I Never Get to Celebrate Mother's Day With My Mom — Here's How I Make Her Feel Special

I very rarely send greeting cards anymore. It tends to feel inconvenient to go to the store to buy them and then deal with getting stamps to mail them. However, a special holiday like Mother's Day is one the few times I still get greeting cards. And I don't just get any old greeting card that's cheap — I search for the perfect card for my mom. When I can't be there to spend the day with her, I'm relying on a card to get a message across that I can't do in person.

If you've got a mom who constantly says she doesn't need or want any gifts, listen to her! Instead of getting her something she doesn't need (even if you mean well), make a donation in her name to a charity she supports or to a cause she cares about. You can include your donation receipt in your card so she knows the effort you made.

It seems so very simple, but if you can't do anything else to celebrate your mom on Mother's Day, at least make sure to call her. I FaceTime my mom every day (usually multiple times), so it's second nature for me to call her on Mother's Day, too, but I also remember to wish her well on that day. Even just giving her a call to acknowledge how much you appreciate all the work she's put in for you is enough.

Just because you can't share the meal with her doesn't mean she doesn't deserve to have a delicious dinner. You can order her favorite meal to be delivered to her or ask someone who's local to bring it to her, whether it's your dad, a sibling, or one of your mom's friends. If you want her to go out, you could also cover the cost of dinner and plan for someone else to take her out in your place. In the past, I've sent my parents gift cards for various restaurants in town for them to enjoy a meal on me.

This is another one that seems so simple and obvious, but it's still a reliable route to take. I've sent my mom flowers so many times because she loves them! She never gets tired of getting flowers delivered from someone, so it's a solid option for any Mother's Day.

Using the Netflix Party feature, the two of you can watch a movie together to celebrate.

Any gift to show you care is great, but if you can make something especially for her, it gives it that little extra oomph in showing your love. Whatever kind of crafty skills you've got can come in handy here. Or, if you think you have no skills, you can try something really simple like an embroidery kit from Etsy or a paint by numbers picture.

Last year for a combo Mother's Day and birthday gift for my mom, I bought us a trip to Paris. I couldn't spend either of the big days with her so I planned a trip that we could spend together. It was her first trip to Europe, so it was really special to be able to do that for her. You don't have to book an entire trip for mom, though. Even just making plans to go see a show or movie next time you're together would be a fun idea.