Gift Guide #3: Your Beautiful Mom Who Loves Both Jane Austen and Cole Escola.
A simple candleholder, from $36, with beeswax tapers, $24. (We have these around our house and I love the vibe so much.)
Styling oil to make her hair smooth and shiny, $45 (15% off with COJ15). She taught you about the entire world, now you can teach her a hair trick.
Buckeye, a novel about how a passionate encounter during WWII changed two families forever, is the book-club-iest book — meaning, there’s much to discuss. $28.
Cool bag for her books and groceries. $26.
Dolphin Studio’s 2026 calendar (the 55th annual version!), an absolutely stunning silkscreened calendar with a cult following. $92/priceless.
(Here’s a Dolphin calendar at my friend’s house.)
The perfect ensemble for her daily winter walks: a fleece jacket, cool, sweat-wicking pants, and ribbed beanie. Now you guys can match.
Paper peonies to beautify her bedside table all year long, $12/stem.
French-style caramels with Asian-American flavors, like dirty chai and bitten peach, $24. (Or a monthly subscription to delight her all winter.)
A donation in her name to the League of Women Voters, which helps protect voting rights, empower voters, and defend democracy.
A card listing all the reasons you love her, $6, plus some time together, if possible. (“I just want to feel remembered and to know that there’s a place for me in my children’s lives,” writes Laurel Pantin, who calls herself a “quality-time mom.” Aren’t we all? xoxoxo)
P.S. The 2024 gift guide for moms, the 2023 gift guide for moms and the 2022 gift guide for moms.
This post is sponsored by a few select brands we’re excited to partner with. Thank you for supporting the companies that support Cup of Jo. We recommend only products we genuinely like and use ourselves. If you buy something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. Thank you so much.)
Tags: 2025 holiday gift guide, best gifts for moms, gift guide, gifts, gifts for women
Comments
135 commentsThis year I’m planning to wrap all my Christmas presents and glue photos of landfills on the paper. I am tired of the pressure I feel to buy more stuff for every Secret Santa circle I am part of. It all gets a bit much, and this feels like my quiet way of pushing back.
Quiet ? Ha. I would rather just not have the gift. You could get something consumable (food) and not wrap it ? Why contribute to the landfill while protesting the landfill. Or just not participate in all the things. I’m not participating in my work thing, nor did I at my other job. If you participate though there are lots of things you can do that would not end in landfill. I get it though and agree with you. It just seems counterproductive.
I try and wrap things in another part of the gift – a dish towel or scarf. So there is no waste or paper and it’s fun.
i know it doesn’t support the whole sponsorship thing but it would be great to see gift guides that are solely experiences or time based ie. without material cost involved. If anyone knows anyone who’s done this for 2025 I’d love to see it.
Agree!! For all types of moms/people. I think I’m going the experience route for my mom this year because it’s been a doozy for our family and I know she just wants to sit across from me and talk.
That Dolphin studios calendar has been gracing my wall in every home I have lived in since 2004, I cannot and will not be without it. One year I did not buy it and my Daughter’s both asked if everything was ok with me. hahah. I just could not afford it that year. It’s back baby, it’s back! I guess I’m the cult.
Hit purchase on the dolphin calendar- I’ve never seen them before! Excited to receive one for me and to gift one. Thanks as always for the recommendations.. my stepmom is always asking me about cool stuff and where I found it and when I inevitably say CoJ she always goes “oh of course,” lol.
Please please please do a gift guide for hosts! Host gifts are so stressful!
Which few select brands are sponsoring this post? Thank you in advance for your anticipated transparency.
Dolphin Studio, Lululemon and RoZ hair. Thank you!
