Though social distancing might make this year's Mother's Day (Sunday, May 10) a little bit strange for many families, there's at least one good way to bring some familiarity to the day outside of virtual celebrations. A thoughtful, personalized gift delivered to the door of the mom or moms in your life can say a lot when you can't be there in person.
Given the distinct challenges of the times, we've selected an assortment of thoughtful and practical gifts across a wide set of categories, with special consideration for affordability and availability. Take a look.
This could be one of the most perfect Mother's Day gifts: With classic iPhone design crossed with modern Apple brains, it's the ideal mom phone. Starting at $399, the brand-new iPhone SE delivers killer battery life, a great rear camera and cutting-edge speed -- all at an incredibly affordable price (for an Apple phone, at least). That noted, if you're looking for an even less expensive phone -- or prefer Android -- check out the Moto G Power, the Google Pixel 3A or another one of CNET's top budget picks. Read our Apple iPhone SE (2020) review.
Most of us have been washing our hands more -- and more vigorously -- than ever before, so this could be one of the most thoughtful and topical Mother's Day gifts that she'll love. After a few weeks of this, my hands had become red and raw. This is the hand cream that helped nurse my paws back to health. It's organic, imported from Paris and -- at under $15 -- still quite affordable. Highly recommended.
While good news is in such short supply, one of the more thoughtful Mother's Day gifts would be to give your mom a monthly dose of it -- in a real-life print newspaper. For $7 a month (or $77 for a whole year), a Good Good Good membership includes a home-delivered paper (plus another copy donated to a hospital or school), a weekly email with tips on making a positive difference and discounts from "brands doing good."
There are certainly cheaper smart light options, but the Glow -- a highly portable, rechargeable battery-operated bedtime lamp -- is undeniably beautiful, easy to setup and pleasing to use. My family has two of them, and they've become an instrumental part of the bedtime routine for all four of us (the adults steal from the kids after they fall asleep).
Thanks to the built-in gyroscope you can flip it over to turn it on and off, twist it to dim it up or down or shake it to trigger a low nightlight setting. The lamp produces a very pleasant ambient glow -- hence the name -- which dims gradually over 15 to 60 minutes. You can control the span (in 15-minute intervals) using Casper's streamlined iOS and Android-compatible app. And you can also set the light to come on in the morning -- a reverse nightlight, of sorts -- for a waking scenario that we love. This is one of those Mother's Day gifts that will get daily use. Read our Casper Glow preview.
We're all spending more time than ever looking at screens, and it can take a toll. After clocking too much time on Zoom meetings, my wife began suffering from fatigue, headaches and eye pain every night. Since she started wearing Gunnar Optiks' blue-light-blocking glasses, she's been feeling none of that. The company offers a variety of models designed for computer work, gaming and reading -- with a prescription or not -- that start at $40.
Bamboozle makes a range of eco-friendly kitchenware made out of bamboo fiber. My family has been using this $40 composter for a few months and it's much more appealing than the plastic bowl we were using before. It comes with a couple of replacement carbon filters and is dishwasher-safe.
I have a small, simple one-zone home, where the thermostat controls only the furnace. This winter, I bought several different top-rated smart thermostats and, with the assistance of my neighborhood electrician, installed and tested them one at a time. The Nest was the one I kept. It's a snap to set up and it totally delivers on the few features I wanted: scheduled temperature adjustment, appealing aesthetics, an intuitive interface and absolute control via iPhone. Read our Nest Learning Thermostat Third Generation review.
Now that mom is staying inside, she may be more available than ever to stream that quality 'tent. Roku makes several excellent video streamers that turn any HDMI-equipped TV into a gateway to online entertainment bliss: Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, YouTube, Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, HBO Now and literally hundreds of other streaming channels.
The $50 Roku Streaming Stick Plus -- an Editors' Choice -- delivers 4K and HDR video in a compact package for an affordable price. You get a dead simple user interface, tons of 4K HDR apps, great search functionality, lightning-fast speed and good video quality. Read our Roku Streaming Stick Plus review.
Now that nearly every meal is home-cooked, an Instant Pot can open up all kinds of new possibilities. This beloved pressure cooker has cultivated an obsessive, cult-like fanbase of chefs who proclaim their undying love and have all but abandoned their slow cookers. It's like a pressure cooker on steroids that can whip up a delicious meal incredibly fast. And this model, the 6-quart Instant Pot Lux 6-in-1 V3, is versatile: It can cook slow or fast, at a low or high temperature, and steam and saute. Read our Instant Pot Lux 6-in-1 V3 review.
Moms wearing Bluetooth earbuds look cool, without exception. The ultracompact, lightweight AirPods Pro feature a noise-isolating design that fits most ears securely and delivers top-notch performance for making calls. (These will work for non-iPhone moms, too. But moms toting Androids should look at the Jabra Elite 75t instead.) Read our Apple AirPods Pro review.
This iPad helps mom do it all: surf the web, stream music, watch movies, even FaceTime the kids (or grandchildren). It's not the "value" option -- that would be the Amazon Fire -- but it's certainly the gold standard. Try to find it on sale, though -- $250 for the 32GB or $330 for 128GB are the prices to look for. Read our Apple iPad 10.2-inch 2019 review.
The Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health is offering a series of virtual programs to celebrate Mother's Day through relationship building, resilience strengthening and self-empowerment. Gift cards -- which are only available by phone at 866-200-5203 -- will grant access to virtual sessions ranging from vinyasa flow yoga classes to Ayurvedic consultations to tarot readings.
Moms deserve wine. This subscription to the Wine of the Month Club includes two bottles delivered right to her doorstep every month. Every shipment includes the club's 24-page newsletter. You can choose from among 10 different subscriptions, starting at $133, that feature varietals from different regions of France and California. Read more on how to get alcohol delivered to your door.
And the classic Mother's Day gift: Flowers
Some folks think Mother's Day flowers are corny, trite or boring. And if that's the case for you or your mom -- nothing to see here. But if this tradition is welcome in your house, this is a good year to bring some fresh scents into the home. And throwing some business to the local florist can't hurt, either.
More gift ideas
Mother's Day Gift Guide 2020
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