Our family doesn’t celebrate Mother’s Day, at least not in the usual way that a lot of other families do. The gifts, the big lunch or dinner somewhere nice, or doing nice things for her and all that. If we do go out, it’d be just a normal night out without any additional significance to it. And I’ve used this as an excuse a lot, and that is “everyday is Mother’s Day“. Heh.

But it’s true - why should you wait till Mother’s Day to be nice to her? Do it everyday!

However, this Mother’s Day I’ve thought of buying my mom a gift for the very first time. It is not a gift for her per se, but a gift of charity made on behalf of her. And I’ve chosen Oxfam as the charity to donate to.

Oxfam Unwrapped

I like the way Oxfam organises their “gifts”. Strictly speaking, you are still contributing to their pool of funds but they’ve illustrate it in a way which shows you how that donation helps out a community. From the Oxfam site:

Are you sick of giving socks, bath salts, or token gifts? Yes, trying to choose gifts for some people can be quite an ordeal - and that’s why we’ve developed Oxfam Unwrapped. It’s a unique collection of gift ideas that help you give something special to your friends or family and give something extra special to people who haven’t got much at all.

For example, “buy” a $60 food-pack and you can feed a child in East Timor for a year. Or buy two chickens for $20 and you can help a community grow a viable and self-sustaining food source or business. Or buy a $76 investor’s pack to contribute to their micro-financing services which they provide to the poor around the world.

There’s even a quirky one called “Get Granny a Lawyer“. :)

Oxfam - Get Granny a Lawyer

I showed my mom the available choices and she chose the investor’s pack. If the idea intrigues you, head over to the Oxfam Shop to have a look.

I think a donation to a charity is a great Mother’s Day gift. If not Oxfam, then consider an alternative or favourite charity close to wherever you are. It’s not everyday that you get to do nice things for complete strangers. Afterall, you can have a fancy dinner every other day, and honestly how many more trinkets and jewellery does she need anyway? ;)