The “mom” you think of could be someone other than your own mother, too. For example, you might like to show your wife how much you appreciate the excellent person she is, and the special mother that she always has been to your children.

Maybe the “mom” you think of has just entered motherhood, or even someone who is waiting to become a mother. Whatever your relationship with the person concerned or how well you know her, there are times when you'd like to show her that she's special. Here are some great and special gift ideas for any mom.

Suiting the gift to the person

Before we start, let's remember one thing–what's great for one person may be just plain lousy for another. Try giving a high calorie food item (A box of chocolates?) to a person who's dieting, or a controversial bestseller to a person “on the other side of the fence”, and you'll know what I mean. Extremes aside, it's always a good idea to know what someone would appreciate before deciding what to give them. How would you know what the person likes?

Well, since we're talking about moms, this person may be very close to you—someone you know “like the back of your hand”. Even if you do know the person well, however, you might not be sure whether or not a particular item would really attract her. And if you don't know the person really well—for example, a co-worker or in-law—it's even harder to know what she would like.

How to know what the person wants

So what do you do? Well, you could ask the person herself or you could ask a mutual friend who knows her well. Or, you could choose a gift that would work for most moms. Keep these things in mind before you choose that special gift for mom. Here are some ideas.

A few gift ideas for moms

There's one thing that all moms have in common—their child(ren). Maybe you have access to pictures of a mother and her family at various points in time. Wouldn't it be a wonderful idea to present her with a thoughtfully put-together family album? And think how nice it would be if you remember to add a bouquet of flowers to your unique gift. If the “mom” you're gifting to is not close to you, a well-chosen empty picture album would be thoughtful. What mother doesn't need more albums in which to put all those pictures of her children?

Personalized items

How about personalized items like t-shirts, posters, porcelain ornaments, or a greeting card that has her image on it? Wouldn't any of those be wonderful? Other possibilities include photo canvases, pillowcases and playing cards.

Do-It-Yourself gifts

Perhaps the best way to show that you really care might be to make a gift yourself, if you can possibly do it, or have one specially hand-made by someone who can. It could be something small and inexpensive, but it needs to be personal and touch a chord.

Say it with work

Something else that you can gift is time. It's not a material gift, of course, but what mom wouldn't appreciate some help with her work for one or more days? Maybe you could relieve her of all her work while she sits and relaxes. That would be fun for a change, and it would show how deeply you care. Even if you can't give of your time, perhaps you could hire someone to help her with household chores on a temporary (or regular) basis.