March is the month with arguably the most gorgeous weather of the year in Kuwait, but another important fact about this month is the celebration of Mother’s Day. We have all been through that panic two days before when we couldn’t find any flowers because they sold out, we could not order a cake because all the bakeries are booked up, and all there is left to do is dash to the Avenues in a panic to at least buy a material gift that gives you a last chance to be thoughtful.  

Let us first remember the date – Mother’s Day in the Middle East is celebrated on March 21st. If you are following an American calendar, they celebrate this occasion on the second Sunday in May which in this year’s case will be May 12th. In the UK, it will be celebrated on March 10th this year. For most of us, we are keeping our eye on the 21st of March to honor our mothers. Luckily we have most of the month to plan this, so here is where you need to plan ahead and where you can afford to take your time:

Planning ahead: flowers and baked goods must be planned ahead of time if you want to get something decent for your mother. Do NOT expect to stroll in to Au Nom de la Rose on Mother’s Day at 6pm and find a magical bouquet of roses waiting for you and wrapped in a bow (my mistake last year). Chances are that somebody got the last pretty bouquet of flowers hours ago. I recommend calling in or visiting your favorite flower shop and pre-ordering your bouquet by the 15th of March max. If you can do this before the 15th that would be ideal as a lot of people have the exact same plan of action. You can even do this on 965flowers.com if you prefer ordering online, and choose the date of your delivery. If you are going to make the effort to pre-order, make sure you pick your mother’s favorite flower and color palette (not everyone wants roses)! Now for the fun part – baked goodies! Since this holiday is particularly emotional and a bit cheesy, take that theme and run with it. Find the funniest or cutest picture of your mother with you and your siblings as kids and have your bakery of choice scan it onto her favorite cake. Nowadays you can just e-mail the picture to most bakeries or take it with you on a USB and they will do it for you. Alternatively, a bunch of delicious cupcakes that spell out “Happy Mother’s Day” will also do the trick.

Take your time: you can afford to do this with the material portion of the gift. Unless your mother has had her eye on something that needs to be ordered from outside the country, I doubt there isn’t a single thing in the Kuwaiti market that she wouldn’t like. I love shopping for women because the range of gifts is endless. Some easy gifts that all moms love are printed scarves (think Hermes or Kenzo), fine jewelry (think Cartier or Bulgari) and SPA packages (Spa Time is lovely). Of course, these are all subject to your mother’s specific likes and interests. If she is an interior design enthusiast, then she might appreciate something from Pottery Barn or West Elm. Take it one step further and get something truly unique like a furniture piece from Maze Creative Concepts (designed by Bibi Al Ghanim) now available at 52 Degrees. If she is passionate about cooking then a new pan set from Williams Sonoma would be extremely thoughtful (throw in a recipe book just for fun)! If she is a sporty mom then grab the newest pair of Nike’s in her size accompanied by workout wear. The simple rule for the gift is to think about what your mother loves and innovate from there.

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mommies, and don’t forget to order the perfect cake and flowers as early as possible!