As with last year, sadly many of our usual Mother’s Day plans on Sunday, 14 March can't go ahead as a result of UK coronavirus lockdown.
You're allowed to spend time with your household, and one other person for exercise in your local area, which means no Mother’s Day roast or popping round to your parents' house to deliver gifts this year.
It's a sad but necessary precaution, but one thing's for sure: We certainly know how to celebrate virtually after nearly a whole year of doing just that.
Last year certainly taught us that you can still show your mum just how much you love her in other ways. It’s just time to get creative and think outside the box a little.
Keep reading for eighteen, albeit slightly alternative, ideas and ways to show your mum you love her without physically seeing her this Mother's Day.
Alternative Mother's Day presents: Send something in the post
There are loads of websites offering present delivery straight to your mum’s front door, so long as you order by midnight on Thursday, 11 March (Mother's Day is Sunday 14 March).
1. Pick a letterbox package
Moonpig has a whole host of packages on offer to celebrate Mother’s Day, ranging from chocolate bundles, to retro sweet parcels, to gin and tonic boxes. Plus, if you hadn’t already guessed from the name, they’re delivered in neat, letterbox sized cardboard boxes, so they’re guaranteed to fit through the letterbox. No hand-to-hand delivery, here.
How much? Prices start at £18
How? Online at Moonpig
2. Send Mother's Day flowers
You’re kind of spoilt for choice for wonderful fresh flower delivery services in the UK. There’s almost too many, what with Interflora, Haute, Prestige, M&S and more (read our ranking of the best flower delivery services, here).
Bloom & Wild, on the other hand, uses a similar delivery style to Moonpig in that they pop your blooms through your postbox; may sound, well, unconventional, but trust us when we say B&W ensure every bunch is fresh as you’d like and without any signs of being squashed. If you're not so sure, our expert team has ranked the best letterbox flowers, too. You're welcome.
How much? Starting from £23
How? Order online at Bloom & Wild
3. Order a gingerbread lady with a difference
On the letterbox theme, once again, if you’ve never heard of Biscuiteers, you’ve been missing out. Launched in 2007 by a husband and wife duo who wanted to offer more exciting home presents than flowers, Harriet and Stevie set about designing collections of beautifully iced biscuits and, in turn, invented a totally new kind of gifting.
They’re really neat, hand-iced by some of London’s best bakers, and can be personalised, so are sure to make your mum smile, sweet tooth or not. There’s a Super Mum gingerbread woman, Super Nan, Audrey Hepburn gingy… Need we say more?
How much? Starting from £6.
How? Order online at Biscuiteers
4. Send a food-filled Fortnum & Mason hamper
VIP, according to F&M, stands for “Very Important Parent”, if you didn’t know. This luxurious hamper is packed to the brim with nibbles, and treats. And the favourite child award goes too…
How much? £100
How? Order online at Fortnum & Mason
5. Stock the store cupboards and give the gift of recipes
Why not buy your mother a cookbook, so she can take inspiration for simple at-home meals? Plus, fun fact; if you buy online at Sous Chef, you can purchase cookbooks with a tasty selection of store cupboard ingredients.
Take Ottolenghi's Simple, for example: alongside the cookbook, your mum will receive nigella seeds, tahini, preserved lemons, urfa pepper, ground allspice, zaytoun Palestinian za'atar, and Belazu rose harissa, all of which feature in the recipes.
How much? £39.99 for both the cookbook and the seven ingredients.
How? Order online at Sous Chef for book and ingredient sets, or head to Amazon to scroll other cookbooks on offer.
6. Send a pamper package in place of a spa day or nail appointment
OK, so you may have had to scupper your spa plans. Don’t let that result in no pampering for your mum whatsoever. Instead, deliver the pampering to her—literally.
John Lewis & Partners has heaps of lovely goodies on their website and a whole section dedicated to helping you find the right bits for your mum. From Neal’s Yard bubble bath, to Liz Earle facial sets, to Cowshed body care sets, there’s something for everyone. You could even have a pamper day together virtually - it's still spending quality time together, after all.
How much? Packages start from £5.
How? Order online at John Lewis & Partners
7. Give the gift of a project
Ever heard of Makebox+Co? It’s a giftbox service which delivers a new craft project to your (or your recipient’s) door each month. March's box is the Amore candle making kit, which teaches you how to make your own candles from scratch with a simple step-by-step.
Featuring a 30cl premium clear glass container, two labels, ingredients from two soy wax candles, and three essential oil scents - rose centifolia, lime, basil and mandarin, and cinnamon - the package promises to teach your mum everything she’d need to know to make the perfect candle. No experience required. A perfect productive use of a weekend, if she’s got spare time on her hands thanks to the lockown.
