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Not Mother’s Day, thankfully
In the UK, anyway.
I’d seen so many post’s about Mother;s Day, I began to get quite paranoid that I’d somehow skimmed right the way around the calendar in a matter of a few weeks and had skidded straight past it. So I looked up the date in Wikipedia. If I was an American son and husband, I’d be in trouble. Thankfully, I’m English. Well, thankfully on this minor occasion.
Wikipedia pays heartwarming tribute to the tradition:
Nine years after the first official Mother’s Day, commercialization of the U.S. holiday became so rampant that Anna Jarvis herself became a major opponent of what the holiday had become. Mother’s Day continues to this day to be one of the most commercially successful U.S. occasions. According to the National Restaurant Association, Mother’s Day is now the most popular day of the year to dine out at a restaurant in the United States.
For example, according to IBISWorld, a publisher of business research, Americans will spend approximately $2.6 billion on flowers, $1.53 billion on pampering gifts — like spa treatments — and another $68 million on greeting cards [3].
Mother’s Day will generate about 7.8% of the US jewelry industry’s annual revenue in 2008. Americans are expected to spend close to $3.51 billion in 2008 on dining out for Mother’s Day, with brunch and dinner being the most popular dining out options [4].
Mothers, eh? The grease and oil of the capital-military-industrial complex, evidently.
Filed under: family, history, personal | Tagged: economics, mother's day, mothering sunday, mothers
Yes, the same thing happened to me last year. After reading a few american blogs I got very worried that I was going to be in trouble.
Glad it’s not just me! To all those who might think that I’m a heartless Grinch on the issue, can I just say that supermum is still very pleased with her mother’s day present from March? And I’m vastly amused by the selection of bizarre links WordPress has generated as “possibly related”. Not often you’ll see the words “Love” and “John McCain” in such close juxtaposition on this blog…
We are always getting confused with wishing my mother-in-law Happy Mother’s Day. If she is in Venezuela, it’s the same as the U.S. day. If she is in Spain it is either a week earlier or later, I can’t recall. Unfortunately she is not one of those laid-back types who doesn’t mind if you miss the actual date if the wishes are sincere.
Throw in the South African Mother’s Day, which is on … some other day, and we get confused too. We did dine out (pizza) but my presents were all homemade and so adorable.
I have issues keeping track of one mother’s day. But to the mother who’s reading my blog - happy mother’s day! Sorry - no-one reminds me that it’s all kicking off in the US!
English Mother’s Day is on the first Sunday of March, whatever date that may be. Have been attending Mothering Sunday services for 4 years so I can’t forget that. My children go to the local church from school and afterwards I receive (economical!) presents from them that they made in school.
Well, we did go out for a sushi lunch, but otherwise we don’t do that kind of stuff. I like calling all the mothers in my family instead of sending cards or flowers. Seems more real and personal to me.
The home-made cards have always been the best part of mother’s day for me…
Apparently, mothers are the glue that holds it all together.
But fine examples of fathers will have their day too–next month.
I think fathers’ day may have come and gone. No-one ever remembers it round our house, anyway, least of all me.