Celebrate Mother's Day by upping your gift game this year

NEW YORK — Mother's Day is here again and, yes, we're still in a pandemic. Keep those handmade cards, bouquets or breakfasts in bed coming, but up your game in celebration of brighter days with one of these store-bought gifts:

GET OUTDOORS

A California company sells uncomplicated but great looking cruiser-style e-bikes at Sixthreezero.com. There's one, the Around the Block, with a 500-watt, rear hub drive motor. It comes in great colours, including a lilac and a cream. The bike reaches a top speed of 15 mph in full electric mode and 28 mph with a pedal assist. $1,899.

If chillax mode with mobility is the priority, find the Nakie hammock. It’s portable, lightweight and made of recycled plastic bottles. And it’s sturdy enough for two people. The Nakie comes in a range of colours, from pastel pink to sunburned orange. The company plants four trees with every purchase and has already planted more than 90,000. $101 at Nakie.us.

Whether poolside, camping or happily on the sand, Ballast's outdoor weighted pillow won’t blow away. It’s inflatable, curved and padded in blue, red and sea green designs. Available on Amazon or at Ballastgear.com for $35. It has a sleeve for a gel pack that can be frozen and slipped inside at the base of the neck. Gel pack sold separately.

WINE & SPIRITS

Sisters Andrea and Robin McBride are rare among winemakers. They’re Black women in an industry dominated by white men. In time for Mother’s Day, they offer a California rose for $19.99 called Black Girl Magic. A portion of their proceeds go to their She Can Fund, supporting continued education, coaching and professional certifications for women in their and other fields. Available at McBridesisters.com, Target, Walmart and more.

If mom’s jam is liqueur, or she’s a gin enthusiast, look for Pomp & Whimsy. It’s a reinvention of classic gin as a cordial with 16 botanicals, including juniper, coriander, lychee and cucumber. It’s both herbal and spicy, good for sipping or mixing for spritzes, sangria or a Pomp and tonic. $29.99 for 750 millilitres. Search for availability in your area at Drizly.com. Recipes available at Pompandwhimsy.com.

THE BLING

Jeweler Sandy Leong has partnered with Gemfields on an 18-piece collection featuring responsibly sourced emeralds, recycled yellow gold and conflict-free white diamonds. The Sol collection was her pandemic quarantine project last spring. Among her creations is a contemporary open collar necklace tipped by a diamond on one end and an emerald on the other. It’s done in 18-karat gold. $9,500. Available at Sandyleongjewelry.com.

If mom loves her diamonds and pearls (the latter as much as Vice-President Kamala Harris), she can have both in Tasaki’s 18-karat white gold Balance pendant done with Akoya pearls from the famed Japanese house. It’s double bling for the buck. Similar styles in different golds are available, with and without diamonds. $2,850 at Farfetch.com.

PAY IT FORWARD

In these still trying times around the world, perhaps a donation in mom’s honour is more like it. Focus on a favourite charity or cause, or pick a new one. A Los Angeles-based emergency relief organization, the International Medical Corps, is a worthy choice. A $30 gift can help fund training for midwives and nurses in South Sudan, prenatal consultations in Afghanistan and hospital equipment in Chad. Look for the Healthy Mom and Baby Kit. Donate at Internationalmedicalcorps.org.

Women who have escaped abuse in the textile industry create goods for a collective in Nepal at Localwomenshandicrafts.com. They turn old saris into beautiful yoga mats ($120) and hand loom wool blankets for $110. The collective was founded by Nasreen Sheikh, who survived two years as a child labourer in a sweatshop. A wide range of goods are available.

HOME & BEAUTY

Help mom mind her third eye chakra with the Sleep Stone Mask from Baloo Living. The satin, sound-muffling mask comes with a hidden pocket to tuck away a smooth round crystal at the top. The stones are included. Choose amethyst, purple fluorite, blue lace agate or rose quartz. $54 at Balooliving.com.

Perfume. It’s also for the hair. According to Alexia P. Hammonds, the founder of Eat. Sweat. Undress., hair mist is making a huge splash in the fragrance industry. Her namesake collection of five includes Dallas, with notes of bergamot and mandarin, and Diani Beach, with a heart of pineapple, rose and more. Hammonds cautions consumers not to spritz body fragrance on hair due to an often high alcohol content. Her hair mists sell for $65 at Eatsweatundress.com.

A company called Nomad Noe sells vegan candles that are hand-poured in small batches using French-crafted fragrances. They come in reusable, porcelain vessels and are emblazoned with monikers fit for all kinds of moms: muse, hero, rebel, pioneer, dreamer and visionary among them. They burn for 55 hours. $65. Available at Nomadnoe.com.

Who doesn’t relish a new robe? OK, so maybe we’re not all robe people, but the Gravity x Modernist robe in white terrycloth offers mom a little something extra. The spa-style robe has a 3-pound detachable weight collar that promotes stress reduction and relaxation in the same way weighted blankets do. Sizes S-XL available. $130 at Gravityblankets.com.

OTHER IDEAS

Perhaps a caffeine hit is more suitable. Methodical Coffee in South Carolina roasts coffee beans and sells them in beautiful, gifty bags adorned with cheerful flowers. And some of the flavour profiles are fun. There's the Blue Boy, a blend with hints of chocolate, graham cracker and brown sugar for $17. Head to Methodicalcoffee.com.

A fashion technologist, Anina Net, sells fetching smart wristlets in a range of colours and textures. The oversize wallets charge wirelessly and quickly from the outside with a plug-in option for both iOS and Android. Each wallet zips closed and is named for a woman in tech the designer admires. Available in leather and vegan leather. $189. Sold at Anina2049.com.

Is mom sort of a gardener, but not really, and is super into doing the deed indoors? Tons of grow kits are available. There's one company, Homegrown, with cute kits for a range of plants, including bonsai, cacti, wildflowers, herbs and tea. Prices range from $12.99 to $45. Available on Amazon and at Homegrown-garden.com. Green thumb not mandatory. Another company, Back to the Roots (www.backtotheroots.com) offers all kinds of herb and vegetable grow kits in Mason jars, cans and boxes, including an organic lavender windowsill planter ($24.99).

Leanne Italie, The Associated Press