How much? Prices from £24.99.
How? Shop online at MakeBox+Co
Try to spend time together virtually
Can't be together in person? Fear not—spend time together online. We've done enough of it now to know, even with technical difficulties, that it's guaranteed to make you smile.
8. Host a Skype dinner party
So, you can’t get together to host the dinner party you had lined up. Why not have a virtual lunch, instead, suggests Josie Buck, food and eating psychology coach and author of The Mindful Cook? “I’ll be sharing a link to either Zoom or Skype – whichever will be easiest for me to help them set my parents up on their laptop given they are not that tech savvy – and enjoy lunch with them virtually.”
She even suggests going so far as to email your mum your Mother’s Day recipe ahead of time and making the same for yourself, making sure it uses ingredients you know your Mum will have in the house so you are all eating the same meal. That way, you can spend the same amount of time together, eating and enjoying the same food just over call, rather than in person. Virtual dining? Sorted.
How much? Free
How? As above, work out the best way to call your parents, be that FaceTime, WhatsApp, Skype or Zoom, and arrange a suitable time. If you'd like to cook together, work out a tasty recipe
Buy her a virtual Mother's Day gift
Because, thanks to the wonderful world of the Internet, you can still enjoy a whole host of experiences online, too.
9. Invest in an at-home style consultation
Before you scratch your head at this one, picture this: personal shopping, but from the comfort of your own home, with clothes you already own (reduce, reuse, recycle and all that) and without a pushy sales rep trying to get you to buy 101 blouses you likely don’t need.
Award-winning stylist Susie Hasler is offering online styling sessions for Mother’s Day, where she calls your mother up and, having been guided through her wardrobe, delivers her with an example capsule wardrobe guide and advice on how to put outfits together with personal guidance on colour analysis and dressing for their personal body shape. Certain packages even include makeup suggestions, wardrobe must-haves and advice on which jeans best suit their shape.
How much? £35 to £100.
Where? Styled by Susie
10. Book a virtual cookery lesson with one of the UK’s most famous chefs
Did you know there’s a whole bunch of Gordon Ramsay guided cookery classes available for you to buy as a gift (or for yourself) online? Let the chef and Hell’s Kitchen star take you on a tour of his kitchen, plus guide you through a series of exclusive lessons. You’ll start with learning how to use a knife and advance to more specific skill sets, with how to make entire dishes, like beef wellington, thrown in the mix.
How much? £85 a class, or you can pay an annual fee (£14.17 a month) if you’d rather it be an ongoing gift for your Mum to enjoy.
Where? Online at Masterclass
11. Guide her through a virtual skin appointment
As above, you may have had facials or dermatology appointments booked for months, but this period of self-isolation doesn’t mean your mum shouldn’t still be able to enjoy some aspects of the treats you had planned.
Why not prompt her to take SKINCITY’s skin test, for example: all she has to do is fill in their online questionnaire and the team of skin therapists, dermatologists and experts will use answers to create a unique, personalised routine that will be sent via email. At that point, treat your mum to whatever she feels she likes from the suggestions. Easy peasy.
How much? Consultation free, products from £8.
How? Simply get your mum to take the quiz online at Skincity and then order whichever products she’d like from the website.
Give a gift that gives back
As Mother's Day isn't just about your mum, but all the mothers around the world, too.
12. Support homeless mums with a We Are Beam card
It's been a difficult year for so many. A nice way to show your mum you’re thinking of her, but also other mums in need around the world, too, is with a We Are Beam gift card. They directly support people in need, including mums who are currently homeless. Your mum will be emailed her gift voucher and prompted to go on the website and choose who she’d like to support. After the donation, she’ll be kept in the loop with that person’s progress, so she can see how the donation made an impact.
How much? Any and all donations welcome.
How? Online at Beam.
13. Buy an air detoxifying plant
With the help of online houseplant specialist Root, show your mum that you love her on Mother’s Day with a beautiful houseplant. Not only will she love the botanical gift come the big day, she’ll also be able to nurture it and watch it grow over the coming months. There’s a whole host on sale, from palm plants, to cheese plants, to peace lilies—because we all need a bit of peace during this hard time. Rather opt for seeds or flowers for your Mum's garden? Shop our guide of where to buy plants during a lockdown, now.
How much? Plants start at £3.
How? Online at Root-Houseplants.
