10 Last-Minute Gift Ideas If You Forgot Mother’s Day Is This Sunday
It’s the grown-up version of the macaroni necklace.
Hey, slacker children of America: Guess what? Sunday is Mother’s Day, and you probably don’t have a gift yet. You’ve got Thursday night “happy hour’’ today, date night Friday, and it’s supposed to be nice on Saturday, so it’d be a shame to squander that inside a mall…plus, what would you even get the most important woman in your life, another scarf?
Unfortunately, you’re no longer cute enough to string together a macaroni necklace, or use your 64-pack of markers to make coupons like “Good for a week without complaining.’’
While there’s pretty much no gift as precious as the literal, actual life that she gave to you, there are still plenty of ways to show her you care. And, of course, that you totally remembered to buy something for her ages ago.
Sip Your Way Through the North End on a City Wine Tour
Moms and wine go together like Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy: They’re a match made in heaven, and their coupling will probably result in things you didn’t really need to hear. For one day a year, you can grin and bear it with a booze-inspired jaunt around the city.
Choose from North End, South End, Back Bay or Sparking Wine tours. They start at 3 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are $66. Check for starting locations at citywinetours.com
Give Her a Subscription to Birchbox
If your mom still uses the same brand of mascara you tried on as a kid, it might be time for an upgrade, and Birchbox is the perfect way to let her test-drive new products, minus the risk. You can add a personal touch by tailoring it to her. Set preferences to indicate whether she’s “classic’’ or “adventurous,’’ and put in information about hair, skin type, and more.
Birchbox.com subscriptions cost $10 per month or $110 per year.
Finally Walk the Freedom Trail
Stop dragging your feet, and go on that walking tour of the Freedom Trail she’s always wanted to do. Grab breakfast at a local café: We suggest the Thinking Cup near the Boston Common. Public tours leave from the Common and Faneuil Hall, but it’s just as fun to go on your own. Whatever you do, just make sure you take 294 steps up the Bunker Hill monument. The view is worth it.
$14-$43 for adults, check the calendar for tour options, times, and dates at thefreedomtrail.org
Relax on a Mother’s Day Brunch Cruise
The ship is called the Majesty, which sets the perfect pampering tone for her day as you cruise around the Boston Harbor taking in beautiful views of the city. The brunch menu includes pan-seared chicken with tropical salsa, scrambled eggs Florentine, and a cash bar for cocktails.
Noon til 2 p.m. on Sunday, tickets are $59.95. The cruise boards at 11:30 a.m. from Long Wharf. More info at bostonharborcruises.com
van Goh to a PaintNite
Moms love wine (see above), and the only thing better than getting a piece of homemade art is getting a piece that’s embarrassingly bad but attached to a sweet memory. Not only will you have a blast during the event, but your terrible rendering of “The Starry Night’’ will serve as a talking piece and souvenir in one. Bonus: Groupon has a $20 off deal on a two-hour painting session.
Tickets are normally $45. Search online for an event near you at paintnite.com
Awaken Your Inner Art Critic at the Newly Renovated Harvard Art Museums
The trio of the Fogg, Busch-Reisinger, and Sackler Museums were under a multi-million dollar renovation until this past November’s grand reveal. Now, you and your mom can walk around, discuss art, and try to remember what the Byzantine Empire was. For those who are lukewarm about modern or abstract art, check out the historical photographs of The Social Museum Collection.
Open daily from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., 32 Quincy St., Cambridge, 617-495-9400, harvardartmuseums.org
Make a Day Out of the SoWa Market
The South End Open Market kicked off this past weekend. Taste local honey, rifle through antiques, and eat lunch at the food truck of your choice. When Mom finds a unique pair of handmade earrings, you can buy them for her, essentially tricking her into shopping for her own present, but…in a fun way.
Sundays, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., 540 Harrison Ave., Boston, newenglandopenmarkets.com
Boost Her Shower-Singing Playlist With Spotify Premium
With summer approaching, a subscription to essentially unlimited music is another gift she’ll actually use (unless she exclusively listens to T-Swift), and she probably wouldn’t think to splurge on it for herself. Right now, you can buy your first three months for $0.99, a steal over the 10 bucks you’d normally spend.
$9.99 per month, spotify.com
Take Her to Dirty Dancing Live
If you haven’t yet planned your Mother’s Day activities, grab tickets for a live performance of Dirty Dancing at the Emerson Colonial Theatre on Sunday. Music, dancing, romance…she’ll have the time of her life. Cheap joke, we know. Sorry.
April 28-May 10, 7:30 p.m., $34, Emerson Colonial Theatre, citicenter.org
Get Her Tickets to a Live Concert
Save Boston Calling for your friends. When mom’s in town, help her relive the Woodstock glory days with tickets to see Crosby, Stills and Nash at the Wang Theatre. Stop at Teatro for an upscale pre-show meal, or grab a pint at Jacob Wirth down the street.
May 19 at 7:30 p.m., tickets $36, Wang Theatre, citicenter.org
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