Shopping for gifts for moms can be hard. Whether it’s your budget that’s constraining you or you feel like she has everything, or you feel like you get her the same thing every year, coming up with the perfect gift can be a challenge. I sat down with my mom to ask her what some of her favorite gifts have been over the years and what she likes receiving or would ideally like to receive as a gift. This is what we came up with!
The best part? These ideas are evergreen – so whether it’s Christmas, her birthday, Mother’s Day, Hanukkah, or any other gift-giving holiday, there’s something here for you! We cover a variety of price ranges as well, so it doesn’t matter if you’re teaming up with your siblings or going solo, a student or a young professional or at any other stage in life. We’ve got you covered! This list can also be a resource when looking for gifts for a grandmother, aunt, mother-in-law – you get the picture. Let’s get started!
Gifts for Moms:
To shop this list, click on any hyperlinked words and phrases (words that appear in blue) or click on product images to be taken to the listing for that item on a new page. It’s that simple!
Big Candles
Not a cute little candle, a big freaking candle. I learned this fall that Amazon carries the huge Yankee Candles and got my mom one for her birthday at a fantastic price. And it was her all-time favorite scent! We’ve never seen this sent in a candle of this size before and my mom was so excited about this gift. She’ll literally light it and carry it room to room with her. It smells great so I’m not complaining!
Click here to shop Large Jar candles (left) and click here to shop 2-Wick Tumbler Candles (right).
Ree Drummond Cookbooks
Ree Drummond’s cookbooks are easy to follow, have good pictures, and make what my mom refers to as “good regular meals.” They’re not too challenging but still feel special (my family loves them). There are a number of recipes we’ve found in her cookbooks that are now household staples!
Our family favorite is “The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It!: Simple, Scrumptious Recipes for Crazy Busy Lives”, on the left, and it’s on major sale right now! My mom highly recommends it. As if that’s not enough, it’s also a #1 New York Times Bestseller!
In the middle pictured above is Ree Drummond’s latest cookbook, “The Pioneer Women Cooks: The New Frontier” and to the right is “The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime – Comfort Classics, Freezer Food, 16-minute Meals, and Other Delicious Ways to Solve Supper”. These are just our top picks of the six cookbooks Ree Drummond has published!
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
This is one of my mom’s favorite books of 2020. I’ve heard her recommend it to friends and seen it on enough book lists this year to know that it makes this list.
5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins
When I asked my mom if this book was on the list, she said “Hand’s down. Love that book.” I should have known. If you don’t know what to get your mom and aren’t looking to spend a lot of money, this is a great option.
My mom says this is “The book your mom doesn’t know she wants or needs. It’s so good.”
Lands’ End Sweater Fleece Cowl Neck Tunic Pullover Top
This sweater is incredibly soft and cozy. It most definitely looks like a fancy sweater, totally Zoom appropriate, but feels like loungewear. A sweater for all occasions, this is a great sweater for moms!
Click here to check out the listing on Lands’ End, and click here for the extended sizes listing!
Cashmere Sweater
Or as my mother put it “If you have the money, cashmere sweater. Or a cashmere scarf.”
Yummy Dark Chocolates
For a bargain, my mom says “The Moser Roth Dark Sea Salt Chocolate from Aldi is *chef’s kiss* to die for, and inexpensive.”
Obviously, I can’t link you to dark chocolates from Aldi. While they are available on Amazon (click here), I’m sure Aldi has the best deals!
Coupons
Yes, coupons to do things. They never get old. One of my mom’s favorite gifts in recent years was from my brother – yes, the teenage son. He gave her coupons that included one to play Scrabble. He hates playing Scrabble, my mom loves it, and this gift meant a lot to her.
Coupon ideas include:
- play her favorite game with her
- the family cooks dinner and cleans it up
- going grocery shopping for her
- do all of the laundry for a week
A Pound of Their Favorite Specialty Coffee
Or a seasonal blend they don’t always get. If you want a consumable gift that will likely last longer than chocolate, a pound of coffee is a great option.
Haflinger Slippers
“The most comfortable wool slippers ever.” my mom says. If she’s at home and it’s chilly out, she has her Haflinger slippers on. She loves them so much, she even had me share this list with you of why you should get these for your mom.
Perks of Haflinger Slippers:
- They’re expensive, but they’re not that expensive
- They’re the best
- They’re so toasty
- They last forever (but realistically with everyday wear, you get at least three seasons of winter out of them, my mom is on her third pair in 10 years)
- Their slippers are made in sizes 5 through 15 (if your mom is tall like mine, this is a big deal)
- They’re machine washable
My mom wears the Women’s Alaska as Unisex Classic Slippers, pictured above. The company is German, so some of the slipper titles do seem to get a little lost in translation, but these slippers rock.
A Special Mug to Make Mug Cakes
My mom is obsessed with making mug cakes. If yours is too, I’m glad to know I’m not the only one, and a large ceramic mug for their mug cake is a fun gift idea. We use the Starbucks “You Are Here” mugs for soups and mug cakes, but sadly the series has been discontinued. For something more high-end, since you’re looking for a microwave-safe mug anyway, Etsy is a great option! I’ve always liked the look of ceramic mugs like this one. Vera Bradley is also selling these two-piece mug sets, which are definitely a cute option. She can make a mug cake in one and drink tea out of the other!
You could always add a mug cake cookbook or mug cake mix too!
A Gift Certificate to Her Favorite Local Restaurant
It’s a treat you know she’ll love, and you get to support local businesses! With more and more restaurants doing curbside pickup and delivery, this has the potential to be a safe option even if your family isn’t going out to eat these days.
The thing your mom always complains that she needs in the kitchen.
“She really does want it, but it can’t be her only present because then she’ll just be mad.” I’ll just leave this one here…
Chatbooks Monthly Minis
My mom discovered these this year and loves them. Loves them.
Every month, you can upload 30 to 60 images from your phone’s camera roll and have them delivered as a series photo book straight to your door. You can make one of your family and send it to mom if you live far away to give her physical images of what you’ve been up to this month, have her download the app to create her own, or you can even use Chatbooks to make photo books. I went through pictures from a big trip my family took in 2015 and made my mom a photo book last Christmas!
Designer/Pretty Masks
That is how my mom described them so that’s how I’m titling this section. Tory Burch, Vera Bradley, something to show you want to stay safe and protect the people around you, but your mom is caring and cool. After all, the Tory Burch masks were on Oprah’s Favorite Things and Vera Bradley has multiple mask sets so you can choose one that best suits whoever you’re shopping for!
While I haven’t tried them myself, this Etsy seller makes face masks using Lilly Pulitzer fabric. They appear to fit snuggly, have a nose wire and filter pocket, and they have great lots of great reviews!
Favorite Seasonal Candy
Yes, she may already buy it for herself, but it’s her favorite so she’s not going to be mad that you got her some too.
Foods that Remind Her of Home
If your mom lives far from where she grew up, foods that remind her of home or that she doesn’t have regular access to can be an incredibly touching gift. Living in Maryland, we send crab cakes to family who have moved away from the Chesapeake Bay area.
And that wraps up today’s gift guide for moms!
Let me know in the comments what you think and if there’s anything you’re planning to get your mom for the holidays, or what your favorite gifts for mom are! I’d love to hear from you!
If you found this gift guide helpful, save this page! That way you’ll be able to come back to it the next time you’re looking for gifts for mom.