Get creative
14. Send a personalised e-card
Ever sent an e-card before? The digital designs allow you to send your mum a personalised image, gif or animation of choice complete with a message you choose to include. Depending on whether she’s more of a text or email person, you can send it to either. There are funny ones, sentimental ones, and even more personalised options available where you can add your own images and photos. Plus, did we mention they’re free?
How much? As above, free of charge from most websites
How? Try Punchbowl, Ojolie or Open Me for hundreds of designs to choose from.
15. Curate a playlist
Music is neurologically sentimental and special, so why not try to compile a playlist of your favourite childhood songs and tunes for your mum that’ll bring happy memories of time spent together flooding back? If your mum has access to Spotify, or you’re happy with her logging in to your account, you can make on there, if not, YouTube has a pretty easy ‘add to playlist’ feature.
How much? Free
How? As above, either head to Spotify or You Tube.
16. Design a video
For the tech-savvy among you who also happen to be in isolation and unable to work, we may just have come up with the perfect gift. Putting together a thoughtful video compilation of your favourite photographic memories with your mum and extended family may take time, but it’ll be worth it to see her face. It’s normally the type of gift that’d be put off as simply ‘taking too long’, but if you’re housebound, it’s sure to provide a project for at least a day. Plus, on most websites, you can create for free—winner, winner.
How much? Free.
How? Animoto offers free templates and video design in an easy to use and simple format. Get creating at Animoto.
17. Go for a virtual walk
You may not be able to walk in person, but that doesn't stop you from both lacing up and going for a walk together, virtually. Call each other or Facetime and have a good catch up. Guaranteed to make both parties smile.
How much? Free.
How? Simple - plot a walk route and give your Mum a call. Just make sure she knows in advance, so she's free.
18. Do a Zoom quiz
Last but by no means least, the humble Zoom quiz. You may be all quizzed out, but if you're not, a round of general knowledge questions followed by some fun facts about your Mum could be a great way to celebrate her and all her hard work.
How much? Free
How? Similarly to above, allocate a time, get an assortment of quiz questions together and get everyone together on the phone or on Zoom. You could even sort a prize for the winning team. Fun for all the family.
All the best Mother's Day gifts to treat your loved one to this year
M&S Pamper Gift Bag
The Pamper Gift Bag from M&S includes everything mum needs for her self-care routine. Included are three products from the brand's bestselling apothecary range, in addition to chocolates and prosecco. What's not to love?
Our Place Always Pan
The Our Place Always Pan has become a kitchen must-have since its launch in the UK two years ago. The cult-favourite pan offers eight functions in one pan — allowing you to do everything from fry to braise. We love this pink colour for Mother's Day, but it also comes in seven other colour choices.
Hampers.com Luxury Cream Tea Gift Hamper
A cream tea will always be a winner for Mother's Day! This luxury offering has everything she needs to enjoy afternoon tea on Mother's Day, from scones and tea to biscuits and fudge.
Two excellent moisturisers at an excellent saving. Yes, the texture of both the day and night cream is gorgeous (rich, hydrating, not at all sticky) but it's the results that these moisturisers lend that she'll love. Skin feels comforted, and looks so much plumper and firmer.
The White Company Unisex Hooded Ribbed Hydrocotton Robe, £85
The White Company's dressing gowns are known for their beautiful designs and luxury feel. This gorgeous robe is made from premium hydrocotton to make for a super-soft finish, while the hood and fluffy, ribbed design will ensure mum can get all snuggled up for ultimate relaxation.
Merci Mamman The Duchess Necklace, £111.20
Since Kate was spotted wearing one of these sweet hand engraved necklaces, gifted to celebrate the birth of Prince George, they've been a best seller. You can engrave with the names of the children, a sweet message, or a date. They can be engraved front and back and also on the little heart charm. The brand have a vast collection of personalised hand engraved jewellery for all tastes, and it's well worth having a browse. SHOP NOW
Givenchy Irresistible Eau de Parfum
If you're looking for a perfume to gift for Mother's Day, Givenchy's Irresistible is just perfect. With floral and woody fragrance notes, it's sure to delight.
Ember Temperature Control Smart Mug 2 414 ml
We all know that mums run on tea, so why not give her the ultimate cup to drink it from? Ember is the world’s first temperature control mug, which will keep her tea or coffee at the perfect temperature (as picked by her, controlled via her phone) for hours. It comes in various sizes and colours, but our pick is the generously sized 414ml mug. We’ve tried it and we can honestly say it’s made drinking tea even more of a pleasure.
Virgin Wines To Mum Suela Spanish Wine Duo
Mum can enjoy both red and white wine with this set. Both wines also come packaged in a Mother's Day gift guide, making them a great postal gift, too.
