5 Ideas for a Meaningful Mother’s Day

When thinking about how to have a meaningful Mother’s Day, it helps to take a look back. Modern American Mother’s Day dates back to 1908, conceived by Anna Jarvis as an honor to her mother Ann Jarvis’s life’s work. Ann Jarvis was the organizer of the Mothers Day Work Clubs in the 1850s. With a mission of educating mothers in the poorest parts of Appalachia about proper sanitation to help reduce child mortality, Mrs. Jarvis’s work clubs movement evolved into a neutral service during the Civil War, caring for both Union and Confederate soldiers. After the war, Ann Jarvis continued to advocate for peace through activism until her death in 1905.

Anna lobbied for what her mother had envisioned as a day of simple appreciation for all mother’s work, relentlessly writing letters to newspapers and politicians asking them to establish a holiday. To her, it would be a day to honor the movement her mother founded, based in a dedication to peace, advocacy, education and strength. And so it came to be in 1912 when Woodrow Wilson declared the second Sunday in May would henceforth be Mother’s Day.

Needless to say, it distressed Anna when her celebration of a women’s movement was turned into the flowers, cards and candy holiday it has become. She spent the rest of her life protesting the commercialization of the holiday, and tragically her desire to undo what she had worked so hard to do became her undoing. She died destitute having spent her family fortune trying to bring meaning back to the day.

(Read more about the Jarvis women here and here and  here.)

Mother’s Day was established in the early 1900s, so could be considered an antique. And we at Vintage Unscripted know a thing or two about antiques. In honor of mothers and the original intent of Mother’s Day, we have some ideas for meaningful Mother’s Day celebrations we hope Anna would approve of.

Be a Gem

There are many stories in a jewelry box. Costume jewelry purchased over the years, fine jewelry purchased to mark special events, hand-me-down jewelry from previous generations…there are a lot of memories waiting to be shared, if only you take the time to ask. Sit down with your mom and ask her to tell you about some of the pieces.

Collect Good Advice

Take to social media and share the best advice or best lesson that came from your mom. Ask others to share theirs as well.

Create an Archive

If your mom is a creative sort, create a photo gallery of some of her work. If she’s a baker, photograph her tasty treats and collect them with her favorite recipes. If your mom is a gardener, photograph her favorite plants and tools. If she sews…well, you get the idea…

Share a Service

Many older mother’s have children that live far away. Surprise a mother whose kids won’t be local for the birthday by asking if there are any nagging household tasks you can help her with. It can be something as simple as washing winter off the car or bringing summer clothes out of storage or setting up patio furniture.

Put a Drop in the Bucket

Ask your mom what things are on her bucket list. Some of them may be hard to pull off, but others might be easier than you imagine. If your mom is open to reminiscing, ask what things would have been on that list when she was 20–how many of them are the same?

If you liked this post, you might enjoy the story of a granddaughter researching her history.

Do you have a meaningful Mother’s Day tradition? Share it in the comments below.