Mom wants softer days, as Mother’s Day spending hits record high
Mother’s Day spending was projected to hit $38 billion, but the gifts many mothers actually wanted were smaller: coffee gear, organization tools and anything that bought back time.
The biggest gift this Mother’s Day was not a jewel box or a brunch reservation, but a quieter morning. As the National Retail Federation projected U.S. spending would reach a record $38 billion, up from $34.1 billion in 2025, the gap widened between what marketing sold and what parents of very young children actually craved: fewer decisions, fewer chores and a little more room to breathe.
The numbers made the split plain. The NRF said 84% of U.S. adults planned to celebrate, with average spending at a record $284.25 per person. Jewelry led spending at $7.5 billion, but flowers still topped the gift list at 75%, followed by greeting cards at 74%, special outings at 63%, gift cards at 55% and clothing or accessories at 51%. Mark Mathews, the NRF’s chief economist and executive director of research, said consumers were still leaning into Mother’s Day despite economic uncertainty, while Phil Rist, Prosper executive vice president of strategy, said shoppers were budgeting more and looking across categories for something unique and memorable. Nearly half of consumers, 48%, said a unique or different gift mattered most, while 42% wanted something that created a special memory.
That is where the smartest gifts lived. As a mother with two kids under 4, the things that feel most luxurious are not always the flashiest: a better coffee setup that shortens the first hour of the day, a family organizer that keeps school forms and activities from multiplying, a soft scarf that works with everything, or sandals that make the school run feel a little less hurried. A bracelet can still work, but only if it feels like a daily companion, not a display piece. The point is not indulgence for its own sake. It is relief.
Push presents sharpen that idea. In a 2024 survey of 1,000 expecting mothers in the United States, 74% said all new mothers should receive a push present, while 80% said they had never asked for one. Among mothers who received a push present, 59% had not requested it. That suggests many women are not looking for grand declarations. They are looking for recognition, often in the form of something small, useful and chosen with care.
NRF said 54% of celebrants planned to buy for a mother or stepmother, which makes this less a luxury splurge than a ritual of attention. The gifts that last are the ones that lighten the day that follows the holiday.
Know something we missed? Have a correction or additional information?
Submit a Tip
