By Shivani Vora
Traditions are what make holidays so special and why we eagerly await them each year. Who doesn’t love the abundance of a Thanksgiving meal, for example, presents on Christmas Day, or fireworks on the Fourth of July?
Mother’s Day is another one of those special occasions—in fact, it’s my favorite celebration, hands down. It’s one of the few times in the year when our families—our children, partners, and maybe grandchildren—stop to honor and appreciate all that moms do. Mothers hold everything together for the people in their lives, and I can’t tell you how incredible it feels to have the tables turned, even if only for a day.
There are so many beloved traditions surrounding Mother’s Day, and I love that they’re old-fashioned and haven’t changed much over time, despite technology. It’s a beautiful way to honor the legacy of the women who came before us generations ago.
One of the biggest hallmarks of Mother’s Day is flowers. On Valentine’s Day, the most commonly given flower is roses. However, on Mother’s Day, anything goes: it could be daisies in all colors, huge sunflowers with bright yellow petals, or whatever mom’s favorite happens to be!
My two daughters, Amrita, who is 8, and Meenakshi, almost 13, have surprised me with different kinds of flowers over the years. One May it was a bouquet of wildflowers and ferns, whereas, for another, it was a single orchid. I’ll never forget the year when we went to a pick-your-own flower farm—the girls ran through the fields with excitement to find the brightest, biggest blooms and at the end presented me with an enormous arrangement. It was so memorable that I actually dried one of the daffodils and saved it in between the pages of my scrapbook.
Two other hugely popular Mother’s Day traditions revolve around meals: breakfast in bed and brunch.
Breakfast is not usually a gourmet meal, but when it’s prepared by loving hands, it can be one of the most heart-warming experiences a mom can have. The spread could be something simple, just any special food that’s not in mom’s everyday repertoire. I make breakfast for my kids every day, so it’s a nice change to have our roles reversed.
The best part isn’t the breakfast, though. The giggles on their faces when they carry the meal into our bedroom on a tray and the look of anticipation in their eyes as they wait for my reaction warms me up every time. A wrapped gift on the tray is part of the ritual. Last year, it was an oversized coffee mug, and five years ago, it was pink hanging earrings that I still wear all the time.
Here’s the thing I’ve learned about gift-giving: It’s not so much the amount you spend on something. It’s the act. A gift is a beautiful gesture that’s a treat for the receiver. It’s a symbol, especially in this time-pressed world, that you stopped to think about the person in a way that’s more meaningful than usual.
Around noon, we head to brunch as a family. I learned several years ago that Mother’s Day brunch is the busiest time of the year for many restaurants because families of all sizes gather to celebrate the moms they love so much.
After all of that celebration, we usually go back to our home to spend some quiet, quality time together as a family. Even though Mother’s Day and the traditions that come with it are only a day, I’m always looking forward to the next year when I’ll get to relive them all over again.
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