My mother is 95 years old, living with some of the challenges that often come with that age. For anyone else who may be struggling with a gift idea for someone whose world has shrunk to fit that stage of life, I wanted to pass along the suggestion for this clock. Elderly people often have trouble keeping track of time and days. My mom asked me for a wristwatch earlier this year, which I happily bought for her (with a light up dial, so she could see what time it is when she wakes up at night). For Christmas I am getting her what is often called a “dementia clock”, although she has some memory loss, she does not yet have dementia…thank God for that, knock on wood, and may it continue. And fortunately most manufacturers do not use that terminology in the packaging. Here is an example, and I hope this helps someone. https://www.alzstore.com/day-clock-with-reminders-p/0045.htm?srsltid=AfmBOoqDmpUEyGbSTeWSrXxyZzUazu3H5fmKq5hqcTaKuuDsPC9TMBqP
I love the calendar rec – somehow I haven’t seen that one? Speaking of calendars, many moons ago on COJ, probably on one of these gift guides, a calendar from Maria Shoettler was recommended, which I bought faithfully every year. Many years (and moves) later, I was chatting with someone I didn’t know at a party up the street and connected the dots – SHE was the artist who made my annual calendar, had no idea that we lived in the same little town. (Lots of lovely items on her website, if you’re not in the market for a calendar.)
Has anyone read Buckeye? I am an indie bookseller and read 150 books a year, I dnf’d this one and no one I know has made it through the whole thing. It is Amazon book of the year, and yet it is barely selling in our shop. I would love to hear beck from someone who finished it. I got through 40%!
I DNF’d this book too. I just could not get into it and kept wondering what I was missing since it’s so highly recommended. *shrugs*
Same! My book group is reading it and we FINISH our books. Definitely poor form in our group to bail on a book but I cannot finish this one. Does it pick up? I’m about a third of the way through.
I’m half way through. It’s just ok so far. It’s due Wednesday, so don’t know if I’ll be able to finish it to see if it gets better. I mean it’s an ok story but I have so many books in the wings. I might scrap all my current library books which I hate to do now that they finally came in. But with this ridiculous job I now have, I am not keeping up. This is sad and unprecedented. Anyway, I really want to get to Geek Love by Katherine Dunn which my daughter told me about and I actually bought the book, so no due date. I’ll read her recs any day. I mentioned the new Dan Choan to her and she said it sounded like a book she really liked, Geek Love. Dan Choan is one of my favorite authors and I missed the deadline to pick it up at library when it finally came in for me. Now I requested it again. Meanwhile, yeah reading Buckeye but not wowed.
I’m back to say Buckeye picked up. I’m sitting here having just finished it and sobbing and have several lines marked with my page markers. I’m glad I read it.
Late to the convo on this one but I read 49% of this as a galley and was so disappointed in it–I found the writing so flat! I know so many people who enjoyed it but it didn’t do it for me. So baffled when that happens!
It’s coming up on two years without my mom. I’m in the process of a divorce and I need her and also she’s still here because I’m honoring her by becoming the daughter she raised and raising by her grandsons to be respectable young men.
Sending you all good wishes for comfort, kindness, strength, and love as you walk your new path. I bet your mom would be so proud.
Please consider going to a holiday market in your town. You’ll find local artists that are really trying to make ends meet. Many make incredible things! You can literally google the name of your city and holiday “maker fair” or holiday “craft market”. I know so many folks who make dreamy things and could use the support.
❤️
YES! Great idea, and my small-ish city has so many markets I can hardly keep up with them all – which is to say, it’s been easy to go to 1 of the many!
My mom died in May 2024. I miss her SO much this time of year. I just finished baking the traditional Polish nut roll she would make for the holidays. Thankfully as soon as she was diagnosed with cancer several years ago she made me a Shutterfly album with photos and step-by-step recipe instructions. Happy to report that the nut rolls turned out great and are stashed away in the freezer for the holidays — the recipe makes 8 of them! It helped me so much to bake her recipes. Thinking of you all — let’s do what we need to do make our moms feel more present to us in this season.
