How to gift our mothers a fiercely authentic mother's day

Sunday May 13, 2018 will mark the 104th year of a celebration called “Mother’s Day” in North America. Prior to this time, the ancient Greeks and Romans honored their mother goddesses, Rhea and Cybele, and the Christian’s established a festival known as “Mothering Sunday”. At Tea Rebellion, we want to take a remember the history of Mother's Day and why it was created, which is ultimately to honor the dedication and love of our mothers. A brief history of Mother’s Day Mother’s Day was created in the 1900s by a woman called Anna Jarvis. After her mother died in 1905, she made it her mission to have this celebration recognized as a national holiday. This fierce mission included seeking (and securing) financial backing for the first Mother’s Day celebration and shortly after that success, a massive letter writing campaign urging politicians to adopt this day as a national holiday. She was successful and in 1914 Woodrow Wilson made the holiday official, which was to fall on the second Sunday in May. The attempt to dismantle Mother’s Day Interestingly, once the holiday became commercialized and Anna saw how businesses were profiting, she denounced the holiday. She spent her life savings fiercely trying to reverse what she had worked so hard to build because the purpose of the holiday seemed to have been lost. Since then, Anna's fears have grown immensely with Mother's Day becoming one of the highest consumer spending holidays. We want to believe that this fact shows how much we appreciate our mothers and feel compelled to express our gratitude with gifting. However, in light of Mother's Day origin and Anna Jarvis's fierce battle it is important to remind ourselves that Mother’s Day is not about how much we spend, but the consideration and effort put into finding something special in both our and our mom's eyes. The best gifts are full of thoughtfulness and bring family together. Speaking of bringing family together... How does tea fit in to all of this? You are reading this because like us, you are a tea enthusiast and maybe you are seeking Mother’s Day gifting inspiration. We understand how overwhelming tea shopping and gifting can feel. As a result, we have included 8 tea gifting tips to help you this Mother's Day and beyond: 1. Think about whom you are buying for and why they are drinking tea -Does the recipient love the taste of tea? -Do you need to consider health benefits and if so, what benefits in particular? -Does the recipient like to drink tea with food, such as breakfast tea or afternoon tea with cake? -Does your recipient like to serve tea to guests? -Is the purpose of the tea to get cozy and escape with a good book, or to cool down on a hot day with iced tea, similar to the ladies in the photo above? -Do you think this tea will be consumed in its pure form or will something be added in? Because it’s quite common for people to create their own mixes in Canada 2. Check the best before date -Most teas are better fresh and only a few age well -The best before date for gifting should be at least 3 months 3. Check the ingredients and look for all natural -Blends frequently have added aromas to increase the perfume of tea…AVOID this tea. The taste of the tea will surprise you and not in a good way. (small rule = consistent smell and taste is good) 4. Look for brewing instructions on the packaging -Every tea has a unique brewing at temperature in order to achieve the best aroma 5. Is the bag sealed or vacuum-sealed? -Teas absorb surrounding smells, so try to avoid purchasing a bag of lovely tea that is not sealed, stored in the spice section, or next to maple syrup 6. Bag vs. loose tea…what does she need and prefer? -If you are giving loose tea, does she have the equipment and tools to brew the tea? -Read our Tea Footprint article for a better understanding of how to navigate bagged tea 7. Think about the source of the tea, what does it tell you? -What does the packaging or website tell you? -Is it from a country, region or one farm? -Is it from a well-known area? 8. Certifications are a big story with complexity. Click here to read the short blog we have on this topic. Generally good ecological practices are imperative, because tea the first tea “wash” is in your cup. When in doubt, visit Tea Rebellion and check out our Mother's Day gift option! There you have it! We hope you will consider these tips and find them helpful throughout your gifting and shopping process. Celebrating Mother’s Day should feel warm, fun, meaningful, and like us fiercely authentic, from beginning to end. Let’s make Anna Jarvis proud and, above all else, focus on what really matters... the gift of love to our mothers!