if you want mom to really feel seen this year, look no further! this gift guide is inspired by dr. gary chapman’s five love languages.

the five wha? i had heard this concept knocked around podcasts for ages but had never paid much mind to the theory until living in extra-close quarters during extra-confined times in 2020 brought forth a few extra disagreements :) & so i dug in…

in a nutshell, dr. chapman says that when it comes to giving & receiving love, we all fall into one to two of five buckets - words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, gift giving, or physical touch.

the key to figuring out someone's love language is to take a minute to think how they most often express(ed) their love for you. is it a letter in your lunchbox? a phone call? a dinner date? washing your car? a new sweater? a hug?..

once you know the bucket you should be filling, here are some fun gift ideas.

• turn off all the distractions & write a heartfelt card (bonus points if you make it yourself)
• write 52 one line pick-me-ups & put them in a box for her to draw on throughout the year
• cover all the nooks & crannies of the house in post-it notes telling her all the ways she is awesome
• send her a whole series of emails with futureme.org to remind her how much she is loved

quality time

• plan a sip and paint night & unleash your inner leonardo
• make her a mixtape playlist of your relationship through the years & dance the day away (& if you must make a tik tok video while you are at it, i am not stopping you…)
• if she is into plants, take her to the arboretum or nursery to admire the colors & scents; arts, the latest exhibit at your nearby museum; theater, tickets to an upcoming play; adventure - mushroom foraging class.., you got this!
• make her one of her favorite meals & savor it in a unique and memorable, space

physical touch

• spa day giftcard
• family cuddle puddle!
• head scratches are surprisingly delicious
• bear hugs, always & forever.

gifts