My mom passed in January 2024. Sending you love 💕
I love that your mom made you a book with instructions! What an heirloom and beautiful way to keep her with you. My dad passed last summer, June 2024. My second Christmas without him and it’s almost harder! He loved Christmas and gift giving, especially mischievous surprises. I’m trying to channel that this year with homemade Christmas crackers. I also sit and read my favorite websites every weekend, drinking coffee out of the mug I made him when he was diagnosed. Sending love to you and all those carrying loss with the holidays ❤️
Oh, this brings tears to the eyes. Sorry for your loss, Renee!
My Mom died this past May, it’s going to be a weird Thanksgiving, she always made the potatoes, and darn they were good. We will miss her so much. I am sending you hugs this Thanksgiving.
Wow I’m so so sorry for your loss. And how SWEET of your mom to make you an album with photos. Sending love!
Hi Joanna, Thank you for the League of Women Voters shout-out in your “Gifts for Beautiful Moms” feature! I’m a member here in North Carolina (and a longtime follower of Cup of Jo + Big Salad), and as you mentioned, the League does meaningful work all across the country. I hope folks will consider donating—or at the very least take a moment to explore our work nationally and in their own communities.❤️
I’m obsessed with the Keepsake Card Album! I have cards I’ve saved for 20+ years and didn’t have a real way to store them. Some were in my desk drawer, others in a shoebox. It’s a great gift for moms (especially when filled with notes from our kids). https://posteritypaper.com/products/keepsake-card-album
I love this idea!! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for this suggestion! My mother has dementia and this is the perfect gift for her.
Oh this is fantastic! My mom has a box with hers, but this album would be perfect!
The ONLY and I repeat ONLY gift that I have ever given my mother that she has not tried to return or give to someone else is this Kindle pillow stand called a Flippy. She uses it everyday. Trust me people, I am a good gift giver she’s just impossible. The Flippy broke that streak. Hope I did the link correctly & it helps someone else! https://getflippy.com
I bought my mom tickets for me, her, and my sister to see The Sound of Music on stage in Philly, and she’s obsessed with her electric blanket but my step-dad like to steal it, so I got her a backup with heated pockets for her feet! Trying to buy less stuff and more experiences, which is fun (but gets expensive).
For anyone going the inexpensive route these year, a printed photo in a thrifted frame is going to be my catch-all gift.
I love this idea. I always see cool frames at the thrift store.
Just wanted to say that it makes me so happy that there are moms out there who would enjoy these caramels. My own mother has such a fear of “ fat foods” that I often wonder if she has an eating disorder. She even struggles to eat birthday cake on my kid’ birthdays, which is the only time I have ever seen her interact with a sweet. It warms my heart to know that not all mothers are like this.
That’s really hard for you I can imagine. I have a friend like that, whilst she will eat the cake, I know she fasted for two or three days before then.
Amy, hugs. I can relate. My mom will eat the cake, but will make many fat phobic comments about others, talk about “being good” and not eating something, or her own weight. She seems immune to my efforts to inform her about how we don’t talk about people’s bodies or do diet talk. It just falls on deaf ears. Even my adult daughters have tried and failed, and have been frequently hurt by her comments. I fear she is sliding into dementia now (81) and her filters are slipping, and it’s only going to get worse. I’m just at a loss. My only solace is knowing there seem to be so many of us with mothers like this.
Wondering what generation your mom is a part of, because my mom absolutely falls into this category. Last year on Christmas Eve she said to me, “Can you believe I haven’t even eaten a cookie yet this season?” as if I should be proud of her. I think women who were in their 20s/30s during the exercise era of the 80s and the diet culture of the 90s have deeply rooted food issues. It’s a good reminder for me to eat what I like in front of my young child, discuss food in a normal, healthy way, and never comment on other people’s bodies.
My mom is impossible to shop for (complains about having too much stuff, is very picky about food so consumables are out, has health issues that limit her mobility so experiences are out), so I’ve mostly stuck with books over the years. To make it feel a little more special for the holidays, I’ve often gotten her a couple of titles from Persephone Books. They focus on reprints of neglected titles from women writers and have so many interesting titles. The books themselves are also just lovely.
