, visit our recent post with ideas for 7 handmade clay gifts for mom from easy to wow, including these lovely vases from the Eat Knit and DIY blog.
We also have a post on 17 last minute gifts that kids can make, and though it was themed for Valentine’s Day, almost all these heart gifts are perfectly appropriate on Mother’s Day too. Whether you’re 50 or 5, there’s something in here you can make. Though we doubt five-year-olds are reading our site at this particular moment.
A Homemade Food Gift
There are so many options, from desserts to homemade infused oils and vinegars. I love this recipe for DIY Baked Blueberry Oatmeal in mason jars via Sprouted Kitchen if you want something a little healthier.
Or eh, skip healthy and just have fun. Wouldn’t your kids love making these homemade watercolor cookies via One Charming Party for their Grandma? I know mine would.
A Frame or Photo Album Filled with Pictures
Pick a theme: The year in review, every Mother’s Day for Grandma since her first grandchild was born, favorite shots of Mom with the kids. It’s too late to order a custom photo book unless you want to give mom an IOU, but you can still print your favorite photos (hey, remember real photo printing!) at your local drugstore, Target, or Walgreens, and put them in a beautiful photo album like this one on Amazon. Just remember, if you get a big album that holds 200 photos you either need to fill it, or keep filling it each year. You might be better off with a smaller album or brag book that tells a complete story.
If you go for a frame, just make it a great one. You don’t want to skimp on a frame if it’s going to stand alone as a Mother’s Day gift, no matter how perfect the photo inside.
A DIY Spa Day
It’s so easy to pop to a local drugstore (my own local CVS now has so many great brands like Burt’s Bees, Lumene and Say Yes) or even hit Amazon which is now carrying Bliss products lucky Prime members! Overnight, you’ll be able to put together a basket of pampering goodies. That Bliss Lemon Sage Body Butter is to die for by the way, and a staple in my own medicine cabinet. (Hint: Just don’t get her anything that refers to cellulite, fat, or ingrown hairs.)
There are also these ideas for Mother’s Day brunch menu recipes, should you want to start the pampering first thing in the morning.
Wine or Champagne
Perfect for a suuuuper last minute gift before you visit in person, I really like this lovely, easy last minute gift idea from Family Chic that we found over the holidays: Personalizing the bottle with a paint pen. Remember, personal notes make everything more special no matter what it is. Well, maybe not socks. To amp it up, wrap it with a few glasses, or fresh Mimosa ingredients, or some gourmet cheeses .
The Perfect Book
Amazon to the rescue again–or hit your local indie bookstore where you’re bound to find something you love. A few of our top picks: My Mom- Her Story, Her Words, which I gave my mom once, and she gave me back for my birthday filled in, and I cried for about 6 months.
Also, check out options like the brand new The Family Cooks by Laurie David which isn’t just a cookbook, but an inspiring tome on family togetherness. Or hey, any book on any topic she loves is thoughtful from fashion to tech to gardening to Star Wars. (We speak from experience.) Remember to write a heartfelt inscription inside and date it.
Fresh Flowers
I don’t care how cliché it is, I love love love getting fresh flowers for any reason. It’s best to order from a good local florist and ask them what’s fresh, so you’re guaranteed something beautiful. I’m also a fan of The Bouqs, which sells sustainable, fresh-from-the-eco-friendly farm blooms at great prices. A lot is sold out right now (a good sign that they actually ship what they advertise, and don’t bait-and-switch if they’re out of it), but you can still find some beautiful options that ship for next-day delivery if you order by 2PM. Also, get 15% off when you register with them.
A Charitable Donation in Her Name
My own mom would be thrilled with a donation to an organization that helps women, children, or the environment but surely the moms in your life have their own special causes. In our gifts that give back section of our Mother’s Day Gift Guide this year we recommended an ecard from International Rescue Committee that helps assure safer childbirth where women need it most. But there are so many gifts to choose from starting at just $18, including the gift of a year of school in places like Afghanistan or Ethiopia. That’s a whole lot of good you’re doing for $56.
For even more Mother’s Day gift ideas, visit our Mother’s Day gift guide. We have more than 100 of them!
