5 best Mother’s Day gifts that don’t need wrapping, sending or mailing
Now that Mother's Day brunches are back this year, there's still no guarantee of getting your mom flowers, cards, or fancy soaps on time. Certainly, dropping them off is possible. But there are ways to send something very special to Mom — beyond a quick text message, phone, or video call, especially if you don't live nearby.
These five are some of the best ideas we've found that will absolutely get to your mom on time because they don't need to be wrapped; they're sent on their own — and the only delay is how fast you can get to these sites.
Gift certificate to her favorite spa or salon
Normally these online gift cards might elicit a big yawn. But this year they not only represent something she can look forward to, they may also help a small business remain on their feet while lockdowns are imposed.
Most states have lifted restricted hair salons, manicurists and spas, and they are no longer forcing them to close as non-essential business. But when the salones were closed, we've all had friends who are taught themselves how to do a pedicure, or showing off their buzzed heads, giving in to the unruly mop on the top of their head.
But the people who handle these services today, now that they are open, need support. By buying a gift card to your mom's favorite place, your not only taking care of her very long appointment when things open back up, but you're showing her you also care about the people working there. That's a solid gift.
How easy is this to give? A little sleuthing will probably yield the name of her spa or salon, and they very likely have gift cards for sale on their web site. You can purchase one online, name her as the beneficiary and you're done.
Get Amazon Gift Card for Mother's Day
Masterclass - Great Mother's Day Gift
You can currently pick up two memberships for the price of one
While you're likely not walking away from a few classes with Steve Martin able to headline at The Comedy Store, nor are you going to crank out a bestseller like Stephen King or dress with as much panache as Anna Wintour. What do you get with a Masterclass membership? You get unlimited classes a year and the opportunity to watch some of your favorite people spout about their craft.
The membership is $180 a year and comes with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. You also get downloadable class guides, access to 150+ instructions, and 14-day guest passes. If you consider the classes more documentaries, consider this like gifting Mom a Netflix account — only cheaper.
How easy is this to give? Masterclass lets you buy the membership on their site and through Amazon.
Check out Masterclass Gift Card on Amazon
Monthly clothing rental
We're not talking about costume rentals here, but clothing rentals — something that's really taken off in the past few years and maybe something mom will appreciate, especially if she's into fashion. The biggest name in the bunch is Rent the Runway, but other companies, including Stitch Fix and thredUP, offer the same service. Basically, for a flat monthly fee, you can get a certain amount of clothes sent to you that you can wear — and then send back. They handle all the cleaning — and dry clean all the clothes thoroughly between rentals — and if you spill a glass of wine on that dress? It's not an issue.
Brands are even getting in on the mix, including Vince, which lets you select four pieces monthly, and unlimited exchanges exist. Prices can vary. Vince, for example, starts at $160 a month, while Rent the Runway begins at $69 a month.
How easy is this to give? Just head to one of these company websites, and sign up using your mom's name and address for the membership.
Make old new with Vivid Pix
This company has the sweet ability to refresh old photos digitally. The process is pretty great, taking the yellowing of older black and whites and even sharpening up Kodachrome photos.
Vivid-Pix Restore typically costs $49.99. But the company currently has a free trial — and you won't need to enter a credit card. All you need to do is download the program to your computer and sign up, and you can run the program for free for the first ten images. There's even a Mother's Day card template you can use.
How easy is this to give? You may need to put some sweat into this gift, finding older photos, uploading them to your computer (make sure they're in there at 300 dpi, minimum), and then tinkering with them. From there, though, you can send these images directly to your mother from your computer.
Try a Free Trial Here
Something to read
If your mother is a reader, there's nothing better than a magazine subscription, an online news site, one to a local newspaper,s or even a gift certificate to a local bookstore. You likely know the local paper where your mom lives, but you can also find some great options — maybe even in an area she's thinking of going to one day — through The New York Times online database for local publications. It turns up some great names, papers you likely never knew.
How easy is this to give? You must visit a paper's website and sign up for a monthly subscription. You can stop one at any time, and often there are options for print and online papers too.
The New York Times - Daily Edition for Kindle
You can also use The GearBrain, our smart home compatibility find engine, to find other smart devices and services for Mom this year. You can even find connected devices that work with Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa enabled devices if your Mom has one of them in her home.