My 8yo boy declared this morning that he would be getting me a candle and an embarrassing picture of me- can’t wait :)
Awww!!! I love that 😂
Does anybody really need another cloth tote, though? I keep getting gifted them, sweet gestures, but now have like 20 stuffed in my car and I only need to use a few at a time. Ditto for both my parents. At some point their original intention, to cut down on single use plastic, gets defeated because they contribute to mass consumption and sit in a landfill. I apologize for being so cranky, I’m sometimes too hyperaware of consumption :(
I hear you on the tote bags: I reuse them–for gifts! I only buy wrapping paper for kids young enough to really be thrilled by the act of tearing the wrapping off (I have been known to repurpose newspaper or cut up brown paper bags for maximum shred-age). Everyone else gets a tote bag for their stuff. Particularly good for those totes that are not really large enough for grocery runs!
LOL! So true. I’m a professional home organizer and every client, without fail, has a tote bag full of tote bags.
Hi Joaquina! I also have lots of totes, but I do love the Books Are Magic one included here. I sometimes cut up an old tote to use as a cleaning cloth or as surface protection for a craft project, and your comment prompted me to do a little searching: this NYT article (gift link) has several ideas for putting our extra totes to use. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/03/smarter-living/what-to-do-with-all-those-tote-bags.html?unlocked_article_code=1.1E8.pcO2.XRy2S5XxHTdm&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Meg: Thank you for the link to that article! It was both fun and helpful. Personally, I only keep totes with zipper closures. All the rest I give away.
Good point – I have a LOT of totes, but they do get stained and worn out, so a nice tote that supports a local business would still be a welcome gift, for me at least. I feel the same way about tea towels – I have a bunch, but they also get worn out and a nice new one is not something I would buy myself but is always nice. Also, there is no such thing as being too hyperaware of consumption. I always appreciate seeing comments about this and knowing that others are thinking about this very real and important problem.
Not in defense of buying endless series of totes, but in pursuit of putting them to good use: I use them to organise clothes and shoes in luggage & storage, and offer them as dirty laundry bags when I have sleepover guests. I still have too much of them, but they all do get used and washed in an endless rotation.
I sew and quilt, so I love personalizing tote bags – for example, cheap ones are easy to cover up with quilted squares and applique, so I turn them into political statements to wear at protests, actions, around my neighborhood… I’ve decorated them with pride flags and Palestinian flags and gifted them to people at protests and it’s been such a wonderful way to connect to people and find little glimmers of hope. That all to say – I don’t ever buy new tote bags because I seem to accumulate them through conferences, work events, etc etc. so this is not necessary advocating that you buy a new tote bag, but rather that tote bags are great and if you are creative, you can never have too many!
100% agree, I don’t think there is a person alive who still needs more totes. I gave like 8 to Ridwell to be reused a few months ago and somehow they have all replaced themselves. If a retailer tries to give me nice bag I run screaming out of the store at this point.
I use tote bags for groceries, gifts, storage, laundry bags, to drop off items at goodwill… my local goodwill bags items in totes now instead of plastic, which I eventually return to them, so I feel like I’m making good use of my totes.
That is a nice tote that would definitely get used in my house. But I do have quite a few less lovely / practical ones. Many of them are currently keeping future Xmas gifts organized. Others hold kids spare shoes, math books, the too small skates I need to bring in to work for a colleague. But when I accumulate too many I bring them into my local coop for the take a bag / leave a bag stash, or bring them (cleaned!) to the food bank, who always need bags to package up food for people.
If you want beautiful old-school hand-made flowers from NYC: A VISIT TO THE LAST REMAINING MANUFACTURER OF FABRIC FLOWERS IN AMERICA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPz_FrdF4Ts&t=9s Fascinating. They also sell on etsy.
This is truly incredible! Thank you so much for sharing!
