20 Mother's Day Facts to Share With Your Mom

Your mother would actually prefer that you honor her every day of the year, but on May 10th, 2020, you'll honor her with love and gratitude. Show your mother how much you care by impressing her with some fun details about Mother's Day's past and origins, such as these.

Every year, Mother's Day does not fall on the same day.

Every year on the second Sunday in May, the holiday is observed. It will be held on May 10th this year.

On Mother's Day, more calls are made than on every other day of the year.

On the second Sunday in May, approximately 122 million calls are made.

Mother's Day is the third most common flower and plant holiday.

On Mother's Day, more people buy flowers and plants for their mothers than on any other holiday except Christmas and Hanukkah. Mother's Day flowers account for about a fifth of all flower purchases during the year.

Ancient Greece held one of the first Mother's Day celebrations.

Spring festivals will be held in honor of Rhea, the goddess of fertility, motherhood, and generation.

The busiest day of the year for restaurants is Mother's Day.

According to the National Restaurant Association, nearly 87 million adults expected to dine out on Mother's Day in 2018.

In 2014, the United States had 43.5 million mothers.

These women, who range in age from 15 to 50, have collectively given birth to 95.8 million children!

The phrase 'Mom' is derived from the word ‘mom’.

The'ma' sound is the first sound a baby can make, which is why the word for mother in almost every language starts with the letter 'M' or is a variation of the 'ma' sound.

The origins of Mother's Day in the United States can be traced back to peacemaker Ann Jarvis.

Ann Jarvis made a concerted effort during and after the Civil War to promote friendship and community among the mothers on both sides of the conflict. In 1868, she formed a committee that gave birth to the first glimmer of today's holiday: "Mother's Friendship Day."

Anna, Ann's daughter, carried on her mother's tradition by establishing the official holiday.

Anna Reeves Jarvis created an intimate day of observance to honor her own mother, which is clearly the basis of today's holiday. In 1908, the first Mother's Day was observed.

In 1914, Woodrow Wilson signed Mother's Day into law.

Woodrow Wilson legitimized the festival as a national holiday after Anna Jarvis founded the Mother's Day International Association to streamline the intimate day of observance to the second Sunday in May.

Anna Jarvis would later attempt to avoid Mother's Day from being what it had become.

Producers soon turned the holiday into a commercial opportunity to sell roses, candies, and greeting cards. Anna Reeves Jarvis argued that this was detracting from the holiday's personal and intimate elements, and she fought back by organizing boycotts, walkouts, and even criticizing first lady Eleanor Roosevelt for using the day for fundraising. Jarvis finally spent all of her resources on the war and died in a sanatorium at the age of 84.

Over $23 billion was spent on Mother's Day in 2018.

Shoppers spend an average of $180 on presents for their mothers. A total of $4.6 billion was spent on jewelry, and $4.4 billion was spent on dinners or brunches around the country.

The greeting card is the most famous Mother's Day gift.

Every year on Mother's Day, approximately 152 million cards are sent.

On Mother's Day, carnations have a special significance.

On Mother's Day, Anna Reeves Jarvis used the carnation to reflect whether or not your mother was still alive. A red carnation indicated that she was alive, while a white carnation indicated that she had died.

Mother's Day is observed across the globe.

And though it was on separate days. In addition to the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Costa Rica, Samoa, Georgia, Australia, and Thailand all have special days to honor their mothers.

36 percent of Americans want to purchase jewelry for their mothers.

Flowers, on the other hand, remain the most common gift option, with approximately 69 percent of Americans choosing a floral present. Why not get both for Mom?

Ancient festivals celebrating mothers are still observed in some countries.

People in India celebrate Durga-puja, a festival honoring the mother goddess Durga. The festival lasts ten days and takes place in September or October each year.

The majority of American women have their first child when they are in their twenties.

In the United States in 2017, the average age of a first-time mother was 26.8 years old.

Mother's Day also boosts beauty salons and spas.

People will spend $2 billion on personal services (such as spa treatments) for their mothers this Mother's Day, according to the National Retail Federation.

Moms aren't the only ones getting Mother's Day love.

The average American purchases 2.8 Mother's Day cards, indicating that most people purchase more than one for their mother. Many people choose to purchase Mother's Day cards for their grandmothers, parents, and mother-in-law.

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