The COVID-19 pandemic will pose a challenge as we honor mom on this year’s Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 10.
In the past, families treated mom to a lovely brunch or dinner at a restaurant. This year there will be no large family gatherings around a big table at a sit-down restaurant. Many people will whistfully remember treating mom to a Mother’s Day buffet with mounds of fruit, pastries and prime rib.
Inviting lots of people into our homes to celebrate mother will not happen this year. The coronavirus has turned life topsy turvy, but when it messes with our moms, it has gone too far, but there is nothing to be done. We love our mothers, but we all must continue to follow the pandemic protocols that keep us safe.
Thankfully there are enough retailers open to choose a gift. Online shopping offers an alternative to purchasing just the right Mother’s Day present. Many nurseries are open, allowing loving children to buy flower baskets for mom.
The best gift for mom in 2020 is safety and health. Imagine the response when mother opens a gift box of a set of colorful masks? This year presents an opportunity for us to to make the ultimate, usable homemade gift. If one doesn’t have a sewing machine, nor one ounce of sewing ability, we all know someone with a sewing machine and how to use it.
Too many people without masks are out in public and in stores. Medical experts tell us (and the facts bear them out) that wearing masks in public along with social distancing are key to minimizing our chances of contracting the disease.
A gift of a mask for mom on Mother’s Day only makes sense when mom wears it when she is out in public. A mask cannot be like a cloth shopping bag. Shopping bags are easy to forget at home or in the car. We have to assure that our mother’s understand that using masks, unlike shopping bags, can be a matter of life and death.
The day will be warm and sunny on Sunday, May 10. Though the Keizer Fire District’s annual Mother’s Day breakfast has been cancelled this year, each family will celebrate mom in their own way. A pancake breakfast made at home can be just as meaningful. While the public gathering of more than 10 people is not aloned, families members can gather in their vehicle and take a lovely day trip through the Willamette Valley, blooming in all its springtime glory.
During COVID-19 we must be creative when celebrating Mother’s Day. Gifts of flowers and a mask or two will be appreciated. And needed.
(Lyndon Zaitz is publisher and editor of the Keizertimes.)