Yes! Also, I love Rajiv! His channel is just the best.
Also fun fact, Rajiv is Rajiv Surendra, who played Kevin Gnapoor in the original Mean Girls! His channel is full of tutorials, apartment tours, diy, etc. and he has a very whimsical, of-another-century aesthetic. Just be forewarned if you’re a certain kind of hyperfocused adhd millennial woman who gets swept in new hobbies – it will have you dying your own indigo garments, making Tamil food from scratch, collecting antique calligraphy pens, and making handmade beeswax candles. Also, as a Canadian I’m contractually obligated to tell you that he is Canadian :)
Another plus, I feel that Rajiv’s Youtube channel is good for any age. By which I mean: interesting topics and viewpoints, calm atmosphere, considerate, no swearing and simply gracious and beautiful.
love .S.’s comment!! Fellow Canadian here (and living abroad) and I realized the other day that I’m constantly feeling compelled to point out to others who is Canadian, etc – positively beaming with pride each time!! Love us!
This comment thread is such a reminder to me that there are nearly as many of us missing our moms as there are thinking about what gifts to give her. Loss is such a painful but also (sadly) universal part of life. I’ll be thinking of all the commenters (and others in the same situation who didn’t happen to chime in) this holiday season and sending lots of peaceful thoughts that there can still be beautiful moments alongside the pain. (Trying to remind myself of this first.)
Yes! I lost both parents by the time I was 39 and I like to “buy myself a gift” from both of them. (I don’t wrap it, just think about it.) This year, it’s a new pair of running shoes.
Celeste, I love this idea. I am going to tell both my kids that I want them to do this once I die, to gift themselves something that speaks to their hearts and that I would give them if I could.
I appreciate you, Sarah. While my Mum is still alive in body, dementia is robbing her of her personhood, and it’s been extremely devastating to watch. It’s definitely a slow death. This feels like a reminder to bring out the happy memories in small doses – like a physical gift. I don’t want to get hooked on nostalgia for what can no longer be, but it’s nice to have a treat now and then.
I still have the last $50 note my nan gave me! And I pretend she buys me a Christmas and birthday present every year. It’s just too hard to live in a world without my nan so it’s nicer to imagine she’s still here to help me be a good person.
My sister and I have started going in on experience gifts – theater tickets, restaurants we think she’d like, a wine tasting event, even a trip to NYC for a big milestone. She would never plan these things on her own but she loves to get out and try new things.
I am all about experience gifts! This year for my mom’s birthday I got her and my dad tickets to a show in a nearby city. My dad grumped about it but it got them out of the house and they had a nice day out in a place they rarely go.
Yes! It is a lot more expensive but these are the best gifts. I got my mom symphony tickets for her to go with me and my sisters last year. She really loved it.
Lovely item. However, I can’t be alone in thinking that lady’s hair looks even more fabulous without hair oil? Let the frizz and fluff be free, I say.
Agree agree agree!!
100%
100% !!!
same!
Absolutely. Love those messy waves!
I was thinking the same thing! Not to mention, I am probably the age of the moms this list is aimed at and the last thing I want at my age is LESS volume. No hair oil for me, thank you very much.
I thought the same thing!
Lol so agree!
The dish towel subscription is $16 per month on auto pay. I haven’t kept all of them bc I’ve given a few to my daughters. It sure is nice to put some of the well-used ones into my cleaning bin:)
I remember the first Christmas that it occurred to me to give my mom a gift. I was a little girl and it was bedtime on Christmas Eve. I was panic-gluing black velvet into a small wooden box so that my mom could have a gift to open on Christmas. (My dad wasn’t the most reliable gift-giver.) Once I started working, it was one of my greatest delights to get to buy gifts for my mom. She was the absolute best.
This is so beautiful, Rose.
This was so sweet to read, thank you for sharing Rose. I loved giving my mom gifts as a little girl too. I remember a pair of parrot earrings I got her at a yard sale and was so excited to give her 😂❤️
This is so beautiful, Rose. Crying happy tears.
