Church mother day gift

Mother's Day this year will be more monumental than you might think. Due to Easter being virtually at the end of winter, March 27, Mother's Day will be the only holiday in the time period most people consider spring, although spring actually starts on March 21.

The first Mother's Day observance was a church service in 1908 requested by Anna Jarvis, of Philadelphia, Pa., to honor her deceased mother. Jarvis, at an early age, had heard her mother express hope that a day to commemorate all mothers would be established. Her mother had also expressed the sentiment that there were many days dedicated to men but none for mothers. Two years after her mother's death, Jarvis and friends began a letter-writing campaign to declare a national Mother's Day observance to honor mothers. In 1914, Congress passed legislation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.

To make the most money out of this occasion, retailers will have to rally strong around the event. That means creating eye-catching merchandise displays in early April and keeping them full and fresh right through and including May 8.

Retailers will have to feature merchandise in wide ranges of products and prices. Mother's Day is not just a "mother" gift-giving occasion. The holiday has extended to include grandmothers, great-grandmothers, step-mothers, godmothers, aunts, and other relatives, plus "like a mother" people, such as close neighbors and family friends. Don't forget gifts for teachers, and mothers-to-be. Both are frequently overlooked markets that can be rich in gift receiving. The market will also include 4 million new mothers, with an average age of 25. Of that number, 16 million will be first-time moms. According to a National Retail Federation survey, 66.6 percent of consumers purchase a Mother's Day gift for their mother or stepmother, while another 7.1 percent plan to purchase for their grandmother, 6.4 percent will buy a gift for their daughter, and 5.6 percent will give a gift to a friend. In addition, 42.6 percent of men plan to purchase a Mother's Day gift for their wife.

Considering that there are close to 83 million mothers in this country, when you add the numbers of other people who could fall into the Mother's Day gift-receiving bracket, the market can easily involve 2.5 billion people! That's a lot of gifts!

While Mother's Day as most people know it is a traditionally American holiday, the "global economy" has expanded the event's popularity around the world, and has brought international aspects to Mother's Day here. Because of Hispanic influence in some communities, churches hold special services on Mother's Day and Christian-themed merchandise are popular gift purchases. Products featuring designs reflecting the Virgin Mary are in particularly strong demand.

Overall, Mother's Day is an important occasion in Hispanic cultures. In Mexico, Mother's Day is always celebrated on May 10. When the holiday falls on a weekday, mothers take the day off from work and children stay home from school. Other Latin American countries celebrate Mother's Day in May, and Argentina celebrates it in October. In Spain and Portugal, Mother's Day is celebrated on December 8, which is also the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Mothers are honored along with the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus.

In Great Britain, Mother's Day is sometimes confused with Mothering Sunday, an English holiday that falls on the fourth Sunday in Lent. But Mother's Day is now observed in England as well, and the traditions associated with Mothering Sunday have been largely forgotten.

In Yugoslavia, Mother's Day is called Materice, and it is celebrated a week after a related holiday, Children's Day (called Dechiyi or Detinci). Children's Day is celebrated on a Sunday in early December. On that day, parents tie up their children and refuse to release them until they are good. On the following Sunday, the children tie up their mother, releasing her only when she has paid them with sweets or other goodies. Fathers aren't spared either-their day (called Ochichi or Ocevi) arrives on the third Sunday. On that day, children try to tie their father to a bed or chair. To be released, the father must promise coats, shoes or other more expensive items. These promises usually appear a short time later as Christmas gifts.

In India, there is a 10-day festival in October called Durga Puja. This festival celebrates Mother's Day and honors Durga, the Divine Mother and the most significant goddess in the Hindu faith.

There are many more countries around the world where Mother's Day is celebrated. And that's no surprise, since everyone can agree that mothers deserve our thanks and love, on Mother's Day and all year long. In terms of gift-giving occasions, Mother's Day is number two on the calendar, topped only by Christmas.

Consumers are expected to spend about $100 each on Mother's Day. This is a slight increase from about $98 spent last year, according to statistics from the National Retail Federation.

Consumers who will purchase jewelry for mom will be the biggest spenders; the average consumer buying jewelry will spend $62.40. Those who will buy clothing plan to spend $31.89 on that purchase and consumers who will take mom out for lunch plan to spend $40.54.

Flowers, cards, and food remain the most popular Mother's Day gifts this year. More than half of consumers (59.6 percent) purchase a Mother's Day card while a third of consumers buy flowers (35.5 percent) and take mom to a restaurant (33.1 percent.)

Specialty stores like florists, jewelers, and greeting card stores should see a boost in sales, with 32.7 percent of consumers planning to purchase Mother's Day gifts from the specialty sector. Additionally, 31.0 percent of consumers plan to shop at a discount store and 26.8 percent will spend at a department store. Also, 14.6 percent plan to shop for their Mother's Day gift online.

Mother's Day is the third most-popular holiday for sending greeting cards, behind Christmas and Valentine's Day, according to the Greeting Card Association. According to the NRF survey, 59.6 percent of consumers will purchase at least one greeting card for Mother's Day.

Here are other interesting, important findings from the National Retail Federation. They reflect last year's spending.