13 Things You Didn’t Know About Mother’s Day
Updated: Oct. 03, 2018Show Mom some love (and share a few facts) this Mother’s Day with 13 things you may not know about the holiday.
1. M is for Mother
Across languages, most words for “mother” start with the letter M.
Read up on these beautiful Mother’s Day quotes!
2. You’ve Got to Give Her Praise
Moms deserve the praise: 84 per cent of Canadians think that being a mother is one of the hardest jobs there is, and 64 per cent of Canadians consider Mom to be one of their heroes.
Here are five ways parental pressure can do more harm than good.
3. Canadian Mother’s Day Isn’t Canadian
It was actually started in the United States in 1908 by Anna Marie Jarvis, who wanted to commemorate her own mom’s Mother’s Day Work Clubs, which raised money for women with tuberculosis. Jarvis set up the holiday as, of all things, a sober day of reflection. (That brunch business only caught on later.)
4. How Much We Spend
The average Canadian spends $84 on Mother’s Day, making it the most shopped-for event after Christmas. Sons tend to spend more ($105) than daughters ($62); residents of Ontario tend to budget the most ($94), residents of Atlantic Canada the least ($70).
Keep these simple tips in mind when you’re shopping online.
5. There Are Some Clever Sayings About Motherhood
There are a million sayings about motherhood, but only a few by Joan Rivers: “Always give them the freedom to make mistakes, and then never miss an opportunity to say, ‘I told you so,'” and “Sometimes you’re their best friend, sometimes you’re their enemy, but you’ll always be their bank.”
Here are the funniest quotes ever uttered by history’s most famous people.
6. Not Everyone Shows Their Love
Between 15 and 18 per cent of Canadians don’t give their moms anything on the big day. (Between 15 and 18 per cent of mothers are considering not giving their children anything ever again.)
7. If You Don’t Have An Idea, Someone Else Does
Stuck for ideas? The British online service Gift Owl has you covered. You buy the gift card, Gift Owl sends Mom a favourite-things survey to fill out, and a professional shopper puts together an adorable care package.
8. We Buy a Lot of Cards
Mother’s Day is known as a Hallmark holiday for a reason: each year, 16 million greeting cards are purchased-almost two for each of Canada’s 9.2 million moms.
9. You Can Be Trendy
Scrabble greeting cards are trending. Show Mom how well you use your words with any number of tile-happy missives, available through Etsy.
12. Brunch is Good, But Tea Time is Better
Brunch is good, but tea time is tops. A mid-afternoon date means Mom can sleep in, so treat her to a cuppa. Montreal’s Camellia Sinensis specializes in premium varieties from Taiwan, China, Japan and India and offers workshops, while the storied Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria sticks to a classic scones-and-sandwiches tea service.
