Christmas Gifts For Your Mom

The most important gift for any occasion is to show your mom or grandmother how much you care.

Start planning early, especially if you want to give a homemade gift. And don't forget the holiday, so your gift arrives late. That's a real no-no.

Chocolate Christmas Cookies

Here are 10 gift ideas, and some of these cost nothing at all except your time and love.

Create something. Create a special poem, song, painting, drawing, collage, beaded jewelry, or knitted scarf.

Craft stores are treasure troves of possibilities. For example, decorate an ornament or fill a small sleigh with dried or silk flowers.

Make it with love, because there is no greater force for good in the universe.

Express your love in a letter. If you cannot do any of these things, write a heartfelt letter. It does not have to be long. Think of a special time you shared with your mother and write about that. Perhaps it was baking cookies together, learning how to ride a bike, or the time she came to the school play and sat in the front row to see you. Be specific and authentic. You don't have to be a great writer. Just tell her it meant a lot to you.

Do something for Mom. Volunteer to do something that you know tires your mom. Offer to babysit younger children so she can have a day off. Clean the attic or garage. Do your assigned chores without asking. If you are on your own, cook a meal for mother or the family and deliver during the busy holiday season so she can relax. Clean up afterward, too.

Do something with Mom. It can be as simple as strolling through a mall to see holiday decorations and stopping for hot chocolate or lunch together.

A visit to a museum or a musical performance is another option. Many churches and schools have free or inexpensive Christmas music. Go together and make it Mom's special day.

Go ice skating or sledding or visit a park. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

Transform a treasured photo. Does your mother have a special photo she treasures? Perhaps it is a picture of her own father or grandmother. Maybe it is a picture of her with her best friend when she was a child.

Or perhaps you have a photo of the two of you together that you love.

Have it blown up and frame it. If you own a photo printer and good photo editing program, you may be able to do this yourself.

If you have a a little skill, you also may be able to remove imperfections, crop the photo to make it more interesting, enhance the colors, or add a fancy tint.

Frames are not expensive. Try a discount store, drug store, or even a resale shop.

Fill a mug with a treat. Upscale discount stores, department and drug stores often have a wide selection of mugs at this time of year.

Many have a holiday theme. Fill the mug with whatever your Mom loves, such as chocolate, tea, or coffee. Buy the very best you can afford. It's better to give a little bit of a luxury item than a lot of something that is low-quality. After all, your Mom deserves the best.

Help her get organized. The datebook selection is wide at this time of year. Another item that can help Mom get organized may be a calendar that can be wiped off, found in office supply stores. This can be posted in the kitchen or used at work.

A label-maker is a more expensive choice but can make organizing fun.

This is another opportunity to be of service and do something for Mom. Offer to clean the refrigerator or pantry or to straighten the kitchen drawers.

Pamper her with aromatherapy. If mother enjoys aromatherapy, find a soothing and pleasant natural oil to add to her collection. These are usually sold at natural foods stores. Lemon balm, eucalyptus, and lavender are soothing and relatively inexpensive oils.

You also might get her started on aromatherapy by purchasing a small burner or even an electrical burner, which is safer.

Indulge Mom with a small luxury. If you see something small that is beautiful and can afford it, it may be just the right gift for your mother.

Items that come to mind are a hand-made chocolate Santa, an elegant Christmas ornament, a snow globe, a small glass figurine, or a Swarovski crystal to hang in a window that will make rainbows dance on the walls all year long.

You are going for the "ahhh" factor here. Your intuition will tell you if Mom will love it, and your wallet will tell you if you can afford it.

Find a fabulous laptop or netbook skin. Older women, believe it or not, love making their electronics look special. These plastic covers are useful, too, because they protect the cover.
Prices range from .50 to .

In summary, the most precious gifts you can give your Mom are your love and appreciation. The things you buy to express this are relatively unimportant by comparison. With a little imagination and enough time to plan, you are sure to find the perfect Christmas gift for mother.

Christmas Gifts For Your Mom

Enid Sefcovic, Ph.D.
Editor, Fashion After 50
http://www.fashionafter50.com

Founder of FashionAfter50.com - a site for fashion and expressing your inner self for the over-50 woman. Discover your inner fashion goddess by taking the free fashion archetype quiz. Find out how to fit pants, stretch your wardrobe dollars, look your best at any age, and much more.