Ideas for a socially distanced Mother’s Day celebration

Mother’s Day during a pandemic is a new concept that the world will quickly be adapting to this year.

For those who will be social distancing from their mothers due to the pandemic or just because of circumstance, here are some ideas to show them your appreciation from afar:

Virtual spa day

Pack up all of the spa-day essentials and send it to mom. Candles, essential oils, bath salts and throw in a bath bomb. Once it arrives, set up a virtual spa date with her and chat while using some of her favorite face masks and exfoliators.

Personalized video message

Create a video of compiled Mother’s Day messages and send it via email, WeTransfer or just through a simple text. Here are a few video editing apps that are easy to use, and that allow the user to do it all on a phone:

Virtual movie date

There’s a new extension for Google Chrome called NetflixParty. You can download the extension on your browser and it enables you to chat and have synchronized playbacks so whatever you see, your mom sees. Pick a movie she’s been wanting to watch or dig into the archives for a classic from your childhood — she’ll just love spending time with you.

Gardening with mom

Send your mom some gardening tools and have a virtual gardening date. Not only are many people starting to garden so they can grow their own food, it’s a great stress reliever. Break out your seeds and gardening gloves and show off your green thumb to mom.

Virtual fitness classes

Working out at home has become a popular pass time during quarantine. Help yourself and your mom get fit and stay healthy by attending a virtual fitness class. YouTube is home to thousands of yoga and pilates videos that are easy to follow. Share a link with mom and have a workout session together.

Virtual brunch date

You and mom can order food and mimosas from the same restaurant and video chat while eating a delicious breakfast/lunch. There are many food delivery apps to choose from. There are also hundreds of Mother’s Day brunch events available online and many of them are free.

Order matching meal kits and cook together

Order yourself and your mom a matching meal kit and cook them together. Set a time for a Zoom conference call or just FaceTime and have a Mother’s Day cooking date.

Learn together

Learn some new techniques with mom by attending a virtual cooking class or sign up for online classes and refresh your brain with lessons in finance or science. You can also learn a language together: Many apps offer language instruction either at no charge or for a nominal fee.

Virtual brunch date

You and mom can order food and mimosas from the same restaurant and video chat while eating a delicious breakfast/lunch. There are many food delivery apps to choose from. There are also hundreds of Mother’s Day brunch events available online and many of them are free.

Order matching meal kits and cook together

Order yourself and your mom a matching meal kit and cook them together. Set a time for a Zoom conference call or just FaceTime and have a Mother’s Day cooking date.

Learn together

Learn some new techniques with mom by attending a virtual cooking class or sign up for online classes and refresh your brain with lessons in finance or science. You can also learn a language together: Many apps offer language instruction either at no charge or for a nominal fee.

Virtual wine and cheese tasting

Attend a virtual wine tasting and learn about the different types of wine, all from the comforts of your home. You can also have a variety of cheeses delivered to you and your mom and attend a virtual cheese tasting.

Speaking of wine and cheese, set up a video conference call with all the moms in your life and have a virtual happy hour or cocktail party. Get dressed up, turn up the music and drink responsibly while celebrating all moms.

If you know of a hobby that mom enjoys in her free time, what better time to support that hobby than during quarantine?

Send her a subscription to Audible if she likes to listen to books. For the voracious reader, Amazon is offering two free months of Kindle Unlimited.

If mom is a craftswoman, SkillShare offers free knitting classes for the newbie and the seasoned knitter. SkillShare also offers baking classes that you can attend together. Learn to make beautiful macarons or a solid sourdough loaf.

Mother’s Day car parade

More and more, “car parades” have become a way for those who are unable to celebrate a birthday or go to a graduation ceremony to mark the occasion and show love and support. You can do the same for mom. Make signs and posters and ask mom to look outside at a designated time and go all out.

Customized message from a celebrity

You can have a celebrity send your mom a custom message. Cameo offers a plethora of actors, comedians and even drag queens that can send your mom a memorable virtual Mother’s Day gift.

Virtual museum tour

You and your mom can go on a virtual museum tour at institutions all across the globe. From New York to Paris, here are just a few museums that offer a virtual tour service:

Gifts that make you feel closer

There are a number of gifts that can help you feel closer to mom with just the touch of a button. There are bracelets that change colors or vibrate to let the other person know you miss them. There’s even a long distance friendship lamp set that changes colors to show whoever has the other lamp that you are thinking about them.

Quarantine care package

If you are able to snag all of the essentials (hand sanitizer, toilet paper, sanitizer wipes), send your mom a quarantine-friendly care package to show her you miss her but also to help make sure she keeps everything clean and stays safe during the pandemic.

Delivery reminder

Planning on just sending a gift to mom? Remember to keep in mind the delivery delays during the COVID-19 pandemic. A number of businesses have disclaimers at the top of their websites that caution buyers about this hiccup.

Gift cards

If you don’t fancy delivery delays and have a picky mom or one who says “I don’t want anything” this year, an e-gift card is always a safe bet.You can order an e-gift card to her favorite restaurant and have a virtual dinner date on Mother’s Day via food delivery apps or save it and have something to look forward once quarantine is over.

You can also buy a gift card from your mom’s favorite local business and have her earmark it for a future shopping trip or date.