Mother's Day 2026 is May 10, plan gifts and brunch early

Why the clock is already ticking

Mother’s Day is a little under a month away, and that is the deadline that matters. In the U.S., the holiday falls on the second Sunday in May, which makes 2026 Mother’s Day Sunday, May 10. The modern American holiday is generally traced to Anna Jarvis, whose first Mother’s Day church service was held in 1908; President Woodrow Wilson made it a national holiday in 1914. Hallmark says it is the third-largest card-sending holiday in the country, with 113 million cards exchanged annually, which is exactly why brunch reservations, flowers, and a good card tend to disappear first.

Chicago: the polished brunch

If you want the full-tilt version of the day, The Langham, Chicago is already advertising a Mother’s Day brunch at Travelle, and it is built for a family that wants the outing to feel like an occasion, not just a meal. The spread includes multiple buffet stations with seafood, carving and dessert, plus complimentary champagne, mimosas and bellinis, and the hotel is pairing that with live acoustic music for a more celebratory feel. It is also a real splurge: $285 per adult and $85 per child, exclusive of tax and gratuity, with seating from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Practical add-on: tuck in a Hallmark card, since the company’s Mother’s Day cards start at $2.99 online and do the emotional heavy lifting without adding much to the bill.

Aurora: the easier suburban plan

The Turf Room in Aurora is also advertising a Mother’s Day brunch event, which makes it a smart choice if you want something less formal than a downtown hotel but still festive enough to feel planned. This is the kind of brunch that works for an easygoing family get-together, especially if you want to avoid the extra friction of crossing the city on a busy holiday weekend. Practical add-on: send flowers ahead of time. 1-800-Flowers has Mother’s Day bouquets starting at $49.99, with options like Fields of Europe Spring, Mother’s Day Radiant Tulips and Lovely Lavender Medley all sitting in that same approachable range.

The simplest gift formula still wins

The reason cards and flowers stay central to Mother’s Day is not nostalgia, it is utility. They solve the day directly: one thing to keep, one thing to enjoy now, and one reservation that keeps the rest of the plan from unraveling. If you want your gift to feel thoughtful without turning into a project, pair the meal with a card for the person at the center of it and flowers that arrive before everyone sits down. That is the whole trick of the holiday, and it has not changed much since the family-meal tradition took hold.

What to lock in first

For Chicago, Travelle at The Langham is the move when you want a more polished, high-energy brunch with clear bells and whistles. For Aurora, The Turf Room gives you a more relaxed suburban plan that still feels celebratory and restaurant-driven, which is often exactly what wins on a day built around family time. Either way, Mother’s Day is already on the clock, and the people who plan now are the ones who get the table, the card and the easy win on May 10.