Our Mother’s Day Gift Guide May 06 2025
By Elizabeth Ritchie Sherrill
Extra-thoughtful Mother's Day gifts
We all know that the best gifts come from the heart, and we are here to help you make those gifts extra thoughtful this year!
My favorite Mother’s Day gift to date is one that keeps on giving — a hammock stand that my husband built for me that is now adorned with yellow jasmine and houses another favorite gift, the heavenly Corinthian bells wind chime we bought for ourselves in New Bern as an anniversary gift. The hammock itself alternates between a rope Outer Banks hammock purchased a decade ago while wandering through the North Carolina Seafood Festival in Morehead City and a colorful, handmade hammock he brought back from the Philippines. So let’s just say, that little patch of earth is pretty special! Finding the perfect gift doesn’t have to be a physical item, often the experience or space itself is a welcome sight for moms.
If you need some fresh ideas, we have a few:
- Spa Day in a new way — Gifting mom a pedicure or massage may be old news, so try finding a new method of relaxation. This past summer I visited a foot spa in Asheville (Wake Foot Sanctuary) on a girls trip and it was amazing. I had no idea what to expect as the description made it seem like we would be soaking our feet in our choice of dreamy tea-like concoctions, which wasn’t altogether wrong, but the combination of a foot soak with a shoulder massage accompanied by hot tea and honey, I can’t wait to do it again! If mom prefers a more active method of relaxation, find morning yoga class to sign her up for — maybe even goat yoga!
- Ceramic Painting — There are kid-friendly ceramic painting places that let you pick between anything and everything to paint which can be a really fun family-inclusive Mother’s Day activity, but if mom would like some alone time, try finding a class where she can unwind. Here at the coast we have a wonderful ceramicist (Joy Arabella Studio) who hosts classes at local coffee shops, breweries, and even plant nurseries to decorate her pieces and make them your own. Classes are at a leisurely pace and run for two hours. After about a week you get to see your final product!
- Make it classy — If mom enjoys the thrill of trying something new, find a class she might enjoy! It could be a specialized cooking class or a gardening class, anything at all. Keep in mind there are plenty of online class options too, especially for art classes. You can always keep it open ended — a few Christmases ago my best friend gifted me a MasterClass subscription so I could explore and choose my own classes.
- Bookshop hall pass — Is mom an avid reader? Give her a hall pass at the local bookshop to fill her basket freely. Sometimes there’s nothing more challenging than narrowing it down to just a book or two, and with beach season on the horizon we could all use some good summer reads! If you know some of the books on her wishlist, a book bouquet is a fun gift too!
- A custom project — Like our hammock stand, find something to create that she would enjoy. Moms always have great ideas on how to improve their surroundings, but we can’t always find the time to make it happen. Take one of her own ideas and run with it — new garden bed, custom closet shelves, flower boxes. Put your handiwork to good use with something she’s been mentioning lately.
- DIY Jewelry — No, not the kind that might make its way out of an elementary school classroom. Your kids may already have that covered! Find a jewelry bar where mom can go and make her own special piece, or go and make one for her if you think she’d enjoy the surprise. This was my Mother’s Day ask this year, and I got to make the *cutest* charm necklace from Just A Girl Jewelry Co. I already want to go make another!
- Visit a chocolatier — Chocolate lover? Ditch the premade boxes and take her to a local shop to pick her own goodies. On more than one occasion I’ve ordered my mom’s gift from the Chocolatier Barrucand in Downtown Concord, NC and asked them to put a box together. They never disappoint!
- Update family photos — Sometimes the best gifts are just planning things and making them happen. I’ve never met a mom that dislikes family photos, but I have met many that hesitate to make them happen because family members may not share her same adoration. So find a photographer and book a session, and let her plan the rest.
- Family picnic — Only if she is the outdoorsy type, the disclaimer should say! Otherwise she may not appreciate the effort. But if mom loves being outside and the weather allows, plan a hike and a picnic for some major thoughtfulness points.
- Sunset Cruise — I am obviously pulling ideas from my coastal-dwelling heart here, but a sunset cruise on the sound, ocean, or lake would be a great end to Mother’s Day. Take a small charter (like the Lady Swan in Swansboro, NC) or find a restaurant that offers sunset cruises, there are more options to get on the water than you think! For a sporty mom, rent kayaks or paddle boats for a sunrise or sunset excursion.
However you choose to celebrate Mother’s Day, letting mom know you know HER is key. Skip the generic gifts and give something that speaks to who she is, and you’re golden.
Wishing all the families out there a happy month of May!