LookFantastic Mother's Day Beauty Edit (worth over £200)
LookFantastic's Mother's Day Beauty Edit has a whole range of beauty and pampering treats to enjoy in both full and deluxe sizes. The products are worth over £200, but it's currently on sale for just £60.
Isotoner Ladies Real Suede Mule with Fur Cuff
Slippers are always a great gift choice! This pair will keep mum cosy while looking stylish around the home.
The Goddess Path: 13 Steps to Becoming Your Most Intuitive, Authentic and Powerful Self
Now 20% Off
If your mum is a fan of alternative therapies, she’ll love the latest book from spiritual guru and best-selling author Kirsty Gallagher. With the likes of Fearne Cotton and Melanie C among its devotees, it’s all about harnessing the power of the inner goddess. What better way to show your mum how much you worship her?
If mum is an interiors enthusiast, then this is the gift for her. We love the sage green colour of this luxe DUSK throw — but it's also available in four other colours.
Lakrids by Bülow Strawberries and Cream
Lakrids by Bülow combines flavoured chocolate and liquorice for a sweet treat that mum will love.
IMP & MAKER Whispering Angel & Chocs in Wooden Gift Box
Whispering Angel rosé wine and luxury chocolates? Count us in! This combo from IMP & MAKER is sure to delight.
When it comes to skincare gifts, No7 is always a great idea. With five pieces included, this gift offers over £110-worth of skincare products for under £40!
Red Letter Days Afternoon Tea with a Glass of Champagne for Two at The Harrods Tea Rooms
Now 15% Off
Want to treat mum to an experience for Mother's Day? It doesn't get much better than afternoon tea at Harrods! She'll enjoy sandwiches, cakes and scones — all washed down with tea and a glass of champagne.
Luxury Cheese & Wine Hamper
When it comes to iconic pairings, it doesn't get much better than cheese and wine. This incredible gifting hamper includes five types of cheeses paired with a gorgeous bottle of red wine, as well as condiments, to treat mum to a cheese and wine night.
The White Company Love Candle
There's no nicer present to receive this Mother's Day than a beautiful scented candle from The White Company. Describing the scent as a warming hug, this candle combines tonka bean and cosy amber, which are softly layered with woody base notes of blond tobacco and luxurious oud. Also, every £10 contribution from the sale of this candle goes to The Prince's Trust, helping young women who are facing disadvantage and adversity to get the support they need to build a better future.
FOREO LUNA 4 Smart Facial Cleansing and Firming Massage Device
FOREO's Luna 4 is a cleansing device with a difference. Offering both facial cleansing and massage settings, it's great for everything from deep cleansing to firming and plumping.
Cartwright & Butler The Brew & Biscuit Hamper
This hamper includes a whole range of teatime treats, from shortbread to tea bags. You can also expect coffee and chocolate biscuits, too.
July Carry Me Bag
July is best known for its premium-quality bags and suitcases. This Carry Me Bag is the perfect size for a phone, card holder and earphones — and comes in nine gorgeous colourways.
When it comes to champagne, it doesn't get more classic than Moët. This pink champagne is sure to go down a treat with any recipient — and comes in a personalised gift tin for Mother's Day.
Merit is a favourite brand amongst beauty editors. This kit includes everything much needs for glowing skin: a blush balm, highlighting balm, lipstick and lip oil.
Columbia Marble Canyon™ French Terry Half Zip Sweatshirt, £80
This fleece is as pretty as it is practical. If mum loves the great outdoors, this design is ideal for everything from walks in the park to trips to the shops.
Share the good vibes with this gorgeous Aery candle, that has scents of vanilla and rhubarb.
Seychelles Luxury Gift Set, £55
Who doesn't love a gift from The White Company? This luxurious gift box contains a candle, soap, shower gel and body lotion for mum's best pampering session yet. Not to mention, the Seychelles fragrance is the probably brand's most iconic scent with its notes of bergamot, orange and amber.
PRADA Hyper Matte Nudes Refillable Lipstick, £39
Selfridges
PRADA's newest lipsticks come in a range of nude shades and offer a matte effect. They're ideal for any mum who loves her luxurious beauty buys.
Ruggable Malta Multicolor Bath Mat, £139
If mum is an in interior's enthusiast, then take a look at Ruggable for her gift. If you're after a more useful present, this lovely bath mat combines both pretty and practical.
Wraxall 2021 Sparkling White
Looking for an alternative to champagne? This English sparkling wine is sure to delight mum and is perfect for enjoying on Mother's Day.
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