Mother’s Day is a special day dedicated to honouring mothers around the world. This day is especially meaningful to express our love and appreciation of our mothers’ hardship and guidance in bringing us up.
All mothers wish for their children to be filial and be morally upright and a reunion of the family on this day will definitely bring joy to all mothers. Children also wish for their mothers to feel happy and appreciated on this special day. Thus, with these points in mind, we have put thoughts to your questions below:
What are the ways to celebrate Mother’s Day?
· Throw a thoughtfully-planned house party for mum
· Give mum a treat at her favourite restaurant
· Take mum on a vacation with the family
· Rent a chalet for a small get-together of the family
Are there certain must-dos? Be it due to tradition or just for the fun of it?
Must-dos/haves:
· Carnations - we prefer to use white and pink carnations particularly in our party decorations, as these colours have great significance to a mother’s love
· Gifts which hold significant meanings, such as a hand-made sketchbook of memorable family moments
· Ang-baos - in Chinese tradition, a token of our appreciation is shown through giving an ang-bao as a small gift. Furthemore, receiving an ang-bao is considered very auspicious for the recipient.
Fun of it:
· Popping a bottle of champagne for the modern mum
· Nostalgic games to relive the past, such as ‘The Eagle Catches the Chicks”
· Mimicking the dance routines of popular celebrities during the get-together as a form of entertainment
Ways to give surprises for mothers
· Announcing a piece of good news during the get-together, eg. Wedding news, news of pregnancy, Promotion, Engagement, Graduation andetc
· Hold a unique and memorable party for mum
· In our party-planning, we like to bring out the ambience of the celebration by decorating the venue with posters of significance. For Mother’s Day, we suggest to decorate with a range of photos of mum in her most memorable moments – such as her wedding day and the birth of her children, Children’s graduation etc
· Having a giant billboard of mother’s portrait with personalised messages signed off by all family members will also bring a lovely touch to the decorations
· Putting together a video montage with children and grandchildren putting their well wishes for their mum in the video
· Children who are busy professionals and overseas can give their mum a pleasant surprise by returning home during Mother’s Day or even by surprising mum in a web conference
· Think of special gifts for mum, which they will appreciate most. An idea that can be hand-made is by making ‘thank-you redemption vouchers’ for mum, with each voucher indicating a special note which mums can ‘redeem’. For example, we can have ‘A Day Off all Housework’, ‘Watch Movies with Me’, etc vouchers for mums to take time off and enjoy herself.
Are there different ways to celebrate for different cultures, etc?
With reference to Singapore, there seems to be the same kind of celebration requests among the different races and religions. Emphasis is placed on get-togethers of families and having a good time.
Any things to take note of when planning such surprises?
· Avoid inauspicious words or gifts
· Avoid insensitivity with words and actions, by not bringing up unpleasant past incidents
· Avoid overly exciting or exerting activities, such as rollercoaster ride at theme parks (due to potential health risks)
Personal experiences for such Mother’s Day celebration planning? The most memorable or most successful one?
BuddyJane’s most memorable party event on Mother’s Day was for a Double-Happiness celebration on Mother’s Day itself for a mother and her family last year. The mother’s daughter had just given birth to a baby boy and Mother’s Day happened to be the baby’s 1st month celebration. We were engaged to decorate the venue with memorable posters, video montage and also a giant greeting card for both grandmother and baby. There was a large turnout of 60 family members as it involved everyone in the 3-generation families. Everyone was touched and in tears while watching the montage which was very close to their heart.
Is it possible to tailor-make surprises? For example, housewife mums, working mums or classy mums, etc?
Sure, we can always tailor surprises for all mothers. Adding to point 3 above, we can customise gifts, ambience and decor, games and montages to fit into the preferences of any mother in mind.
Our take on celebrations for these 5 types of mums:
1. Perfectionist mother : Typically, an over-controlling, fearful and anxious woman for whom appearance is everything.
She will appreciate an elegant and classy approach and planning something thoughtful but not too different from her routine life will put her at ease. Flowers are a must, but we think we will give her a bouquet of her favourite flowers instead of carnations (as you may want to give her a break off her usual mother role). Take her out for a meal at her favourite restaurant, make an order of her favourite items off the menu beforehand, and engage a violinist or mini-band to play her favourite songs if possible. For gifts, we suggest getting her something elegant, you can make a hand-made card or if you have sewing flair, you can sew her something in a classy design. If your mum can take a laugh, you can sew a classy grocery bag for her. If you have the budget and want to buy her something, you can choose an item from the classy brands (like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior).
2. Unpredictable mother : Anxious, angry, excessively emotional, she is overwhelmed by feelings so her parenting style is based purely on mood.
Relieving her of her duties at home and towards the children and not letting her do anything at all is the key. She needs to have her fun this Mother’s Day! You can hold a house party and decorate the entire venue with a theme of her favourite things, if she is into the Korean craze, you can have an All-Korean party; if she likes to sing, you can bring her out to the KTV or even rent a karaoke system at home so she can sing all her favourite songs to her content. For gifts, we think that this mother will appreciate a personal video message from each family member describing their favourite moments with mum – you can include family vacations, celebrations, and your favourite dishes by mum. If you have the budget, you can also sponsor her on a holiday break, which may be the best thing she needs to soothe her moods.
3. The best friend mother : Enjoys treating her children as equals.
Engage her in a day of ‘Her Son/Daughter’s Life’, which includes her in all activities that her children are involved in everyday. She will love to be involved in all her children’s lives and she will enjoy knowing her children’s friends and favourite activities. Special and alternative surprises can be an invitation to your favourite band’s concert, or doing something completely different from the usual days eg. Having a party in the Zoo, Bird Park or the Botanic Gardens with the entire family. Additionally, you can have innovative ideas like making a set of ‘Redemption vouchers’ for your mum to redeem her ‘days off’ throughout the year.
4. The me-first mother : Unable to view their children as separate individuals and tend to be self-absorbed and insecure.
Anything that you are planning for her needs to make her feel included, and you must pay extra sensitivity to her feelings. A complete day of relaxation will be the perfect way for her to unwind and thoroughly enjoy the day. Make it a special ‘her’ day – arrange beforehand a luxury spa appointment for her, together with a facial and a manicure & pedicure package to go with it. If you have the budget, you can make it really special for your mum by renting a limousine to pick her up and let the day start with the ultimate pampering.
5. The complete mother - Emotionally balanced, she can see her children as individuals and help them achieve their own independence. She isn’t necessarily perfect herself but whatever her emotional circumstances, she is committed to motherhood - regardless of other responsibilities outside the home.
Any time spent with the family will bring her enormous joy. You can arrange a gathering of the entire family through going to the movies, organising a party, rent a chalet and have a barbeque party, making a home-cooked meal, have a fun day out with the family and even go on a short day trip to Malaysia for the whole family. The perfect gift will be something hand-made, such as a hand-made sketchbook of the family’s significant moments or bake a cake, cupcakes or cookies for her.
