
7 ways to celebrate Mother’s Day 2023
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Mother’s Day again!
It’s hard to believe it but it’s already May! Not sure about you, but the year really seems to be flying by. May is a busy month for us with birthdays, anniversaries, and of course, Mother’s Day. My son just had his birthday and at the end of his “birthday week” where we’ve had many wonderful celebrations, he said that he hadn’t had enough time with me, and I felt the same.
It’s so easy for occasions where we’re trying to celebrate a person or event, to be taken over by doing the stuff of the celebration. My wedding was small and wonderful, but there was still so much about the day that was about the food, attendees, weather…and less about the reason we were gathered, my soon-to-be husband and I!
Somehow, sometimes, at the end of some of these big life events you don’t even feel connected to the person you had wanted to take time to celebrate with. Maybe that’s just my task-oriented nature taking over and others are maybe better at a balanced approach to these sorts of things, but I wanted to consider a different approach for upcoming events.
With that in mind, I have a few Mother’s Day (or any day with anyone) ideas that maximize connection minimize distraction and, as a bonus, are light on budget and environmental impact!
A few ideas
1. Choose a chore to take off her list, or join her in completing it and make it fun! Meal planning, cooking something new, laundry folding competition, cleaning to a beat, grocery shopping adventure – they all take up so much time in the day, so why not turn it into a time of connection?
“If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?“
Milton Berle
2. Make her a playlist of meaningful songs, fun songs, or just plain good songs to dance to and enjoy them together!
3. Plan a games night complete with her favourite snacks and play away… and maybe let her win? Just kidding, not likely in my house!

4. Is your mom into thrifting? Old books? Vintage goods? Plan an afternoon of rummaging through unique stores looking for treasures.
5. Choose a favourite book, read some or all of it individually, then discuss over coffee and treats.
6. It’s garden season! Plan a DIY tour of an area with great gardens and get some inspiration to take back and incorporate into your own gardens.
7. Try something new and different – a new restaurant, new hike, explore a new area of town, the sky’s the limit!
More traditional gift ideas
For more a more classic approach to Mother’s Day check out a previous post for some sustainable gift ideas here! Or for sustainable gift ideas, check out your local zero-waste shop.
Shop the cute gifts below from SWOP (Shop Without Plastic) here: Eco Friendly Gifts
How do you connect with your loved ones on occasions like Mother’s Day?
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4 Comments
Michelle (Boomer Eco Crusader)
There is no better gift than the gift of time: time spent together, giving mom time alone to do something for herself, doing some chores to free up her time for other things.
A Sustainably Simple Life
So true! 🙂
Jenny in Neverland
Some good ideas! We’ve already had Mother’s Day here in the UK (it’s in March) – can’t believe how quickly it comes around!
A Sustainably Simple Life
I agree! This year is flying by!