Mother’s Day gift guide: Incredible gifts for incredible women

IT’S that time of year to honour all the incredible women in your life – your mother, your grandmother and/or the mother of your kids (and fur kids). Here are some gift ideas to show your profound love and appreciation for all that they’ve done for you.

Beautiful blooms

Surprise her with a particularly unique composition of flowers that’s a cut above the predictable, uninspired bouquets. This Humid House has been the go-to designer florist for the discerning. Its Mother’s Day collection includes the Poundcake, which tantalises the eyes and nose (and almost the lips) with lemony carnations, sunny marigolds and buttery orchids, calling to mind the pleasures of freshly baked pound cake. (Price: S$420.) There’s also the Wallpaper, a distinctive bouquet of spray carnations, wax flowers and glossy foliage to evoke vintage wallpaper and 1960s nostalgia. (Price: S$290.) 

Wonderland Botanicals also offers unusual floral arrangements for one-of-a-kind mums. There’s the tranquil Dove vase arrangement, a Mother’s Day special with white calla lilies and hyacinths to honour mum’s maternal love, wisdom and patience throughout the years. (Price: S$178.) If she has a penchant for bright things, opt for the Canary vase arrangement, a happy composition of yellow cymbidiums and orange pincushions. (Price: S$198.)

If you want something with a sustainable twist, try Echevaria. This up-and-coming botanical design studio uses regionally sourced flowers together with rooted greens. Once the flowers wither and dry up, the greens can be re-potted and grown as houseplants to reduce the waste created from the bouquet. Your mum will love Echevaria’s spin on the circular economy. (Prices from S$180.)

Other distinctive florists we recommend include Ask A French, Poppy Flora Studio and Lvly. 

Captivating reads

One of the best books that show you recognise her years of sacrifice is Listen to Your Mother, edited by Ann Imig. It’s a collection of short, real-life stories from a diverse group of mothers (including single, foster, surrogate and lesbian) which illuminate various styles of parenting all united in one common goal – to be the best mothers they can with the time and resources that they have. Standout pieces include those by Jennifer Weiner, Jenny Lawson and Megan Stielstra. Though the book was published in 2015, the stories are evergreen. (Price: S$23, paperback, from Amazon.sg.)

If mum likes to cook and bake, consider getting her Nerdbaker 2: Tales From The Yeast Indies. This second recipe book by Singapore food writer Christopher Tan teaches you how to make 60 local and regional favourites, from snacks such as butterfly fritters and kopitiam loaf to more unusual fare such as taro min jiang kueh and sourdough appam. Our colleague Joan Ng reviewed the book recently and gave it the thumbs up. (Price: S$49, paperback, Kinokuniya.)

Another cookbook worth considering is Cooking in Real Life: Delicious and Doable Recipes for Every Day. This new and trending book by Lidey Heuck focuses on Western recipes, but every one of them is incredibly quick and easy to make, using ingredients commonly found in the supermarket. Your fuss-free chicken meatballs will never taste the same. (Price: S$46, hardcover, from Amazon.sg.)

If mum prefers novels, get her Nina Simon’s recent bestseller Mother-Daughter Murder Night. This thriller centres on a grandmother and her daughter and granddaughter in a small town trying to solve a murder that one of them has been wrongly suspected of. With compelling characters and intricate plot twists, it’ll keep any fiction-loving mum on the edge of her seat until the last page. (Price: S$34.50, paperback, from Kinokuniya.)    

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Unforgettable art experiences

If mum likes art, you can’t lose by taking her to the Frida Kahlo exhibition at the ArtScience Museum. This wondrously immersive exhibition titled Frida Forever looks back at the life of the famous Mexican painter who broke the rules for what women could or could not depict in art. She paved the way for other women artists to express themselves authentically and without censorship, and also championed the voices of marginalised groups such as indigenous and LGBTQ peoples. 

This exhibition showcases her unique art, fashion sense and personal philosophy, which have made her an inspiration for many women across the decades. The show is divided into two parts: a large section with immersive installations animating her life through vivid images, and a smaller section explaining how her disability (resulting from a road accident) shaped who she was. (Tickets from S$19.)

If mum wants more Kahlo, Amazon Prime Video is also streaming its new documentary on the artist, titled Frida. (Amazon Prime membership required.)

Cinematic wonders

Over the years, the silver screen has depicted various unforgettable mothers and maternal figures across many genres, from heartwarming dramas to hilarious comedies. Depending on which year your mum entered motherhood, here are our cinematic picks from the 1980s onwards, when women-centred films really began to thrive. 

1980s: Terms of Endearment, Mask, Baby Boom, Aliens

1990s: The Joy Luck Club, Mrs Doubtfire, Sister Act, Mermaids

2000s: Mamma Mia!, Freaky Friday, Mother, Lady Vengeance

2010s: The Farewell, Crazy Rich Asians, Brave, Bird Box, The Incredibles 2

2020s: Everything Everywhere All at Once, Hi Mom

Most of these films are available on sites such as YouTube Movies, Disney+ and Netflix, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find and stream them. All that’s left for you to do is to grab some popcorn, put your mum at the centre of the couch, and enjoy some movie magic together.