I love this so much.
I’ve loved the Dishtowel per month Club I signed up for this year. The towels are excellent quality and cute designs from Gingiber website!
Love Gingiber! Her fabrics are great for quilts as well.
I’ve had the Dolphin Studio for several yeas now (a gift from my daughter) It does have a cult following and it’s kind of a thing that we (followers) never look ahead to the next months until it’s time to turn the page over. My daughter and I text every 1st of the month with our critique on the new months artwork! Such a fun tradition!
Was going back and forth on whether I needed this and I think you just pushed me over the edge lol Thank you!
I love buying a calendar from an artist every year! So many on instagram, etsy, etc.
So sweet to see the Dolphin Studios Calendar here. I gift it every year to my 75yo retired art teacher mother. It’s made by two sisters who’s dad was her high school art teacher. My mom really struggled in school and has a narrative that she’s not smart (which is total BS. she’s brilliant, creative, and driven). She would always say that he was the only teacher who ever made her feel like she was worth anything. He supported and encouraged her love of art. Because, of him she spent over 50 years doing the same for other kids. Teachers are incredible.
This was a beautiful comment to leave.
Hello! John (the art teacher) was my grandfather. Thank you so much for sharing such a heartfelt story and for supporting our family business. It truly means a lot to us. I’ll be sure to pass your message along to my family!
Your comment just made me cry it’s so beautiful! My sons have been lucky enough to have an amazing art teacher in elementary school (shout out to Ms. Mowery at Greenfield!) and it makes such a difference. Kids can be brilliant in so many different ways. Having access to teachers who support and encourage creativity is a gift!
This is so beautiful.
Love the headline! <3 your mom sounds wonderful.
My parents don’t really need more stuff, so I usually get them symphony tickets. They are lifelong classical music lovers, so it’s a pretty easy win as a present, and no matter how many times I give the same gift it doesn’t get old. :)
this is wonderful!
I love this! And you’re giving me an idea to gift my parents tickets to the Musical Instrument Museum in Scottsdale so thank you!
Joaquina, I’ve also done museum tickets for my parents! The museum options near them aren’t very broad, but when they were visiting a few years ago, I got tickets to an art exhibit near me for my dad’s birthday, and we went together. It was a big hit.
On my last birthday I asked both of my kids to write me a letter. My son wrote a letter B on a sheet of paper. We laughed and laughed. Then he wrote a real one. I’m never going to forget that.
awww love that :)
Hilarious!!
This reminds me so much of the time my husband and I got home from a movie to find a note from our teenage son which began, “Dear Mom and Dad, I have taken all your stuff and am off to Mexico….” He is now fifty-six and the note is still on my fridge.
Ok, hive mind I need help! My mother is impossible to buy gifts for and honestly hates everything we have ever picked out however, has shown appreciation for women created or items that benefits women’s collectives. (She is conservative though so we stick with things that benefit women directly economically) Does anyone have any female potters, glass artists, or similar to recommend? Modern leaning is key! Sorry to take over comments with this request but we need major assistance this year!
oooh what a fun question! I love these female ceramicists, among many others! https://helenlevi.com/collections/everything https://www.chloemaybrown.com/shop-yay https://pigeontoeceramics.com/
There are probably many local artists you could support. Local galleries and craft fairs are good places to look.
Also check out this female ceramicist! Very chic and modern sensibility, and she ships: https://www.michellewilliamsceramics.com/shop-online
Also this female potter at https://www.ameliawrededavis.com
Obsessed with Stuck in the Mud Pottery! https://www.etsy.com/shop/stuckinthemudpottery
I love this potter – she makes beautiful pottery at her off grid homestead in Vermont. Her husband makes the wooden bowls: https://www.cierifabrication.com/ The ceramic/beeswax candles are beautiful and put off a glorious light to warm your space during our long dark winters!
