How To Celebrate Mother’s Day 2023/

Last Wednesday, we celebrated International Women’s Day with a dinner co-hosted by Sharmadean Reid and Glassette Founder Laura Jackson – together, working to create new seats of power for women through the power of community. Take a look inside the dinner here. Now, we are taking that energy straight with us into Mother’s Day.

“To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power.”—Maya Angelou

Host from Home: As usual we like to think about the "where" in a few ways... First up, if you are a mother yourself or friends with parents why not plan a get-together dinner party or night in? Get the group together by checking in on everyone's plans - of course this doesn't need to be the night of, in fact, consider this your sign to make this a regular thing. Monthly or even just dotted throughout the year, make a point of celebrating the matriarchs of your world in whatever guise they may take. Honouring and celebrating your friends, or even just taking a night off from the day-to-day is the backbone of good relationships.

Make a Day of it: There are plenty of places to head to this Mother's Day, whether it is one of London's best Women-Led Restaurants (read our list here), a gallery wander, or a park walk, make a full day's plan of it. We recommend sending that special person an invitation to go the extra mile, even if this is just via message, and frame it as you would inviting a guest of honour. Here's an example: Dear Mum, To show you how much I value and love you this Mother's Day you are cordially invited to breakfast at X, then a walk around X, every day I am thankful for you and today I want to show it by spending time together. With love X.

Shorten the distance: Location can present a challenge of course, but no matter where your loved ones reside to you, there are ways to make that gap feel shorter. If there's one thing we've learnt in recent years is the power of connection no matter the distance. One option is to set up a facetime or zoom, we prefer doing this on our phones, that way you could take them on a walk and show them the parts of town you love the most - it feels more connected than being routed in one spot. The other option is a letter or postcard, this always feels infinitely more personal, so go the extra mile, and write it all down. The beauty of a letter lasts forever and is something to be truly treasured.

“Mother is a verb. It’s something you do, not just who you are.”—Dorothy Canfield Fisher

Thinking of Mother's Day beyond the obvious is key. There are matriarchal figures in all aspects of our lives and it is important we celebrate those integral relationships. As you well know by now we are big fans of a dinner party... but the truth is there are few better ways to get your nearest and dearest together.

Invite those people, whether they are mothers in the literal sense or they provide that energy in your life to an event that makes them feel the love. Next weekend is all about the essence of celebrating the women that provide joy in your life and from here invite accordingly with this sentiment in mind.

“Mother, the ribbons of your love are woven around my heart.”—Anonymous

The roots of celebrating motherhood, of course, trace all the way back to ancient times. The Greeks and the Romans held festivals in honor of mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele. Whilst, in Egypt, annual festivals were held in celebration of Isis, the goddess of motherhood, magic, and nature.

In the UK it was the 16th century when the beginnings of Mother's Day as we know it can be found. On the 4th Sunday of Lent, congregations would join a service for their ‘Mother Church’, referring to the main church or cathedral of their area. Anyone who partook in this activity was said to have gone “a-mothering.”

In later centuries, ‘Mothering Sunday’ was a day when domestic workers were given time off in which to visit mothers and other family members. From this, the tradition of picking flowers for mothers on a specific day of the year began.

Then in the early 20th century Anna Jarvis, held a memorial to honour her own mother and all other Mothers at a church in America. This marked the first official observance of Mother’s Day. Inspired by this Constance Penswick-Smith back in the UK created the Mother Sunday Movement and in 1921 wrote a book asking for the revival of this ceremony.

Today, there is much need to celebrate the mothers in our lives – childcare has reached staggering new heights, housing is more inaccessible than ever before and support can be hard to find. Show up in every way you can and remember to ask the mothers in your life how they are doing.

1. Remember to open up your interpretation of Mother's Day and celebrate the women in your life every day of the year.

2. Check-in with your mum friends. Ask if you can babysit to give them a night off, always include them in your plans, and be flexible and mindful of what you and your friends get up to work for everyone.

3. If you send flowers, be meaningful about it - Flowers are beautiful, of course, but there is something extra special about picking the bunch yourself. This doesn't mean spending a fortune - check out smaller independent florists and be considered. That way you can tell the person receiving them Oh I picked that bloom because I know yellow is your favorite colour or I choose that particular flower because you told me it reminded you of X.

4. Give your time. One of the most meaningful gifts you can give anyone, or as a way to celebrate someone truly, is dedicating your time. Ask if they are free for a long phone call, or let them know you have cleared the deck to spend time only with them will have a huge impact on making someone feel the love.