How to Choose the Perfect Gift for Mom

Whether it’s Christmas, Mother’s Day, or her birthday, there’s always a bit of pressure in choosing the perfect gift for your Mom. After all, she worked hard to make all of your holidays special when you were young – it’s nice to return the favor and thrill her with a carefully chosen present!

Knowing what gift Mom will enjoy most will depend on how well you know her tastes – what she likes to do, wear, places she loves to go, etc. The gifts that mean the most are always the ones that require a little effort.

Do a Little Sleuthing

Don’t spoil the surprise by asking her what she wants. Most likely she’ll say something along the lines of, “Oh don’t worry about me, honey. Just spending time with you is gift enough”. Instead, do a little spy work to find out what she likes.

Don’t just head to the store and pick out any kind of perfume, for example – look around her counter and see what she wears now. Which bottle has the most amount of perfume missing? This is the one that she’s using regularly.

You can surprise her with a bottle of her favorite fragrance when you know what she likes. Around Mother’s Day and Christmas, the department stores will regularly have complete sets for fragrances that include little gifts with purchase. Or look for matching lotions or bath sets.

Pay attention to the magazines she reads and the items for sale in the magazines that she’s talked about. Has she expressed any interest in a particular product on a television ad? Is there a movie she’s gone to see repeatedly that she just sighs over whenever she talks about it? Those are all clues she’s giving off and if you pay attention, you can surprise her.

Women will sometimes say, “Oh! I love that!” when out walking or shopping so listen to what she says whenever you’re together if she’s looking at something and says how much she’d like that.

Read Related Article: Awesome Birthday Gifts to Mom from Daughter

For the Book Loving Mom

If Mom loves to read, books are always a big hit. Look at her “to-be-read” or “already read” pile to see what types of books she loves to read and then pick something out in that genre.

If you know she has a favorite author, you can contact that author (most have websites allowing fans to contact them) and ask for a signed bookplate that you can place in a book.

If she has an eclectic taste in books , you can get her a gift certificate to her favorite bookstore. Since many bookstores have a coffee shop with all sorts of beverages and sweet treats, you can add a certificate for that and give her a relaxing day of book browsing and sipping her favorite latte.

You can even buy book certificates for mothers who own eReaders and prefer electronic books over bound ones. Some women prefer audio books, especially if they travel, but don’t buy audio books if she’s never expressed an interest in them.

Flowers Are Love

Bouquets of flowers are always a good idea, and roses are flowers that are the national symbol of love. If you don’t know what your mother’s favorite flowers are, check around her house outside for the types of flowers she has planted.

Inside, look at artwork on the wall to see if there are any particular flowers featured in the artwork. You can often pick up clues for flower preferences that way.

For Mom’s Sweet Tooth

Food is always a big hit with mothers – especially the chocolate kind – but there’s a right and a wrong kind of chocolate to buy. You don’t want to get nuts or nougat or caramel if she doesn’t like any of that.

You’ll want to find out what her favorite chocolate is and buy some of that. You can put the chocolate in a lovely basket filled with other goodies or in a basket lined with rose petals – just little things that go the extra mile.

Birthstones and Diamonds and Jewels – Oh My!

What a sweet gift for Mom or Grandma! Heart shaped diamond family tree necklace will become their favorite piece of jewelry.

Jewelry is another great idea for a Mother’s Day or Christmas gift and it’s hard to go wrong with jewelry unless you get her something she doesn’t wear. Many moms don’t like to wear a certain type of jewelry or a certain style. You want to find out what she does like by looking through photographs of the jewelry she has worn.

Necklaces and earrings are always a good idea, and you can get jewelry that speaks about her interests. You can also get a beautiful mother’s ring inscribed with a special message containing each child’s birthstone.

Diamonds are timeless, elegant jewelry that mothers will enjoy, especially if you search for a piece that’s special to her. You can find diamond necklaces in the shapes of musical notes, hearts, dolphins, and more.

You can also find replicas of jewelry worn by your mother’s favorite actresses.

Gift Certificates

Gift certificates are always a good option if you know what she likes. Online shopping is fun for moms and she can find a huge selection at places like Amazon. You can also give certificates for her favorite restaurant, for movie tickets, or certificates for her to download music.

Spa certificates can give your mom a day of sheer relaxation and make her feel pampered. Massages are a good idea, but only if you know that your mom will appreciate a massage – because not everyone is comfortable with one.

You don’t want to give her a certificate she wouldn’t use. This all goes back to finding out what your mom or the woman in your life who’s a mom would like. A salon certificate for a hairstyle is something a mom would appreciate. Tickets to see her favorite musician perform is something she would also love.

Make Her Day Special

Let’s not forget the food! Go all out on her special day. Don’t make the special mom in your life cook on her day of honor. You can never go wrong with dinner reservations out at a nice restaurant.

If you want to really make it special and have the budget for it, you can rent a special car-anything from a new, snazzy sports car to a classic ’57 Chevy.

Make her breakfast in bed and make sure you take care of making the lunch. Let her have the entire day to get pampered and ready for her dinner out.

Shop by Age

If Mom is celebrating a milestone birthday, then give her a gift that acknowledges that momentous occasion! The gift can be as inexpensive as a shirt or book, or as costly as an extravagant champagne gift basket!

Here’s a list of popular milestone birthday gift guides that will help you find the perfect gift for Mom:

Read Related Article: Brilliant Birthday Gifts for Older Women

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