I really enjoy Pine Mills Pottery, based in Texas!
Have you tried looking at local art sales? I was going to suggest the beautiful pottery of Mary Law but she doesn’t not have an online presence and she is based in Berkeley. You can get on her email list to hear about upcoming sales.
Ok, one more modern potter from Pittsburgh: https://www.reikoyamamoto.com. Reiko has beautiful storage bowls, plates, and jewelry. She is also deeply creative in every realm and would be fun to feature on COJ.
Not an item, but how about a gift voucher for a microloan organisation that supports those on a low income. I loan myself and always choose to finance a woman/female led group. I’ve also gifted it a few times and it’s been well received. I’m in the UK and can recommend UK charity lendwithcare.org, but I’m sure there will be other organisations if you’re based elsewhere.
You can check out Glassybaby? It is a PNW woman-owned company that donates part of every sale to charities and they make handblown glass votive candle holders. They are colorful, have some heft to them and come in a nice box. https://www.glassybaby.com/collections/60
You’ve gotten lots of wonderful suggestions but I have to share my favorite too. https://www.instagram.com/carinakooiman/?hl=en Her work is incredible.
Another potter to check is out is m.bueno on Etsy — an Olympia, WA mom who makes gorgeous, simple, modern, minimalist designs, including my favorite morning tea mug! https://www.etsy.com/shop/mbuenopottery
One more! http://www.notaryceramics.com
THANK YOU! A giant thank you was necessary! (We do buy local often, but depending upon where you live local options aren’t as plentiful as one would expect! The other issue is for a gift we want it to be something my mother hasn’t run across! but great call out to go local when possible-full support!) I have compiled all of these into a document and shared it with my sister. We will reference it every time we need to get my mother something for the subsequent several occasions. THANK YOU! Giant virtual hugs to everyone! (but only if you like that kind of thing otherwise just a giant high five!)
Also, Josie! Thank you-this was so on point! (we actually got her that a couple of years ago and I am not sure she loved the “tone” of the group we picked however it was the most successful gift to date so I can confirm to anyone considering this it is worth the attempt!)
Miss my mom 😥
Me too, Olive! Hugs.
same olive! it’s a tough time of year. i’m looking forward to putting out my mom’s snowman collection as a way of remembering her during the holidays, maybe there’s something you can do that might give you the same feeling to sit beside the grief feelings 🤍
Same here Olive, solidarity and love 🤍
Same. First holidays without her. Thinking of everyone missing their mom.
Chiming in to say, me too, Olive and others. You are not alone. My mom loved the whimsy and spectacle of the holiday season. I’m holding my enjoyment of it plus my longing for her to be alive. Definition of bittersweet, I think. 🤍
Another reader who lost my mom this year. Dreading the first holiday season without her, much as I also love the rest of my family. Sending caring thoughts to everyone here feeling similarly ♥️
Me too, Olive. My dad remarried last Christmas and she is wonderful. These gift ideas are great for her. But man I miss mom. It’s been 6 years. It feels like a lifetime but also like yesterday.
Me too, Olive and others. First holiday season without her. Almost all of our family favorite recipes this time of year are from her. It makes me happy and so so sad at the same time to look at the recipe books and make all the things again.
With you all <3
Same here. Thinking of everyone in the same position,
Thanks to everyone for these supportive comments. I have a friend who lost both her mother and her husband since last Christmas. I am sending this along to her.
Same, same, Olive ❤️ I miss my mom like crazy every single day. One of the last gifts I gave her for Christmas (we didn’t know it would be her last) was a sweater I found from the gift guide here in 2022. And now I get to wear that sweater, and a couple other favorite sweatshirts of hers, which is an absolute treasure. I always wear them we I need a big mom hug. Sending you lots of comfort and compassion during a challenging time of year. You’re not alone xo
Same, Olive. My mom is still living but has dementia. She’s still present in many ways and she’s getting lost in the tangles of her mind more and more. We will cherish this Christmas with her.